When people are first introduced to their medical equipment, the proper daily use and care of your wheelchair or mobility scooter is something that’s often overlooked. There are some very specific steps to follow, especially with new batteries, in order to optimize your battery’s life.When you first purchase your batteries, fully charge and fully drain them at least 3-5 times. Do not recharge your battery when it’s still half charged. Completely draining it helps create a “memory” in your battery so that it knows just how much of a charge it can hold.
After these first few cycles you can charge your batteries at any point, but it is still best to wait until the charge is as low as possible before recharging.
This helps the batteries maintain the “memory” that you created. This isn’t always possible, of course, but do your best to ensure that you don’t plug your equipment in to charge for less than an hour at a time.
Going up hills uses more battery power. If your outing involves going up a large hill, take your charger with you. Once you’ve reached your destination, you can plug your equipment in if the battery is low.
Batteries don’t like extreme cold or heat. If you’re storing your equipment outside or in a unheated shed or garage, leave it plugged in so the cold doesn’t drain your batteries. If you go on a long trip and your batteries end up very hot, let them cool for about half an hour before plugging your equipment in.
If you’re going away or won’t be using your equipment for an extended period of time (a few weeks), disconnect your batteries or have a friend come over once a week and plug them in overnight.
If you’ll be away longer then a couple of weeks, then make sure they are being charged overnight at least once a week for the entire time you’re away.