If you're comfortable with soldering and working around high-current electricity you can easily replace dead cells inside power tool battery packs with new cells purchased from local or online battery suppliers. Not only is this much cheaper than buying a new battery pack, many tools more than a few years old or from less popular brands may not have new battery packs available.
![Power tool battery cell cost increases cost Power tool battery cell cost increases cost](https://www.grandviewresearch.com/static/img/research/us-lithium-ion-battery-market.png)
A grid-tied solar PV system with battery backup can respond quicker to a power outage than an auto-start generator can and there is no fuel cost. However, if an outage occurs during a winter storm, sunless days can deplete the battery. A large load will require more batteries and inverter capacity, which can increase the system’s cost. 59 product ratings - 2 Pack 18V Ni-CD DC9096 Battery Replacement for Dewalt Power Tool XRP DC9096.
Instructables user drcustom has a great tutorial on how to open your battery pack, determining the type of replacement batteries, and how to switch out dead cells for new cells. In addition to a soldering iron you'll need a multimeter and maybe a speciality screwdriver bit if your battery is sealed with security screws.
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Replacing the cells in your battery pack might also result in having a greater battery capacity than when the pack was new. That advantage along with paying about half the cost of a new battery pack and keeping the rest of your pack out of a landfill are all great reasons to consider this project.
Replace/Upgrade/Repair Power Tool Batteries - Save 50% or more! | Instructables
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