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Is a Cordless Battery Rebuild Worth It?
In 2013, I had my Ryobi cordless drill battery rebuilt at the Euless, TX, Interstate All Battery Center®. I didn't get to see behind the scenes then, but the rebuild worked for an astounding 13 years. After many moves, home repairs and repeated builds and takedowns of IKEA furniture, the drill rebuild finally gave out for good.
I then found myself at the Ottawa, CA, Interstate All Battery Center to determine if they could repair my drill battery rebuild. The answer: Yes! It's easier than it looks and saved me money (twice) compared to buying a new battery.
In 2013, I had my Ryobi cordless drill battery rebuilt at the Euless, TX, Interstate All Battery Center. I didn't get to see behind the scenes then, but the rebuild worked for an astounding 13 years. After many moves, home repairs and repeated builds and takedowns of IKEA furniture, the drill rebuild finally gave out for good.
I then found myself at the Ottawa, CA, Interstate All Battery Center to determine if they could repair my drill battery rebuild. The answer: Yes! It's easier than it looks and saved me money (twice) compared to buying a new battery.
You Can Repair a Battery Pack Rebuild
To make sure they could successfully refurbish the battery, store manager Adam had me email them photos of the existing battery pack, including the connector/plug assembly. I gave them the battery's age and usage history and let them know my battery chemistry and capacity (9.6V Ni-Cd battery), found at the bottom of my battery pack.
Assistant store manager John told me that "Knowing what the age of the battery is... determines a lot of factors in terms of whether it needs to be replaced, or how likely it is that the battery can be 'resurrected'." Adam confirmed the Ottawa Interstate All Battery Center location had the correct cells, plug assembly and shrink wrap materials in stock, and his team could rebuild my drill battery without issue.
Repair Support for Multiple Tool Brands & Product Types
Interstate All Battery Center's repair services mainly focus on top cordless tool brands (Bosch, Makita, Ryobi, DeWalt). John told me that most rebuild requests they receive are for emergency lights and UPS battery backup systems. They were well-versed in rebuilding NiCd and NiMH battery packs. However, because of safety hazards, special setup requirements, and fume inhalation or explosion risks, they do not offer lithium battery rebuilds of any kind.
John and his trainee, Andrew, kindly answered my thousands of battery questions, then let me step into their workshop to record the full drill battery rebuild process. Watch the video below to see how it went.
Step-by-Step Battery Rebuild Process
- Use a screwdriver to open the battery pack and remove the old batteries and insulation.
- Adhere eight new bulk batteries with super glue. Arrange them alternating between negative out, positive out, negative out, etc. Use a flat plastic tray at an angle to keep them aligned while gluing.
- Wait 8-14 hours for the glue to fully dry.
- Use electrical tape to hold the batteries together, ensuring they all fit snugly within the battery pack casing.
- Solder or tack-weld battery tabs to create a sequence across the front and back of the battery block, matching the original configuration of the dead pack.
- Before packing the battery, continually check the output voltage for quality assurance. Slightly exceeding the original drill's voltage is fine.
- From the connector/plug assembly, solder tabs onto the wiring and cover with heat-shrink.
- Tack-weld the wire tabs to the new battery pack and check the voltage again.
- Handle the battery repacking carefully, and seal the case with its original screws.
Overall Experience with Interstate All Battery Center’s Rebuild Service
Having no initial battery pack knowledge, I was pleasantly surprised by the rebuild process. I had no idea my cordless drill battery was made up of multiple smaller batteries, and that it truly exceeded its usual lifespan (or, I didn't use my drill nearly as much as I thought I did).
John and Andrew walked me through the repair with kindness and patience, clearly explaining every step and answering all my questions. John's workmanship was evident throughout the process as he carefully took apart and rebuilt my drill pack, ensuring quality at each step.
The longest part of the rebuild was waiting for the glue to cure, and the most satisfying part was seeing the soldering and tack-welding process. Based on what I learned, I could probably rebuild my drill battery again when it dies in 13 years, but I'll trust the experts at Interstate All Battery Center for a high-quality power tool battery rebuild instead!
Overall Experience with Interstate All Battery Center’s Rebuild Service
Having no initial battery pack knowledge, I was pleasantly surprised by the rebuild process. I had no idea my cordless drill battery was made up of multiple smaller batteries, and that it truly exceeded its usual lifespan (or, I didn't use my drill nearly as much as I thought I did).
John and Andrew walked me through the repair with kindness and patience, clearly explaining every step and answering all my questions. John's workmanship was evident throughout the process as he carefully took apart and rebuilt my drill pack, ensuring quality at each step.
The longest part of the rebuild was waiting for the glue to cure, and the most satisfying part was seeing the soldering and tack-welding process. Based on what I learned, I could probably rebuild my drill battery again when it dies in 13 years, but I'll trust the experts at Interstate All Battery Center for a high-quality power tool battery rebuild instead!
