Normally, your laptop battery gets damaged much more often than other components. One of the common issues in the battery is swelling.
Whenever the battery gets damaged by some means, it may release highly toxic and flammable gases. To prevent these gases from leaking and causing serious health and fire hazards, the manufacturers wrap the battery without any vents. As a result, the gases get trapped inside and expand to increase the battery volume. And, you will find the battery swelling.
The battery may burst and cause damage if it swells too much. Hence, you should immediately bring your concern to resolve the issue.
In this guide, we will discuss the possible ways to fix the swelling laptop battery.
Symptoms of a Swollen Battery
Your laptop continues to work even with a swollen battery. So it is quite difficult to identify whether your battery is swollen in the earlier stage as it is mostly confined inside. But as the battery size increases, you can recognize it with the following symptoms:
- Difficult to click the keyboard buttons and trackpad.
- Keyboard or touchpad extruding outwards.
- Out-of-shape back panel.
- Deformed laptop shape.
- Fast Battery Drainage.
- Puffed battery.
Causes of a Swollen Battery
The lithium-ion battery is made up of a few cells separated by electrolytes. When the battery temperature crosses the threshold, the electrolyte starts decomposing excessively due to the accelerated chemical reaction.
As a result, it produces gas which gets trapped inside the battery. The battery starts swelling as the gas accumulates and causes risks for hazards.
There are several causes for the electrolyte to degrade, resulting in a swollen battery. Let’s see a few of them.
- Overcharging
- Overheating
- Chemical or material decay
- Physical harm to the laptop or battery
- Aging
How Can I Fix It?
Playing with a swollen battery can be extremely dangerous. So, there is not much you can do to repair or fix it. Sure, you can reduce the workload on your laptop and limit its temperature increase to use the PC a bit longer. However, again, it is full of risks.
So, we recommend you remove the swollen battery safely and replace it with a new one. Look at your laptop’s battery model on the manufacturer’s website and buy the same model. If you still have a warranty for your battery, we recommend you take it to the store for a replacement.
If you can do it yourself, here are the steps to replace the swollen battery safely.
- Get the tools to disassemble the laptop.
- Turn over your laptop to face the back panel.
- If your laptop battery can be accessed from outside, remove the screws and push the lock to remove the battery.
- If you have an internal battery, remove the screws to disassemble the back panel. You may have to use clips to remove the panel.
- Disconnect the battery cable connected to the motherboard. Make sure not to puncture the swollen battery with a screwdriver or pointed object while removing the cable.
- Unscrew the nut holding the battery.
- Take out the battery from the space. You can use a glove and eyeglasses to protect yourself in case of danger.
- Place the new battery, tighten the screw and reconnect the cable back to the motherboard.
- Reassemble your laptop.
You are now free from danger and can use the laptop normally as before. You should use the laptop directly from the AC after removing the battery if you do not get the replacement right away.
How to Prevent the Battery From Swelling?
Even though you cannot fix the swollen battery, you can definitely prevent it from happening again. Let’s look at several measures you can apply.
- Always buy a genuine battery from the official store or manufacturer if you are getting a replacement. Cheaper vendors may use low-quality materials leading to their decay faster.
- Do not plug in your laptop for too long after it is fully charged. Lithium-ion batteries can experience severe temperature stress and undergo several charging cycles if the laptop is overcharged.
- Even if your laptop has the feature to prevent overcharging, plugging it too long can raise the battery temperature causing it to swell.
- It is better not to use the laptop while charging as it can lead the battery to heat.
- Use your laptop in a cool and dry place to prevent continuous heating.
- Take your laptop to a reliable store to inspect it if you experience some battery issues.
What Not to Do With a Swollen Battery?
Here are a few things you should keep in mind while handling a swollen battery for your safety.
- You must not poke or penetrate the swollen part of the battery.
- You should not put the swollen battery in the freezer or the sun.
- You should properly dispose of the damaged battery in an e-waste container, not in the surrounding.
