What Happens If You Try To Recharge Regular Batteries?

If you grew up in the 1960s or 1970s, you might recall being able to purchase a charger for disposable alkaline batteries. Your memory isn't failing you, believe it or not. Back in the day, people recharge their disposable batteries, and it's still possible today. Should you, however?

We strongly advise against it. No, it's not because we sell intelligent USB rechargeable batteries. We don't recommend it for two reasons: Alkaline batteries are not intended to be recharged, and doing so can be hazardous.

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Single-use or disposable alkaline batteries are widely available. On the other hand, lithium-ion cells are designed and marketed as rechargeable batteries. In this regard, the primary distinctions are chemistry and design. Simply put, alkaline batteries are intended to be used only once. Manufacturers plan for you to buy them, use them completely, and then discard them.

While it is possible to recharge alkaline batteries, a complete recharge is not possible, with inherent risks. Alkaline batteries are not designed in this manner.

A consumable alkaline battery can only be recharged 7 to 10 times, if at all, is the final nail in the coffin. The time and money spent on recharging alkalines aren't justified by the low charge cycles. It is preferable to purchase competent battery cells which can be charged for a thousand years or more.

Now that you've received a direct response from us let's get started with more information on charging standard batteries.

What happens if you try to charge regular batteries?

A typical alkaline dry cell battery comprises a zinc anode and a manganese dioxide cathode. The electrolyte is a basic paste that is not acidic, and potassium hydroxide is a common electrolyte used in alkaline batteries. A typical alkaline battery comprises steel can packed with manganese dioxide in the outermost internal cathode region and filled with zinc and the electrolyte in the center-most internal anode region. The anode's electrolyte mediates the chemical reaction between the cathode.

Regular batteries take a few charges, but their responses are not fully reversible, so they won't have much capacity, if any at all, and the batteries won't last very long. They'll likely get warm even though your charging energy is dissipated as heat rather than going into chemical storage. We don't know how all batteries will react to chargers for various chemistries, but all charger manufacturers warn you not to do it.

In the worst-case scenario, they overheat and catch fire, leak caustic chemicals, or cause a minor explosion. The best-case method is... nothing, just a little warmer. This could occur if the recharger were slow and inept and there was insufficient charging current as with many old NiCad chargers assert 15 hours of charge time.

What happens when you try to charge non-rechargeable batteries?

Batteries can twist our minds and imaginations at times. Sometimes the unthinkable happens again. Have you ever wondered how to recharge a non-rechargeable battery? It confounds our troubled minds, but we continue to amuse these opinions, beginning to wonder if it is possible.

Yes, it is possible to charge non-rechargeable batteries, but the issue is whether doing so is safe. Experts will continue to say that it is not recommended and that experimenting on the subject is extremely dangerous.

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Many people, however, have tried and proven that non-rechargeable batteries can and should be charged. There are a plethora of videos on YouTube that demonstrate this problem.

The most conclusive thoughts I can offer here are no non-rechargeable batteries, and it is possible to charge non-rechargeable cells. To demonstrate this point, I will present two experiments on the subject.

In most applications, the initial charge of a disposable battery causes it to last significantly longer than its counterpart, making it a better buy at first glance. But keep in mind that they are called "disposable" for a reason: they cannot be recharged, and they're gone once they've died. Rechargeable batteries have a much longer lifespan because they can be recharged. While it is true that rechargeable batteries lose charge more quickly with time and subsequent charges, there is never a need to re-purchase batteries for quite some time as long as they hold the charge required for their application satisfactorily.

Why can't you recharge ordinary batteries?

Batteries operate on the principle that the chemistry has an electrical charge; chemical reactions result in electrical discharge, which is used to power devices such as your TV remote or Gameboy. Alkaline (non-rechargeable) batteries cannot be recharged because the process is irreversible. Because rechargeable batteries, such as lithium-ion, are reversible, they can be recharged.

Consider it like cooking a slab of meat: once raw becomes well done, there is no turning back due to the relevant chemical reactions. In comparison, rechargeables are like a glass of water: cold makes ice, and hot make steam, but they can switch back and forth.

So, due to chemistry, "normal" (usually alkaline) batteries cannot be recharged; recharging essentially reverses the reaction process. Rechargeable batteries can do so because their chemistry permits it.

Furthermore, we continue to manufacture zillions of alkaline because they are cheaper. Still, electrical devices sometimes require voltages that only alkalines can provide at a consistent rate- rechargeable batteries tend to have a lower voltage. I've had microphones fail simply because the rechargeable batteries we were using produced only 1.2 volts, whereas alkaline produced 1.5 volts. This meant that the microphone didn't work with rechargeable batteries, even if they were brand new and fully charged!

Wrapping-Up:

That was all about regular batteries and how to recharge them. We believe that this post was helpful enough, and you got an idea of whether you can charge the standard batteries or not. To be rechargeable, the batteries need to be entirely chemical. And sometimes regular batteries fail to be fully chemical. So, it is best to check whether your batteries are chargeable or not.