The 14.4V Dewalt drill is a great tool for every handyperson and finishes near the top in every performance area. But, some people wonder what types of batteries they can use in this drill. Can you use 18V batteries in your 14.4V Dewalt drill?
Under normal circumstances, you cannot use 18V batteries in a 14.4V Dewalt drill. However, it is possible to modify your 18V battery so it can be used with your Dewalt drill.
Below, we’ll discuss the specifics of using 18V batteries in 14.4V Dewalt drills. Keep reading to learn more about this tool and its batteries!
Can You Use 18V Batteries in a 14.4V Dewalt Drill?
Under normal circumstances, you can not use 18V batteries in a 14.4V Dewalt drill. This is because Dewalt creates their power tools to work specifically with a certain voltage. Therefore, 14.4V drills can usually only be powered by using 14.4V batteries.
Many batteries have a tab or locating fin to prevent users from inserting the incorrect voltage into their tool.
However, if you’re in a pinch, you can grind these tabs off to make inserting an 18V battery possible.
Regardless, it should be noted that making alterations to an 18V battery so you can use it in a 14.4V drill can damage your drill.
This is because the voltage in an 18V battery is too high to power a 14.4V drill motor. Eventually, the drill will smoke out, so it may not be the best idea.
Can You Use Higher Voltage Batteries in a Drill?
It is not recommended that you use higher voltage batteries in any drill.
This is because tools are always created to work with a specific battery voltage.
Therefore, an 18V drill would need an 18V battery, a 14.4V drill needs a 14.4V battery, and so on.
Although you can make alterations to your battery so you can use it in a different voltage drill, doing so poses an integrity risk.
Even though the drill may run more powerfully at first, it is not meant to withstand the higher voltage for long.
In short, using too many volts on your power drill can eventually render the tool altogether useless.
It could even burn up the motor inside your drill if allowed to smoke out for too long.
Can You Use Lower Voltage Batteries in Your Drill?
Like higher voltage batteries, using lower voltage batteries than recommended in a power drill poses a risk to the tool’s integrity.
According to Dewalt, using a lower battery voltage will cause your drill to work harder, which may result in tools becoming overcharged.
When you use lower voltage batteries on your power drill, the overall expected lifetime of your drill reduces.
Another thing to remember is that using a lower-voltage battery in your drill will greatly reduce its power.
This will make completing tasks with the tool more difficult. You will also be unable to charge your lower-voltage battery using the correct voltage charger.
How to Alter Your 18V Battery for Use in a 14.4V Dewalt Drill
Some batteries come built with a specific design that prevents them from being used in power tools with non-matching voltage specifications.
For this reason, some batteries come with special fins or tabs that only fit into correct voltage tools.
However, they can be ground off using a small handheld grinder.
To alter your 18V battery so it works in your 14.4V drill, follow these steps:
- Locate the preventative protruding fins on your 18V battery.
- Remove the battery casing using a screwdriver or small hand drill.
- Gently grind off each protruding fin using a rotary grinding tool.
- Replace the battery casing and secure it with a screwdriver or hand drill.
When these preventive tabs are removed, inserting batteries of varying voltages into different power tools is easier.
However, modifying higher voltage batteries to be used in lower voltage power tools may harm you, the tool, the battery, or all the above.
If you decide to modify your battery, you run the risk of the tool working improperly and in unforeseen ways, such as the tool seizing or internal components rupturing.
In Conclusion
In general, you cannot use 18V batteries to power your 14.4V Dewalt drill.
This is because a higher voltage battery may cause internal damage to your tool, and most batteries are made to prevent insertion into tools with the incorrect voltage.
You can make modifications to an 18V battery so you can use it in a 14.4V drill, but this can pose a risk to you, your power tool, and the battery.
