What Is Laptop Battery swelling?
When the shape of laptop battery is deteriorated after prolonged use, due to ageing or any defect with any cell of the battery then heat develops inside the battery casing which expands the outer packing of the battery is known as swelling or bulging.
How to Handle Swollen Li-ion Polymer Batteries?
If you observe your laptop battery is swelling, it is important to take immediate action to preveny any potential safety hazards.
1- Turn off your laptop and unplug it from the power source.
2- Remove the battery from the laptop. If the battery is stuck, do not force it out. Contact laptop manufacturer or an expert technician for assistance.
3- Place the battery in safe and open area away from flammable materials. Do not puncture, crush or expose the battery to high temperatures.
4- Buy an original battery (if possible) and get it installed by an expert technician.
5- Dispose off the faulty battery properly and safely.
Li-ion Polymer batteries are being used in most latest
laptops and ultra-thin laptops because of its slim form factor and longer
battery life. Inherent to Li-ion polymer battery technology is the potential for swelling of the battery
cells.
Swollen battery may impact the performance of the laptop.
To prevent possible further damage to the laptop enclosure or internal
components leading to malfunction, discontinue the use of the laptop and
discharge it by disconnecting the AC Adapter and letting the battery drain.
Swollen batteries should not be used and should be replaced and disposed off properly. Contact Pctech.co.in Support Help for options to replace the swollen battery.
Why Do Laptop Batteries Swell?
Laptop battery swelling is a result of too much current in the cell of a battery, which causes a build up of heat and gas in the batteries sealed chamber. Overtime that gas will build up and cause the battery to expand.
Other Causes of Laptop Battery Swelling
1- overcharging,
2- Manufacturing defect,
3- Exposure to high temperature
4- Deep discharge
5- Damage to the battery
6- Natural ageing.
How To Observe If My Laptop Battery Is Swelling?
As the battery expands your laptop will slowly change shape. For example your laptop keyboard and touchpad might begin to warp or could start protruding. And your laptop is suddenly wobbly when you put it on a flat surface and some keyboard keys are hard to press.
How Can I Prevent Laptop Battery Swelling?
Besides the manufacturing defect there are a lot of precautions you can take to avoid swelling and prolong the life of your laptop battery.
Swollen batteries are dangerous for devices and humans as well. There are several precautions you can take to minimize the issues.
1- Don't leave your laptop plugged-in. Lithium-ion batteries are meant to a cycle of charge and discharge. Keeping them plugged in all the time stops them to use the capacity and hence its cells can enter into sleeping state.
2- Use the correct power charger. Sometimes an original charger gets misplaced or damaged and you use a spare charger which is not having the same specs or is of a cheap quality which may not have a same power output which can damage the battery.
Keeping laptops on charge always and using incorrect chargers are main reason of swelling of laptop batteries.
3- Replace the battery immediately if its damaged or not performing as it should. there is a standard life span of a battery so don't expect more from it, replace it immediately.
If your system has gone through 500-600 charge-discharge cycles then also you should replace the battery on priority basis and some users who wait till the battery backup comes down to 5 minutes and don't consider to replace the laptop battery then the battery can swell.
4- Store the device in a cool and dry environment. Leaving the laptops in a hot car and humid environment can reduce the battery life.
How To Dispose Off Swollen Laptop Batteries?
Removal and disposal of swollen laptop batteries can be dangerous but leaving it inside the laptop is more hazardous because it can explode.
All swollen laptop batteries should be removed immediately and disposed off properly because these are hazardous waste.
Follow below steps for the proper disposal of swollen laptop battery.
1- Search for a laptop technician near you to remove the swollen laptop battery immediately.
2- Look for a electronic waste management center or company near you and handover the swollen battery to that company so that it can be disposed off properly.
3- Contact Laptop manufacturer and ask for the process of proper disposal of the swollen laptop battery and follow the instructions given by the laptop manufacturer.
Guidelines for Handling and Replacing Lithium-ion Batteries
● Exercise caution when handling Lithium-ion batteries.
● Discharge the battery before removing it from the
system.
To discharge the battery, unplug the AC Adapter from the
system and operate the system only on battery power. When the
system will no longer power on when the power button is
pressed, the battery is fully discharged.
● Do not crush, drop, mutilate, or penetrate the battery
with foreign objects.
● Do not expose the battery to high temperatures, or
disassemble battery packs and cells.
● Do not apply pressure to the surface of the battery.
● Do not bend the battery.
● Do not use tools of any type to pry on or against the
battery.
If a battery gets stuck in a device as a result of
swelling, do not try to free it as puncturing, bending, or crushing a battery can be dangerous.
● Do not attempt to reassemble a damaged or swollen
battery into a notebook PC.
Swollen batteries should be returned to Dell in an approved shipping container, to comply with transportation regulations or disposed at an approved recycling center.
Which Laptops are Prone to Battery Swelling?
Click here to know the comprehensive list of laptop models whose batteries are prone to swell (bulge).
