We received a call last week from someone who has had one of our original PowerTrip mobile chargers for the past 12 years.  He said he uses it every day but he thinks the battery is at the end of its life, so he wanted to have the battery replaced.  Twelve years is a long time for a charger to last—even one designed and manufactured by PowerStick.  Here are five tips to get the most out of your charger.

To increase your charger’s battery life, don’t wait until the battery is empty. Power up your charger as frequently as possible to keep its power at an optimum level.

Charge your battery to only about 90%, not to its full capacity.  This advice goes for the battery in your cell phone as well.  This improves the battery’s performance and longevity.

If you don’t use your charger daily, charge to just 60-70% of capacity.  At this level, it will better maintain its charge if it’s sitting in a drawer for a while.

If possible, refrain from using your cellphone or other device while it is plugged into the charger.  During charging, the circuits are generating heat and using your device while it’s charging can cause the charger to overheat.

Store your mobile charger in a dry place where temperatures remain stable.  Never leave your charger in your car where temperatures can drop well below freezing and soar to triple digits.  Prolonged exposure to extreme temperatures can cause damage to the chemical structure of the battery.  The ideal temperature for storage is between 32 and 77 degrees Fahrenheit with 50% humidity.  When in storage, chargers should be kept at about 40-50% charged.

PowerStick chargers are designed so most of the battery components shut off when not being used.  This way, the chargers hold their power much longer—at least two to three years if used daily and as much as 10 years when used less frequently.  So, the next time your power goes out, you can reach for your charger and get the power you need.

See all stories in this series here.

– Dr. John Zhu

About this Series:

PowerStick has been designing and manufacturing portable power chargers at its Canadian manufacturing plant for over 10 years. During that time, this product category has been the focus of much publicity around safety and compliance. Some extreme cases involving batteries have caused fires in chargers and phones and prompted airlines to treat their conveyance with an abundance of caution.

As distributors and their representatives field more and more requests from their clients for portable charging devices, and in an effort to demystify battery and charger safety, we have asked Dr. John Zhu to pen a series of short, easy-to-understand tutorials to explain the how-tos and safety aspects of responsibly buying and selling these convenient and popular tech products.  Learn More>