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Cordless drill battery safety: charging, storage, disposal and recalls
Updated
A drill battery packs a lot of energy into a small case. Treat it that way. Use only the maker's own battery and charger, retire any pack that has been dropped hard or looks damaged, and never put one in the trash. This page is general safety information, not a substitute for your tool's manual.
Charging and daily use
These points come from the Power Tool Institute, the industry's safety body:
- Read the manuals for the battery, the charger and the tool.
- Use only the original maker's system: tool, battery and charger. They are built to communicate with each other and watch cell balance, energy flow and temperature.
- Do not hit or damage a battery, and do not use one as a hammer.
- Check packs for crushing, cuts, punctures, leaking, swelling or a bent case. Do not use a battery that has taken a sharp blow, been dropped or is damaged.
If a battery overheats
The Power Tool Institute says a pack that is too hot to touch, melting, smoking or on fire may be in thermal runaway, which can follow dropping, puncturing or getting it wet. Its first step is to unplug the charger if one is connected. Its overheated battery page, linked below, shows the rest of its steps. If there is fire you cannot safely handle, get out and call the fire department.
Disposal
The EPA says lithium-ion batteries should not go in household garbage or recycling bins. Take them to a separate recycling or household hazardous waste collection point. To prevent fires, the EPA says to tape the battery terminals or place each battery in its own plastic bag. The EPA lists handheld power tools among the products that use these batteries.
Recalls
Cordless drills do get recalled. In December 2015 the CPSC announced a recall of about 1.7 million Drill Master 18-volt cordless drills sold by Harbor Freight Tools, because a switch could stick on and overheat, a fire and burn hazard. None of the seven picks on this site is that drill. Before you buy any tool, and once a year after, search the model number on cpsc.gov. Register the tool with the maker so a recall notice can reach you.
Your eyes
OSHA notes that thousands of people are blinded each year by work-related eye injuries that proper eye and face protection could have prevented. A drill throws chips and the odd broken bit straight back at you. Put safety glasses on before the bit touches the work.
Match a kit to your jobs with the drill kit checker, or compare all seven picks on the roundup page.