I have a Black& Decker Firestorm Drill for a few Years ,you also get a Rechargeable Torch and you get supplied with a Charger and two Nic Cad 14.5 Volt Batteries. I do not use this much and about two weeks ago I tried using the Torch in the Garden to provide extra Light at Night time when checking out something. There was no Power so I switched Batteries from the Drill to the Torch but it to was wasted .So I put one Battery on Charge,about an Hour later I checked it and no increase in Power.
So I got the other Battery and tried Charging that,no Joy with that either. So I changed to another Socket Outlet thinking that might be the problem but no use. One of the Batteries powered the Drill a little bit which proved it was not the Drills fault,so could it be the Charger.
One other possibility is that the Batteries are just knackered but why. I only ever treated them normally and did not abuse them. So is it because you have to keep using them often to keep them in good condition or they will wear out or is it the Charger.
Does these Batteries have a certain Lifespan of only a few Years then you have to buy new ones curious . I also have a mains Supplied conventional Drill which could be used as a Screwdriver, but the Battery one was handy for awkward places and also as a Screwdriver.
So any Ideas what the problem is Please thank you.
Update:Interesting Information from all of you so far.Thanks Pascha for the Info the Consensus of opinions seem to be it is the Chargers Fault. As for the Torch it came with the Drill,I mostly just used the Drill and not the Torch.I hardly ever used the Drill or Torch to cause a problem which is very annoying. The Charger Replacement seems to be the Cheapest option.
As I said I also have a Mains Electric Drill which will do the same thing as the Battery one only it is more Powerful and does not run down,the only limitation is the Cable.
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I also have a B&D Firestorm set with 14.5 volt batteries. I have always had short run times on those batteries. My set comes with a reciprocating saw, which I use more than the drill, because I have other drills that hold a charge better. I have also had to get a new charger for the Firestorm set, as the charger that was supplied wore out.
You can get a non-brand 18 volt chargeable drill for about $20. That's a lot cheaper than messing with the Black and Decker batteries and chargers. And I wouldn't use a torch that requires such an expensive battery. There are many cheaper alternatives.
I'll make this short and sweet either buy new batteries or look at another drill and worklight set. I "ll tell you my Craftsman 19.2 volt drill and work light with charger, case and two die-hard rechargeable batteries were $100.00 bucks. It's one of the best drills I have ever owned, including Dewalt, Makita and Ryobi, i like it better than the ones mentioned. Get a new drill and work light, you'll be glad you did.
I've had similar problems with my Craftsman set. It turned out to be the charger. As I had an extra charger there was no time without my drill. Usually the batteries start dieing a slower death, you know when they start to go when the length of usable power gets gradually less. I'll bet it's the charger.
I suggest you use Rechargeable batteries and let them charge until they are full.sometimes you use this item a bit to long it drains the power out of the batteries or the item has got to hot and could burn out. if this suggestion do not work and the drill is still under guarantee take it to the place they repair them, if they will not get your money refunded if possible ,my husband had the same problem now he prefers using a powerful drill directly from the electric and uses a Extension leads.
Ni cads should be used often, or at least left on trickle charge, if you dont they fail.
As you dont use it much your battiers have failed.
You cant change the actual cells in the batteries as they will be sealed in, so you have to buy new batteries, but often these cost the same or more than a new drill etc.
Have a look at screwfix (I presume you are UK based)
Yeah. I had the same problem out of the same kind of drill.You would be better off buying a new drill.the batteries cost almost the same as the drill.
Try the battery on another charger. Maybe the Charger is bad. Clean the contacts on both the charger and the battery. This is the only thing wrong with cordless tools, the batteries. They just don't last.
I had the charger fail on my firestorm drill.It seems to be a product weakness.
Bought mine from Argos and they replaced it under warranty.