Introduction
A cordless drill is one the most essential device tools that we all need to have because we do not know when the importance of having them around comes calling. Those are the moments we reach out for repairers to fix something that we could have done ourselves had we been in possession of a drill, and end up saving ourselves from unnecessary costs. It is not a necessary tool to general contractors only but can prove to be a necessity in our homes too due to the many repair tasks and fixing that arises now and then.
Cordless drills need proper maintenance and care unlike the corded drills which use electricity for operation. They use batteries and therefore the need to handle them with utmost care, since those batteries do not come cheap too. They are often charged and stored properly awaiting to be used to power the machines. Apart from the batteries, the best cordless drill also need to be preserved well not only to extend their life but also to keep them in good working conditions so as to avoid repair costs.
Discussed below are a number of ways in which you can extend the life span of that cordless drill.
How to maintain cordless drills for longer life
These are some of the ways you can preserve a cordless drill for a prolonged experience;
- Oiling your machine: A cordless drill has a lot of other functioning parts on the inside and outside too, just like other common working tools. Oiling your machine is one of the routine maintenance you can perform on your cordless drill machine especially on the chuck where most of the bits are held in place. The keyed chucks ensure that the bits are held in place especially when there is vibration or hammering activity on your machine. It is important to follow the following steps when oiling a cordless drill;
- Spread the oil on the inside of the chuck using a lubricating oil suitable for standard metal, all making sure that the chuck teeth are open completely.
- Repeatedly, tighten and loosen the chuck so that the oil can be evenly distributed throughout inside of the chuck.
- Continue to apply oil on the outer surface of the chuck using a rag cloth to ensure that oil is properly spread between the chuck and the hand grip.
- A keyed chuck will have you repeat the above steps only this time with addition of lubricating the teeth around the outside part of the chuck.
Cleaning the machine
Cleaning tools of work is one other way of keeping them functioning and eventually serving you for the longest time. As you carry out your routine drilling tasks over and over for a certain period of time, in this case being through surfaces such as wood, concrete or even a drywall, debris and dust particles can find their way into your machine as you engage the drill. For a period of time, these particles can eventually end up clogging the drill vents and this can result to engine failure and eventual burnout.
This can however be prevented through regular blowing so that to dust away those particles before they accumulate and result to machine overall damage, since a damaged engine means replacement and until it is done it means no work. Tools such as air compressors and air dusters are effective when it comes to blowing out dust and other particles out of the vents.
Keeping your Drills in a dry place
Avoid humid conditions when storing your best cordless drill. This is because some of the delicate parts of a drill’s motor such as gears, gyros and small chipsets which are responsible for controlling the speed and torque ratios, if exposed to water vapor they facilitate rusting. The battery is not spared either for it can as well be affected by the moisture which results to corrosion of surrounding metals which in turn makes them inoperable. The only way to prevent this is by ensuring that your machine is always stored in dry places away from moisture buildup.
Temperature Requirements
Temperature is another factor you should consider when it comes to taking care of your drill machines. The batteries are some of the essentials that tend to be affected by temperature changes. For the drill and batteries, a room temperature of 72F/22C with a buffer of minus or plus 10 degrees is fair enough for them. It should be medium because very low temperatures can result to icing action on the motor and gears compression thus burning them out. On the other hand, exceedingly high temperatures can reduce the life span of the batteries. Some of the machines are however being equipped with cold weather batteries for winter use.
- Keeping your drill off the ground when not using them
There is no doubt that there is likelihood of using a cordless drill for an outdoor project. This means that there is a possibility of putting down your tool for some reason. Another key important way of maintaining your drill operators is by keeping them off the ground when not using them. This is because grass and dirt can easily find their way in the motor through the vents. What more? The grass could be wet therefore facilitating rusting of some of the motor parts. Another reason you shouldn’t think of putting your machine on the ground is because of foot traffic especially if the job site happens to be near a foot path therefore causing individuals to trip over the machine and end up damaging it.
Using sharp drill bits
It is always a good routine to make sure that your machine’s bit has the ability to penetrate a surface a bit easily. Dull bits for this matter not only fail to get the job done but can even burn out the machines motor quite easily. Erroneous friction on surfaces caused by dull bits as you struggle to drill on surface results to unwanted pressure on the machine’s motor. Sharp and correct bits therefore make the work a lot way easier by easily penetrating through the surfaces without application of too much pressure. Also, using the correct bits for the correct surface facilitates smooth work.
