Don’t ever use a battery or try to charge it if it’s experiencing hot cold delay. It’s another term for overheating and overcooling; basically dangerous levels of temperature that may harm the battery.
For Craftsman 20v battery users specifically, there’ll be a red light on the charger during hot cold delay. Here’s what users need to know about that, and what they have to do when it happens.
Craftsman 20v Battery Charger Red Light – Dealing With Hot Cold Delay
Explaining Hot Cold Delay
Let’s just jump right to the point. I already told you how the red light on the charger will show up if there’s hot cold delay on a Craftsman 20v battery during charging.
There will also be two green lights accompanying the red light. But, what does hot cold delay mean, exactly? Well, they’re actually two different things.
One is hot delay specifically, which occurs when the battery gets too hot and needs to cool down. On the other hand, there’s cold delay, which is when the battery starts freezing up and needs to warm up.
Both of these are dangerous for the battery, and it’s best to never put them on charge during it. That’s why there are sensors on batteries and chargers that can spot this as it’s happening.
Craftsman 20v batteries have sensors similar to that. When those sensors pick up abnormal temperatures, the charger will begin to blink green and stay solid red, as it is in this photo:
Whether it’s hot delay or cold delay, the indicator for them is always the same. At the end of the day, the issue is with the temperature. That’s why people group them together and say hot cold delay.
What To Do After Seeing The Indicator
You know what the indicator looks like now. The more important thing to know is what to do after seeing this light. I think the first and most obvious step is to just remove the battery from its charger.
Take your Craftsman 20v battery off the charger after seeing the red light. Don’t let it stay there for too long because charging a battery with unsuitable temperatures will ruin its cells.
Do as I’ve done in the picture down here and take the battery off its charger. After taking it off, just put it away inside your house anywhere that isn’t too hot or cold.
That’s really all you have to do immediately. Even if a battery is hot or cold, the situation shouldn’t progress for the worse as long as you don’t try to charge it in that state.
How Do I Fix Hot Cold Delay?
Well, that’s the bad part about hot cold delay. There’s not exactly a way to fix it. The only option users have if this issue ever shows up is to just wait it out and have it go away eventually.
Temperatures on a battery aren’t something you can immediately change. Well, not in any safe way, at least. The only reliable way to do it is to store the battery in a room with normal temperatures.
Room temperature environments are ideal for batteries like the Craftsman 20v. After some hours without use in an area like that, it will be back to a point where people can safely put it back on the charger.
Personally, I keep my hot or cold batteries away overnight. By the morning, they’re ready for use again. It’s the safest way to handle this without damage to the battery.
I recommend you don’t try to rush it. Batteries, especially lithium-ion ones, are quite sensitive. Bad care could lead to severe issues, and even safety concerns when it comes to overheating.
