It’s important to follow the charging requirements for cordless tools and power equipment. If you don’t, you could lose years of usage and have to buy a replacement. While a replacement battery for your string trimmer or leaf blower isn’t a huge expense ($25 and up), an electric mower’s replacement battery could run you $170.

To maximize the service life of the batteries for your cordless yard equipment, don’t let them run down completely. Some manufacturers even recommend keeping a battery charged when not in use to ensure optimal performance. But don’t do that in the garage, shed, or other space that’s cold in the winter and hot in the summer, since you’re supposed to charge equipment at a temperature between 41° and 104°F.

At last October’s Green Industry Equipment & Expo show, more manufacturers showed mowers with removable batteries that you can store in an appropriate spot, so you can now charge your mower battery alongside your string trimmer and leaf blower batteries.

Gas lawn mowers with a battery-powered electric start could have their own requirements. For instance, you might need to charge the battery for 24 hours before storing it (unplugged) in an unheated area. Or you might have to charge the battery every so often if you keep it in a heated area. And if you have one of the new models of cordless electric snow blowers coming onto the market, check the owner’s manual on how to handle its battery, since that winter workhorse will likely sit unused most of the year.

So remember, although electric outdoor power equipment has the appeal of little or no maintenance compared with gas-powered gear, you can’t ignore these battery basics.

—Ed Perratore

Essential information: Check out our Lawn & Yard Guide for more advice on yard care and maintaining your gear. And as always, our team is down at our testing facility in Fort Myers, Florida, looking at the latest equipment for our May 2006 special section on mowers and tractors.