Battery Drain whilst shutdown

[rcwilkinson]

Hello

My SP4 is losing 5-7% battery percentage when shutdown.

I only notice this when the laptop is shutdown for 20hours +. Usually It's shutdown in the evening and restarted again in the morning, and I dont notice any drain. However, this past weekend I switched I used it sparingly and notice a drop in battery capacity.

EDIT - I now notice this happening when I shut down for even 12hours. It usually loses 3% in the first 3 hours.


I attached a screenshot of my battery report to demonstrate the issue

Any help/advice would be much appreciated. If it's something to be concerned about I will be able to ask the retailer for a refund, but if it's normal behavior I wont

With many thanks

Ross

 

[rcwilkinson]

Hello all

A little update

I notice that after leaving my laptop shutdown for 14hours lastnight, it lost 3% on startup (100% to 97%). Is this normal?

With many thanks

Ross

 

[DavidZ]

Was the type cover attached? I seem to recall someone a while back saying that increases drain.

If so, try detaching the type cover before shutdown, leaving it off overnight, and compare the drain.

 

[rcwilkinson]

Thanks very much for the update.

Yea, I have the cover attached most of the time. I'll try it without the cover attached.

I was also wondering, regardless of cover attachment, is this just normal behaviour? i.e. when the battery cools down, does it lose a bit of capacity? Then, when it warms up, regains this capacity? (hence my presenting issue?) Has anyone else noticed similar behaviour?

Thanks!

Ross

 

[DavidZ]

My SP4 is losing 5-7% battery percentage when shutdown.

I only notice this when the laptop is shutdown for 20hours +. Usually It's shutdown in the evening and restarted again in the morning, and I dont notice any drain. However, this past weekend I switched I used it sparingly and notice a drop in battery capacity.

Do you think this has got something to do with the battery cooling down when it's shutdown for longer periods? Or is this perhaps something a bit more sinister?

Very unlikely. Everything I've read about lithium-ion batteries says that excessive heat can cause charging/discharging problems, not cold. Cold only becomes an issue when below freezing.

 

[rcwilkinson]

Thanks very much for the reply, David

I did a test over the weekend WITHOUT the type cover. I left the laptop unplugged for 38hours, and it lost 8%

Is this something to worry about? Could I have a defective battery?

The reason for asking is that I still think I could ask the retailer to replace my device. I would rather not, because of the hassle, but if my device is defective then I probably should.

Does anyone have an opinion on what I should do?

With many thanks

Ross

 

[DavidZ]

According to this article, the self-discharge rate for lithium ion batteries is "5% in 24h, then 1–2% per month (plus 3% for safety circuit)," which is close to what you've experienced.

 

[rcwilkinson]

Thanks for that article David, that's a helpful read.

In that case, have you experienced similar symptoms to those I'm getting?

The funny thing is, it didnt always do this. I used to just lose 1% after an overnight shutdown. Not it is consistently losing 4% when shutdown at, say 6pm, and turn on again at 8am. Is this what you experience also?

Thanks

Ross

 

[DavidZ]

I use my SP4 once a day at the same time each day. Yesterday I turned it off with 81.5% and turned it on 24 hours later and it had 80.1% (a 1.4% drop). However, to duplicate what you've done, I would need to turn it off with 100% and then turn it on 24 to 48 hours later. That's not the way I normally use it, but if I remember to do it that way, I'll let you know.

 

[rcwilkinson]

Thanks again David. That's what my SP4 used to do - lose about 1% each day. Now it's 3% for 12hours (the issue has gotten worse since my original post. I used to think I only noticed drain st 24+ hours, but now I see it after 12hours)

I was wondering doing a factory reset? Do you know if that's likely to put any extra wear and tear on the device? (i.e. totally wiping and then reinstalling windows etc)

Thanks

Ross

 

[DavidZ]

No, I don't think a reset would impact battery life.