Laptop Battery

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I have a newer HP Inspiron 5510 Laptop. I no longer get the battery life like I used to get when it was new. I believe that it’s because at times I would leave it plugged in for 3 or more hours at a time. Are there any ways to extend the life of my battery in terms of how long it can last on a charge? If not, is it difficult to replace the battery. If so, which battery would I need?

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[Bob99]

Rush2112 wrote:

I have a newer HP Inspiron 5510 Laptop.

Are you sure you don’t mean a Dell Inspiron laptop??  😉

EDIT: In doing a quick search about replacing that model’s battery, I came across a hit from Dell’s site which referenced one of their KB articles. In that article, Dell claims that in certain newer models, the battery isn’t replaceable by the consumer but only by their techs at a service center.

In that same search, there were photos of replacement batteries allegedly for that model of laptop that were for sale. I also found a hit that described specifically just how to replace a battery, but in a Dell 5510 laptop that was another series besides Inspiron; they looked very easy to follow and quite short.

So, just how new is your “newer” 5510?

Also, before taking the plunge to possibly replace the battery, please review @Ascaris ‘ post below for anecdotal info that will help you in your search, should you decide to pursue one.

• This reply was modified 2 years, 3 months ago by Bob99.
• This reply was modified 2 years, 3 months ago by Bob99.
• This reply was modified 2 years, 3 months ago by Bob99.

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Yes, I meant that I have a Dell. Sorry, I misspoke.

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It’s less than one year old.

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An Inspiron is a Dell, not a HP.

Leaving the laptop plugged in for hours at a time won’t harm the battery. It will stop charging when the battery is full.

It is normal for batteries to lose capacity over time. Each time a battery is discharged and recharged, it takes a little bit more wear and tear, and more so if it is discharged below 10%o or charged above 90%. The closer it stays to 50% charge, the longer life it will have.

Heat also shortens battery life. Fast charging generates more heat, so it is worse for the battery than charging slowly.

You can’t rejuvenate an old battery that has lost capacity. You can preserve a battery by keeping it cool, avoiding fast charging, and avoiding discharging it deeply or charging up all the way, but once it loses capacity (they all will in time), that capacity is gone forever. You would need a new one to fix that.

I am not sure what you mean by asking what battery you would need. If you mean the model number of the battery, it would be written on the battery itself. Often you can buy batteries by application (the model number of the laptop rather than the battery), but it is safest to order the same battery number the unit already has.

I have a couple of Dells, and I have found their battery longevity to be disappointing. For my XPS 13, I bought an aftermarket battery rather than another Dell battery, as the original one costs a lot and still has a life shorter than what I would think acceptable on an aftermarket battery. Time will tell if my aftermarket battery is a good value for the money or not. Anyone can buy high or low quality cells from their manufacturers, so there is nothing preventing aftermarket sellers from making good quality batteries.

Be aware that counterfeit batteries are very common on places like aBay or Amazon, and any OEM battery that is not being sold by the OEM itself (especially if it is much cheaper than the original at known reputable sellers) is probably not really OEM.

Dell XPS 13/9310, i5-1135G7/16GB, KDE Neon 6.2
XPG Xenia 15, i7-9750H/32GB & GTX1660ti, Kubuntu 24.04
Acer Swift Go 14, i5-1335U/16GB, Kubuntu 24.04 (and Win 11)

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This link should get you the service manual for your Dell Inspiron 5510. The 5510 came with 2 different batteries, a 3 cell and a 4 cell. You’ll need to open up the laptop to see which you have and get the battery number. The service manual tells you how to open up the laptop and remove and replace the battery. It’s pretty easy to do. I’ve replaced a handful of batteries. Just be patient when you disconnect the wiring from the battery; sometimes it’s hard to do and you just have to pry it off gently but firmly a little bit at a time.

https://dl.dell.com/topicspdf/inspiron-15-5510-laptop_service-manual_en-us.pdf

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Thank you. I already have the manual. I should have looked at it about replacing the battery. If it’s as pretty straightforward as you say it is. Then I shouldn’t have any trouble in replacing it. Now or in the future should the need arise.

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YouTube video showing how to replace the battery & touchpad

Replacement batteries can be ordered directly from Dell at Inspiron 15 5000 (5510) Compatible Parts & Upgrades

BTW, from viewing the video and looking at the manual, it appears the 3-cell/4-cell batteries are interchangeable so, if yours has the 3-cell, I’d suggest replacing it with a 4-cell which should last a bit longer.

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Suggest checking for apps running in the background that are using CPU or GPU cycles. Also, check what apps are being started on boot. You may not be using them and they may burn background processor cycles.

Task Manager. Win+i

Desktop mobo Asus TUF X299 Mark 1, CPU: Intel Core i7-7820X Skylake-X 8-Core 3.6 GHz, RAM: 32GB, GPU: Nvidia GTX 1050 Ti 4GB. Display: Four 27" 1080p screens 2 over 2 quad.

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Rush2112 wrote:

Then I shouldn’t have any trouble in replacing it. Now or in the future should the need arise.

Generate a battery report to see how it is degrading, which often shows the battery’s model and/or serial number in the report.
I assume it is a Windows OS (10 or 11). If so, this is how to generate and view the report:

Open a command window as Administrator.
At the prompt enter powercfg /batteryreport
The command will respond indicating that the report is at
C:\WINDOWS\system32\battery-report.html
Copy this Path address, Paste into the Start Menu Search box, and press the Enter key.
The report will open in your default browser.

Pay attention to the section on Battery capacity history. Compare the Full charge capacity numbers with the Design capacity over time since you first started using the battery. The full charge capacity should gradually decrease over time. A sudden drop in the full charge capacity in a short time span means the battery is starting to leak and will go out real soon. When the full charge capacity reaches only 50 – 60 % of the design capacity, it’s time to replace the battery. Don’t let it get too bad. I’ve seen the battery in a laptop get so bad that it wouldn’t let the laptop boot up even when plugged in. Tip: Any time a laptop refuses to boot up even when plugged into the wall adapter, remove the battery and try to boot up with the adapter alone.

HTH, Dana:))

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Rush2112

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Thanks for your reply. I am achieving 100% when my battery is being charged.

I thank everybody’s help in this matter. So, before I open up my laptop, I will consult Dell considering it is under warranty still and see what they have to say on the matter.

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Rush2112 wrote:

I believe that it’s because at times I would leave it plugged in for 3 or more hours at a time

My 4+ years Lenovo laptop is 24/7/365 plugged to power. Never shut down or disconnected.
Replaced battery a couple of months ago. Bought compatible battery (https://www.ibuybattery.com/laptop-battery.htm) as Lenovo doesn’t manufacture them any more.

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Why did you replace the battery if it is only ever used on mains?

cheers, Paul

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Paul T wrote:

Why did you replace the battery if it is only ever used on mains?

cheers, Paul

While the battery was still charging to 100%, when opening the laptop in order to add RAM I noticed the battery was bulging and not safe to use.
The service removed the battery and I needed a new one in case of winter power cuts.

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Rush2112 wrote:

It’s less than one year old.

Still under warranty so don’t even think about opening it up.

Run the Dell diags and test the battery. Maybe it is a bad one and can be replaced under warranty.

cheers, Paul

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Depends on where you live. I’ve opened every laptop I’ve bought within the first week and usually on the first day I have it, in order to change the SSD, RAM, wifi card, or HDD. In the US, that cannot be used as a reason to void a warranty (nor can swapping replaceable components like these).

My Dell G3 lost enough battery capacity in less than a year to warrant replacement. As far as I know, Dell considers this a consumable item and will not warranty it.

Dell XPS 13/9310, i5-1135G7/16GB, KDE Neon 6.2
XPG Xenia 15, i7-9750H/32GB & GTX1660ti, Kubuntu 24.04
Acer Swift Go 14, i5-1335U/16GB, Kubuntu 24.04 (and Win 11)

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