A common question that frequently pops up is whether you can replace any battery with a rechargeable battery. If you are running through batteries on a regular basis, it can seem pretty smart and environmentally conscious to buy a bunch of rechargeables batteries and replace every regular battery that you have with a rechargeable battery. The answer to this question is probably.
That that’s not the answer you were looking for, but generally, you can replace any regular battery with a rechargeable. There are exceptions to this. Sometimes, the rechargeable batteries just don’t function right. Other times, they can turn into more costly solutions. Let’s take a look at some of the places where you shouldn’t use rechargeable batteries.
Fire Alarms
Rechargeable batteries in a fire alarm is a big no. Many fire alarms are not designed to use rechargeable batteries. Your fire alarm may malfunction or not operate properly in an emergency. Rechargeable batteries recharge at different rates in the low drain situation of a typical fire alarm. Moreover, your fire alarm represents the safety of you and your family. An alkaline or lithium battery is a better choice. Remember, your fire alarm battery is designed to be changed every 6 months or as recommended by the manufacturer.
Older Electronic Devices
Fortunately, many modern electronic devices embrace rechargeable batteries and present no problem. There are older electronic devices that have issues with rechargeable batteries. This is due to the difference in voltage between rechargeable and regular batteries. Regular batteries are 1.5 volts and rechargeable batteries are 1.2 volts. In the real world, this voltage difference doesn’t normally matter at all.
In some older devices, the voltage difference matters. Devices that have battery meters are particularly affected by this. They will detect that the batteries are low or just about ready to go out even though they have a full charge. This can cause the devices to behave erratically or merely cease to function.
If you have one of these older devices, then you’ll need to stick with regular batteries if you want to keep the devices functionally. You might also want to evaluate the cost of keeping the older devices. It might be cheaper, in the long run, to replace them with devices that can use rechargeable batteries. Modern devices are often much lower in power consumption than older ones, which is another incentive to upgrade.
Low Drain Devices
Low drain devices like clocks aren’t good candidates for rechargeable batteries. A good quality alkaline battery will last more than a year, but during the same year, you might need to replace a typical rechargeable battery two to three times. If you insist on using rechargeable batteries, then the smart way is to buy low drain rechargeable batteries. These batteries limit the amount of self-discharge that occurs so they last much longer in low drain devices. Yes, they will need to be charged up on a regular basis but the time between recharges is greater.
When to Use Rechargeable Batteries?
If you are not dealing with one of the situations listed above, you can, just about always, safely and efficiently use rechargeable batteries. They are great in devices where you need to change batteries regularly. It’s easy to pop in a new set of rechargeables while putting the old rechargeables on the charger. It’s not only easy and convenient, but you are doing your part to help the environment. The environmental damage that is caused by so many batteries getting used once and then tossed away is enormous. Anytime you can use a rechargeable battery efficiently, you should.
Just to recap, you can use rechargeable batteries just about anywhere with a few exceptions. Don’t use them in fire alarms unless the manufacturer specifically says to use them. Don’t use them in older devices that aren’t designed for them. Try not to use them in low drain devices unless you use special rechargeable batteries.