I recently had a Schlage deadbolt indicate dead batteries after installing new lithium AA batteries. I later removed the batteries and they tested fine on my tester. I reinstalled the same brand of AA lithium batteries and a new alkaline 9v and now they read 100% charged.
In a dead post from 2010, Enrico777 wrote that he too had problems with lithium batteries in Schlage locks. Anyone else have problems with lithium batteries in Schlage locks?
In many situations lithium batteries last longer than alkaline making them more desirable for vacation home locks. I also prefer them because they are less prone to leakage. It would be too bad if they are not compatible with Schlage locks or work inconsistently.
Interestingly enough, here is what [url=http://answers.schlage.com/entries/21062993-what-type-of-batteries-should-i-use]Contact us | Schlage Door Locks Customer Support has to say in this regards : “Schlage recommends using a premium alkaline battery for all of our electronic locks. Lithium and older battery technologies may cause undesirable operation”.
This does not make sense to me and I wonder if someone with more knowledge can shade some light on why would Lithium battery “cause undesirable operation”
Please feel free to chime in folks and share your experience with Lithium or other batteries in your Schlage door locks.
The alkaline battery voltage decline curve is what Schlage has used to calibrate the output of their battery life 0-100% reading.
Using any other battery type makes this reading inaccurate.
I think a lithium battery would show an initial decay … stay there for a long time … and then just crash very quickly to 0 at end of life.
This will be true for any device that reports battery life … they will state the type of battery to use … unless they have a setting to tell which type of battery they are monitoring.
That does not mean the battery is bad. For long unattended life I would use a battery with the most energy content … and replace at regular intervals and ignore the battery life indicator. The energy content is hard to find … and you have to ignore marketing hype. In fact the energy capacity from the same branded battery has changed over time.
Despite the ubiquitous nature of batteries … they are NOT all the same. Having to do research on a battery is … well boring!
Here is the clarification I received from Schlage on the “Undesirable operation” :
" * Undesirable Operation: At the end of life for lithium batteries there is a very steep discharge curve. This means that when the batteries do die there will be little or no warning, which increases the likelihood of a lockout condition where the mechanical backup key would need to be used. Alkaline batteries have a more gradual power discharge, so when they are at 20% life remaining, the lock can provide both Nexia alerts (on Nexia enabled devices) and local feedback (blinking red light) providing ample time (weeks) to change batteries before they are at the end of their life."
I’ve used AA (Energizer) Lithium cells on Titan One motorized locks for years with success, so I was surprised by this too.
While it’s nice the Lithium cells last longer (and are much lighter), they are also much more immune to low temperatures, and as you said – they don’t leak.
The Kirkland and Duracell alkaline AAs have a strong propensity to leak and corrode when dead; why, I don’t know.
Is the voltage on Eneloop’s good enough? They have excellent long-term life, but tend to register as ‘weak’ on the Alkaline voltage curve.