Rechargeable alkaline batteries were originally developed in Canada by Battery Technologies, Inc. and licensed for sale to several U.S. manufacturers. Also called RAM (rechargeable alkaline manganese) batteries, they have an indefinite shelf life, unlike nickel-cadmium or lithium batteries. However, while you can recharge alkaline batteries of this type 100 or more times, discharging the batteries completely will sharply reduce the number of recharges that they will accept. Rechargeable alkaline batteries are thus best used in low power devices like remote controls so that frequent charging is convenient.
Instructions
1. Make sure that you get a battery charger designed to recharge alkaline batteries. Rayovac, Powerstream and other manufacturers market chargers ranging from $10 to $50. Do not use a charger intended for nickel-cadmium (NiCad) batteries. This type of charger cannot detect when alkaline batteries are at full charge and will overcharge them, damaging the batteries.
2. Recharge alkaline batteries when they have used 25 percent of their charge to maximize their useful life. Each time you drain a rechargeable alkaline batteries to less than 75 percent charge it shortens the life of the batteries. The deeper the discharge, the more it will shorten the life of the batteries.
3. Place the alkaline batteries in the charger and set it for proper charging (make sure that the charger is plugged in). If you are using a universal charger set the voltage to no more than 1.65 volts. Charging at higher voltages will cause changes in the chemical composition of the manganese oxide in the batteries, damaging them. If you are using a timer to stop the charging when complete, consult your batteries' manufacturer's specifications for the time required. Most partial charges take a couple of hours. Fully discharged alkaline batteries may have to recharge overnight.
4. Recondition rechargeable alkaline batteries that have been deeply discharged. A single recharge won't bring fully discharged alkaline batteries back to full capacity. You will need to go through several charging cycles without further deep discharges to fully restore the batteries to normal operation.
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