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Excessive gassing is the immediate consequence of overcharging a battery (source). One way to overcharge your lawnmower battery is by leaving it connected to the charger for an extended period—like overnight. However, due to the emergence of smart chargers that stop charging when they reach the correct voltage, you may want to know if it’s safe to charge your lawnmower battery overnight.
Charging a lawnmower battery overnight is unsafe when using a regular charger. It can overcharge your battery, risking excessive heating, sulfation, and gas venting. However, using smart trickle chargers with 6 or 12-volt settings is safer. These chargers detect when they attain the correct battery voltage—and stop charging.
In the rest of this article, I’ll explain the consequences of overcharging your lawnmower’s battery. I’ll also discuss what to consider if you want to charge your lawn mower battery overnight. Let’s get started!
Why Is It Unsafe To Charge a Lawnmower Battery Overnight?
The cost of a quality lawn mower battery is often more than $200. You don’t want to incur unnecessary charges by simply overcharging your lawnmower’s battery. Leaving a lawnmower charging overnight may have more consequences than just economic—let’s explore these potential issues below!
Overcharging Creates Excessive Heat
At one point, you might have touched a charging battery and realized it was warm. When you charge a battery, chemical reactions occur in the cells, releasing heat as the by-product.
Both lithium-ion and lead-acid batteries are susceptible to heating. However, the battery experiences a thermal runaway when the chemical reactions that release heat occur at an accelerated rate (source). Thermal runaway is dangerous when the heat generated within the battery due to overcharging exceeds the heat dissipated to the surrounding.
Thermal runaway causes the battery to break down, reducing its ability to store charge. It’s riskier in lead-acid batteries as it causes the vaporization of the internal water mixed with sulfuric acid, causing internal pressurization.
Overcharging Can Lead to Sulfation
Battery sulfation refers to the lead sulfate crystals that form on the battery’s plates when it remains discharged for too long or you overcharge the battery.
Sulfation is a significant problem in lead-acid batteries because it reduces their capacity to store charge.
Although you can reverse battery sulfation, it’s pretty challenging, and in most cases, you’ll have to replace the battery.
Therefore, you should not overcharge your lawnmower’s battery to prevent costly repairs or replacements.
Overcharged Batteries May Vent Gas
When you overcharge a lead-acid battery, the electrolyte breaks down to produce water and gas (hydrogen). The recombination of these gasses happens inside the battery, but some of the gas escapes through the vent holes.
Lithium-ion battery cells are also exposed to gassing when overcharged. The gas produced is explosive and can be a fire hazard if it accumulates in an enclosed space.
Moreover, battery gassing can release a poisonous hydrogen sulfide gas. This gas can be fatal if you inhale it in concentrated doses.
Leaking, Bulging, or Melting Batteries
As already discussed, overcharging a battery causes gases, internal component damage, and excess heat. These effects are catastrophic to the battery when combined. They cause the battery to leak, bulge, or melt.
A leaking battery exposes you and your environment to the corrosive and poisonous electrolyte. On the other hand, a bulging battery is a sign of an imminent explosion, while a melting one can catch fire. Therefore, it is best to ensure that your mower’s battery is not over or undercharged.
What To Consider if Charging a Lawnmower Battery Overnight
We all know the annoyance of a dead lawn mower battery. One way to avoid this is by charging the battery overnight so you wake up to a fully-charged battery to start mowing.
However, your lawnmower’s battery requires proper maintenance if you want to extend its lifespan. One way to keep that battery safe is by not overcharging it. Therefore, here are some factors you should consider before charging your lawnmower’s battery overnight to prevent overcharging:
The Type of Lawnmower Charger
The charger you use is the number one consideration. Regular/standard battery chargers send a constant voltage to the battery until it’s fully charged. The problem with these chargers is that they don’t shut off when the battery is full. As a result, they overcharge and damage the battery.
Since the night is always longer (depending on when you plug the battery into the charger), using a standard charger is catastrophic for your lawnmower’s battery. The battery will overcharge and suffer the consequences.
On the other hand, smart trickle chargers have an inbuilt mechanism that shuts off when the battery reaches its full charge (source).
Smart trickle chargers are either six or 12-volt, depending on your battery’s capacity voltage. These chargers charge the battery at its self-discharge rate and stop charging when it reaches the six or 12-volt charge.
Using a smart trickle charger (link to Amazon) is essential because it not only prolongs your battery’s lifespan but also protects it from overcharging.
The Type of Lawnmower Battery
Lawnmowers use three types of batteries:
- Lead acid batteries
- Lithium-ion batteries
- Lithium-ion phosphate batteries
Lithium-ion batteries are very susceptible to overcharging. These batteries often overcharge since they are not efficient in maintaining an identical state of charge (SOC) for all cells (source).
On the other hand, lead-acid batteries are pretty resistant to overcharging. However, they are not as efficient as lithium-ion in holding the charge.
Based on the above consideration, charging a lithium-ion lawn mower battery overnight is dangerous. The battery will overcharge, and you may wake up to a damaged battery. Therefore, it’s safer to charge a lead acid battery overnight than a lithium-ion one.
The Lawnmower Battery Condition
It would be best also to consider the condition of your lawnmower’s battery before you charge it overnight. A new or well-conditioned battery doesn’t need an overnight charge because it can attain a full charge quickly.
On the other hand, if your battery is old or in poor condition, it may need an extended charging time, like overnight, to achieve a full charge. In this case, you can use a standard charger because the risk of overcharging is low. The key is to monitor the charging process closely to prevent overcharging.
Conclusion
It’s evident from the above discussion that overcharging any lawnmower battery is dangerous. It’s, therefore, essential to have a keen understanding of your battery and how to charge it safely.
You should not hesitate to seek professional help from qualified personnel if unsure about anything. Professionals will guide you on the best way to go about it without causing any damage. Remember, your safety comes first!
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