Is It Safe To Leave Makita Batteries On The Charger?

Battery-powered tools have become a major part of the power tool market, and it includes all of the best (and worst) major power tool brands. Among these brands is Makita, which offers several different battery-powered tools for all kinds of jobs. Digging deeper into its offerings, it also has three different systems of batteries, those being CXT, LXT, and Makita's most powerful battery line, XGT. They're all designed to tackle specific use cases and to provide optimum power and longevity, but that's not all Makita packed into its batteries to keep them in tip top shape. 

In the event you forget about any of your Makita batteries as they sit on the charging dock, do you have to worry about it overcharging and potentially being ruined as a result? According to the Makita website, this isn't something you have to be concerned about. The chargers are designed to make note of when a battery is fully charged, thus preventing it from being burnt out. Once a battery is fully charged, the charger enters maintenance mode to monitor the battery's charge level and keep it full without going overboard. This is one of a few technological innovations you'll only find under the Makita umbrella.

Though you don't have to worry about overcharging with your Makita batteries, you should keep an eye on the charger's lights all the same. Here's why.

Even though Makita has ensured overcharging won't be a problem with its many types of battery, that doesn't mean you should just ignore your charger altogether. There is an LED light on the front of the charger that can illuminate in a few different colors and patterns to let you know that everything is running fine, or that something is wrong. So, you'll want to familiarize yourself with what all of the different colors and patterns mean, this way you're not blindsided by a dead or undercharged battery.

Speaking to the DC18RC charger type, there are a few LED indicators to keep track of. A solid red light means charging is in progress with the battery below 80%, solid red and green lights mean charging with the battery above 80%, a solid yellow light means conditioning, and a solid green light means charging is complete. A flashing green light means it's ready to charge, while flashing red, green and red, and yellow indicate some problems. They mean there's a delay in charging, the battery is defective in some way, or there's a cooling abnormality, respectively. The owner's manual of your specific charger model can offer more guidance regarding the LED system and its meanings.

Charging power tool batteries couldn't be easier, especially with Makita batteries and their chargers being designed to avoid overcharging. At the same time, there's some room for error and things can go wrong. Thankfully, Makita's LED system provides folks with some amount of guidance regarding the health of their equipment and if something has gone awry.