Charging the Battery I have ordered the CMM1200 and look forward to it's arrival. However, I'm concerned about overcharging the battery because of a horrendous experience with my B&D Cordless Drill. I left it on charge and ended up having to replace the battery and the battery charger (ouch!), so I'm quite "gun shy". Is this a so called "smart battery charger" that won't over-charge? And while I have an opportunity to ask someone who may know, is my replacement 18 volt Fire Storm Charger a "smart charger"? Charging the Battery I have ordered the CMM1200 and look forward to it's arrival. However, I'm concerned about overcharging the battery because of a horrendous experience with my B&D... » Read More Charging the Battery I have ordered the CMM1200 and look forward to it's arrival. However, I'm concerned about overcharging the battery because of a horrendous experience with my B&D Cordless Drill. I left it on charge and ended up having to replace the battery and the battery charger (ouch!), so I'm quite "gun shy". Is this a so called "smart battery charger" that won't over-charge? And while I have an opportunity to ask someone who may know, is my replacement 18 volt Fire Storm Charger a "smart charger"? « Show Less
1852423
I've had the CMM1000 for over five years now, still with original battery. I always mow in the late afternoon or early evening, never let the battery needle get into the red, and keep it plugged-in when not in use. It sits in a shed about 30 feet from my house - I just run a heavy-duty extension cord from an outside plug to the shed. The mower stays plugged-in even during the winter.If you keep it on the charger, and don't abuse it by trying to cut grass that's too tall, it will serve you well for many years. I love this mower!
1852424
hi do you have to keep it plugged in all winter or even all week. can you just charge it up the evening before, mow, and then leave for the next week. doesn't it hold the charge? would appreciate your thoughts. thanks peggy ness
1852425
I'm very sorry for those of you who need to remove the battery to charge it, but that is not a viable option at all as the connection for the charger is a somewhat permanent part of the mower and it would require a rather extensive disassembling of the unit each time. Perhaps you could consider a long outdoor extension cord, but the mower and charger need to be kept in a dry place. I received my CMM1200 two days ago (and already donated my old gas self propelled to Habitat for Humanity) and hope to have the same good experience as so many others. Thanks to everyone who provided information for this purchasing decision! I'm very sorry for those of you who need to remove the battery to charge it, but that is not a viable option at all as the connection for the charger is a somewhat permanent part of the mower and it would require a rather extensive disassembling of the unit each time. Perhaps you could consider a long outdoor extension cord, but the mower and charger need to be kept in a dry place. I received my CMM1200 two days ago (and already donated my old gas self propelled to Habitat for Humanity) and hope to have the same good experience as so many others. Thanks to everyone who provided information... » Read More I'm very sorry for those of you who need to remove the battery to charge it, but that is not a viable option at all as the connection for the charger is a somewhat permanent part of the mower and it would require a rather extensive disassembling of the unit each time. Perhaps you could consider a long outdoor extension cord, but the mower and charger need to be kept in a dry place. I received my CMM1200 two days ago (and already donated my old gas self propelled to Habitat for Humanity) and hope to have the same good experience as so many others. Thanks to everyone who provided information for this purchasing decision! « Show Less
1852426
I am looking into buying this model as well and am interested in the answer to Erin Leddy's question - can you take out the battery and charge it outside of the mower? I will be storing the mower in a shed with no power, so this is a key consideration for me. Thanks!
208472
So do you have to plug in the entire mower? or can you take out the battery and just plug that in?
1852427
Taking it out is important to me because I would like to have an extra battery charged for when the first one runs out. I don't believe I can get the whole yard done in the time one battery will last, but I don't want to wait until 10 hours later to finish. I want two batteries to charge.
1852428
I found this site a while ago for parts, for all model types (see the top right of the page to change the type your are viewing). Some of these parts can take a while, a few weeks for something I was looking for, but they provide a nice breakout diagram. Prices are fairly reasonable. You are looking for part #13.http://www.toolpartsdirect.com/cgi-bin/schematic.cgi/blackdecker/CMM1000_TYPE_1/
1852429
Don't worry. I used to leave it plugged in all week long (they recommend leaving it always plugged in) and even all winter long, without a problem.
1852430
Hah, I had that POS (Piece o' S#!+) drill too... but never fear, this mower has a smart charger and doesn't overcharge.
1074687
There is an issue with the charger I have discovered. It is necessary to unplug the charger unit and plug it in again each time you want to charge. When you don't do this it seems to charge, but really does not. In some fashion unplugging refreshes the unit. I operate two batteries and they charge up fully when I do this. I know, sounds weird, but it works. Can do the whole downstairs on two batteries. Amazing how much more expensive the batteries are now though.
2073884
I use the original Dewalt charger. It doesn't seem to stop charging the battery on its own, but I usually don't leave the battery charging more than about 3-4 hours. The battery has worked out well. This was the second one that I ordered so I could have one always charged and ready.
2256708
You probably do not want to have this plugged in all the time because that will "overcharge" the battery and damage it, so you only want to take it to it's "full" level and stop. If you want to have it charged every day to be "freshly charged", after an initial charge you could leave it plugged into a timer that comes on for 20 minutes a day, that wouldn't "overcharge" it and yet would give it a brief charge.As far as current used, the charger probably delivers 1/2 Amp at 12V which means at 120V house power it only draws 0.05 Amps. So you will hardly see that on your power bill. You probably do not want to have this plugged in all the time because that will "overcharge" the battery and damage it, so you only want to take it to it's "full" level and stop. If you want to have it charged every day to be "freshly charged", after an initial charge you could leave it plugged into a timer that comes on for 20 minutes a day, that wouldn't "overcharge" it and yet would give it a brief charge.As far as current used, the charger probably delivers 1/2 Amp at 12V which means at 120V house power it only draws 0.05 Amps. So you will... » Read More You probably do not want to have this plugged in all the time because that will "overcharge" the battery and damage it, so you only want to take it to it's "full" level and stop. If you want to have it charged every day to be "freshly charged", after an initial charge you could leave it plugged into a timer that comes on for 20 minutes a day, that wouldn't "overcharge" it and yet would give it a brief charge.As far as current used, the charger probably delivers 1/2 Amp at 12V which means at 120V house power it only draws 0.05 Amps. So you will hardly see that on your power bill. « Show Less
314455
The primary problem is that NiMH batteries do not like to be force-fed/overcharged, andthat is exactly what NiCd "low-end" chargers do: they are basically constant-current"trickle" chargers (low current, takes many hours to charge, then keep feeding thissame charging current even after the NiCd is fully charged). NiCd batteries just shrugoff this excess charging current, but it will eventually "cook" your NiMHs.That said, NiMH will pack much more punch into given size...so if you don't leave it onconstant charge (drain it, charge it overnight, then unplug it once "properly" charged)it should work quite well.Of course if you ditch the crappy little wallwart "charger" and hook it up to a properNiMH charger, it'll work Great! The primary problem is that NiMH batteries do not like to be force-fed/overcharged, andthat is exactly what NiCd "low-end" chargers do: they are basically constant-current"trickle" chargers (low current, takes many hours to charge, then keep feeding thissame charging current even after the NiCd is fully charged). NiCd batteries just shrugoff this excess charging current, but it will eventually "cook" your NiMHs.That said, NiMH will pack much more punch into given size...so if you don't leave it onconstant charge (drain... » Read More The primary problem is that NiMH batteries do not like to be force-fed/overcharged, andthat is exactly what NiCd "low-end" chargers do: they are basically constant-current"trickle" chargers (low current, takes many hours to charge, then keep feeding thissame charging current even after the NiCd is fully charged). NiCd batteries just shrugoff this excess charging current, but it will eventually "cook" your NiMHs.That said, NiMH will pack much more punch into given size...so if you don't leave it onconstant charge (drain it, charge it overnight, then unplug it once "properly" charged)it should work quite well.Of course if you ditch the crappy little wallwart "charger" and hook it up to a properNiMH charger, it'll work Great! « Show Less
1162596
The battery on this Drill/Driver isn't designed to be charged continuously, it will fail(go bad) if you do this. Which unfortunately sounds like what happened in this situation. It could also be the charger that failed. Either way, this does not sound like a cheap and easy fix. The batteries were cheaper 2 years ago, I did not need to buy a replacement battery for my drill/driver up to this point.
589571
To tell the truth, it depends upon the charger that you are using. If you are using the one that came with battery and simply slides onto the battery, it has no way of knowing when the battery is charged and will keep pumping current into the batter, unless you disconnect it, and will eventually "fry" the battery. Doesn't matter if it is NiCad or NiMh.Do yourself a favor and buy the "Black & Decker FSMVC 9.6-Volt to 18-Volt Slide Style Battery Charger". It regulates the charge and won't fry the battery. I've been using two of them for over a year and have not fried NiMh batteries, so far! To tell the truth, it depends upon the charger that you are using. If you are using the one that came with battery and simply slides onto the battery, it has no way of knowing when the battery is charged and will keep pumping current into the batter, unless you disconnect it, and will eventually "fry" the battery. Doesn't matter if it is NiCad or NiMh.Do yourself a favor and buy the "Black & Decker FSMVC 9.6-Volt to 18-Volt Slide Style Battery Charger". It regulates the charge and won't fry the battery. I've been using two of them for over a year and have not... » Read More To tell the truth, it depends upon the charger that you are using. If you are using the one that came with battery and simply slides onto the battery, it has no way of knowing when the battery is charged and will keep pumping current into the batter, unless you disconnect it, and will eventually "fry" the battery. Doesn't matter if it is NiCad or NiMh.Do yourself a favor and buy the "Black & Decker FSMVC 9.6-Volt to 18-Volt Slide Style Battery Charger". It regulates the charge and won't fry the battery. I've been using two of them for over a year and have not fried NiMh batteries, so far! « Show Less
845172
According to the information I read the built in charger is a float charger meaning it will not overcharge if left plugged in. There is something else offered if you keep it in your vehicle, they will send you mail when it will need a recharge based on when it was last charged. I might add I am very pleased with the performance of this unit.
1417379
the responder Paul must be a dewalt employeegive me a breakyou say the battery should always stay in the charger but dewalt sells the damn thing with only one slot for a battery in their charger. so we are supposed to take care of this like we did with our babies?
1911097
I have a special charger for my R/C truck (duratrax onyx) that can be programmed for all types and sizes of batteries, so I don't have any problem with batteries overcharging. I purchased 5 additional LiPo battery packs for the quadcopter real cheap and they work great. The enemy of batteries is the charger - it's worth while to go with a programmable charger for any rechargeable batteries you own. I bought a cheap 5-way splitter to charge multiple batteries for my quadcopter at the same time and it works just fine. But, you need to have a good charger that doesn't overcharge. Otherwise, your batteries will puff up and their life will be shortened. Another advantage of a programmable charger is that the charge time is much shorter. I can charge one battery in as little as 35 min, or around 60 min at a lower mah rating (which will help the battery last longer). Look for a charger on Amazon - you can find them for around $35. I just cut the end off my 5-way splitter and put a plug on it that's compatible with my charger. Just keep the polarity correct and you're good to go. BTW - if you charge multiple batteries, I would make sure each is equally used, ie dead, then boost the mah rating according to how many batteries you're charging at once. I would charge one battery pack at 0.5 mah, but use 1.0 mah for 2 packs. Make sure the voltage is set correctly, as well as the type of battery (ie LiPo, Nimh, etc).
1390088
My charger melted the battery I bought from Amazon. Ruined my drill, so don't buy from Amazon. But to answer your question I would say the battery is bad.
1524289
Oops, I have 3 different type. You are correct our takes a fat barrel type of battery. Quick I still don't have a charger for but still be looking into one.
393147
I presume that this is a replacement or additional battery for your tool(s.) If it is, then it slides on the charger just like your original batteries. If there seems to be a problem, I would first see if it fits onto your tool. My battery came with some charge in it and the tool worked with the battery right out of the box. If the battery does not fit your tool, then you have a more basic problem and you can be glad that Amazon is so quick in resolving these types of issues.
1527842
hello Mike S. Don't do what I did pay a lot of money for something that don't work, these are after market chargers the original battery has been discontinued by sears, as have the charger, so long story short don't waste your money on something that don't fill the bill. Be smart spend a little and get a knew drill the 19volt is great and powerful, and it's less than $100.00 these come with two batts and charger besides X-mas is coming so what are you waiting for???
863027
This charger is fully automatic on the 12 volt positions and will not overcharge a battery although on the 6 volt setting it is not automatic and it will overcharge! So on the 6volt setting, the battery MUST monitored!
1665062
D. Steelman- I don't know what's going on but I'm in the same boat. I ordered this because it was supposed to be a smart charger that knew when to stop the charge. It doesn't. It seemed a cheap alternative to the fancier La Crosse. Instead I feel like I threw away the $22 I paid. (I see now it's going for $10-$11 more, and not sold directly through Amazon.com.) Anyone know the best way to get this exchanged for the advertised model?
69796
I'm not a battery expert, but you should really stick to the charging voltage and initial current they show on the battery. Overcurrent will certainly warm it up and it may leak or explode on you, or just shorten it's life.