If you are like most people, of course, you would want to get the most value for your money. Therefore, when it comes to using power tools in your day-to-day activities at home or even in your workplace, of course, you won’t settle for just any tool.
You will only choose the ones that are the best in quality and brand so that they can give you great efficiency in terms of usage.
One of the most common power tools is the electric drill. Like any other tool, an electric drill also needs proper care to enable its owner to use it longer than expected before getting damaged or destroyed.
Here are 5 tips on how you can take care so that your electric drill is kept durable and damage-free:
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1. Don’t overcharge the battery
In order to keep your electric drill in its best condition for a long time, it is important that you don’t charge the batteries of the drill for a very long period. If you will be using it beside an outlet, then make sure that you check if the batteries have been fully charged before using them.

Overcharging can cause damage to both the battery and its charger so it is better to avoid this from happening instead of regretting later on when they stop working or get totally damaged already due to overcharging.
The same thing also applies when storing the drills during idle times. Unfortunately, some people tend to forget about charging their drills after use, which results in overcharging once they remember about it.
2.Avoid frequently using the drill on its highest speed setting
This is another common mistake that people usually do when operating an electric drill, which is to always use it on its highest or fastest speed setting so they can complete their work quickly.
Well, while this statement is true in some ways, for your electric drill’s sake, you should know that using it continuously at a very high speed for too long can damage its motor.
That is why if you are drilling continuously on one spot like in making holes like in installing fence posts, then make sure you reduce the pressure and keep the setting on low instead of high.
Another example would be with cordless screwdrivers; don’t use them continuously at fast speeds because most of them have only been designed to work with screws that have a maximum speed of driving in and out.
3. Make sure you check and replace the drill bits often
It is understandable that we all want our drills to last for a very long time – because after all, they are not cheap – but if we don’t take care of them properly, then we will never get what we really deserve from it.
And this means keeping the drill bits sharp at all times so that they can do their job efficiently and effectively. What happens to most people though is that they wait until the bit becomes dull before replacing it.
If you start this bad habit now because you think your electric drills will probably last long anyway even if you don’t bother checking or changing the bits, then you might want to reconsider and check the bits more often so you won’t have a hard time drilling through materials – especially those that are harder – next time.
4. Always make sure the drill has been unplugged before doing any kind of checking or maintenance
Your safety should always be your first priority if you want to keep yourself from getting hurt, which is why it is important that you know how to properly use an electric drill for your own good.
One of the most common mistakes that people do with their tools like an electric drill is when they try to do some inspection or maintenance while still plugged in or turned on. This can cause injuries because if something goes wrong during this process, then there’s no way for you to prevent it from happening.
Another reason why you need to make sure that the drill has been turned off before doing any kind of inspection and maintenance is that you might accidentally cut yourself due to the sharp edges and blades found in drills.
5. Don’t use your electric drill for purposes other than drilling holes
Drills were originally designed for one thing only, which is to bore holes in different materials like wood, metal, or even plastic.
That means if you will be using your electric drill for another purpose such as cutting wire or nails through thin metal sheets, then know that it can cause permanent damage not only to the battery but also on the gears when it fails to do what it was intended for – i.e., drilling holes.
Summary:
- Make sure you are charging your drill at the right times, for example after using it or before storing it away
- Avoid using the drill on its highest speed setting, instead change to a lower one when you can’t control how much pressure you’re putting in
- Check and replace your drill bits often so they can stay sharp and effective
- Always make sure the drill has been unplugged before doing any kind of checking or maintenance
- Use your electric drill only for its intended purpose, i.e., drilling holes
Things that can damage your Electric Drill
An electric drill can help you bore through different surfaces easily. However, not very many people know how to take care of the drill properly if they want it to function for a long time without problems.
If you have some basic knowledge about drills, you probably have already heard about some precautions before using them.
For example, one should use only the drill bits designed for this tool or they should be careful while dealing with nails and screws so that no material ends up in the motor of the drill.
All these tips concern general safety when using this kind of tool but what happens if your beloved device does not power on? Is there anything that should be done to fix the drill? Let’s look at this matter more closely.
There are certain things you can do, but there are also ways in which you could damage the drill even further if not take care. What they have in common is that all of them concern poor handling of the drill.
- Do not use a drill with a damaged cord as it is dangerous for your health and life. In case of any damage, electric drills should be repaired by qualified personnel only!
- If you want to transport an electric drill somewhere or put it into storage, then you need to hold onto both ends of its cord and wrap it carefully around a hook. Otherwise, the wire inside the cord may get loose from its insulation and cause an electric shock.
- If you are wondering how to store your drill, then put it into a tool case or bag where the cord will fit in nicely without getting tangled with other tools. It is safer that way as the cord will not get damaged and it also makes setting up for work much easier because you won’t have to untangle everything before starting.
- This is something people often do, but they should be more careful around metal surfaces. You see, some types of drills can function as both hammer drills and impact drivers which means that they have two modes of operation.
They can bore through materials with their rotating bits OR deliver very strong blows if activated in the proper mode. Since these operations involve extremely high speeds, even a small metal surface can make the drill come to a complete halt.
For example, it may not rotate if you keep hitting metal with it or it may stop rotating because of friction when using it to bore through objects. This kind of problem is very hard to explain in text so you will have to trust me on this one.
- It happens that people use low powered electrical drills for too demanding jobs which are beyond their capabilities .
If an electric drill has only 80 watts of power output, then do not expect it to be able to replace an impact wrench or screwdriver which requires much more torque.
You will damage the motor in your drill by forcing it in such cases and in order to prevent this from happening, need to read its specifications!
- Drill motors are often cooled with a rotating fan. This component can get damaged if you drill through extremely dense objects such as metal sheets or blocks for example.
Even though an electric drill’s motor may not shut down immediately when it overheats, you should still avoid such situations as the drill could break down on you in the future and cause problems.
- Most people do not know this but electric drills contain some small parts that need to be oiled periodically . If you fail to lubricate them at required intervals, then they will wear out very quickly and damage your drill which is definitely something you want to avoid!
- All of the above concerns motorized drills and there is one more thing I’d like to mention: some basic power tools are hand-operated drills which require human power to function.
These models work great in many situations but two things can happen with them: if you fail to apply enough pressure on the drill, it will rotate slowly and not create enough holes OR the drill may stop because its mechanism got gummed up.
The first case can be solved by exercising more strength while using it but this is not something you can do when working with thick metal sheets for example. In such cases, you need to use a motor-driven electric drill or another tool that requires less effort!
- For professional users, there is one very important thing I would like to mention here: if you use your drill daily , it should be cleaned at least once per week . Many people fail to do so and this eventually makes their drills less efficient.
This is because small metal particles (burrs) will accumulate inside the drill’s mechanism and also in its vents which may block airflow when the drill is active.
Similarly, there might be dust inside it that gets forward of rotating parts when activated which can cause them to malfunction after a while.
- The best way to clean your electric drill is to turn it off and then take all necessary screws and covers off one by one in order to access different parts of its mechanism.
Also, make sure you check whether an air hose or vacuum hose can fit through each opening in order to suck up any small metal fragments out of the tool without damaging any moving parts. Then, grease all moving parts and reassemble the drill in reverse order.
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Also, if you have any additional information on the proper use of electric drills that we did not mention here or just want to add a personal note on related topics, feel free to do so by leaving a comment below. Thank you for reading and good luck using your power tools!