How to Replace the Battery in a Black & Decker Storm Station Model SS925

Black & Decker Storm Station

A number of years ago, I received a Black & Decker Storm Station Model SS925 as a gift. This device is a combination rechargeable storm light, flashlight, radio and AC & DC power source. Before using the Storm Station, I read the manual and noted that after charging, the device is supposed to be unplugged for storage. After the last brief power outage, I tested the device to see how long the light would stay on when unplugged. I was dismayed to find it was less than an hour. It turns out that Black & Decker recommends keeping the unit charging at all times in the product’s FAQ and other users reported that if you left the unit unplugged, you would damage the battery.

The rechargeable battery is not supposed to be user replaceable, so I feared I would have to recycle the unit. Fortunately, I found brief instructions by greenpower101 on Epinions.com that inspired me to try replacing it myself.

The procedure below will take you 15 to 30 minutes, not counting the time to pick up or order the replacement battery. All you need is a Phillips screwdriver. Please note that this procedure will void your warranty, but if it is already expired and you have a battery that won’t hold a charge, you have nothing to lose.

  1. Disconnect the AC adapter and turn off the Storm Station
  2. Open up the Storm Station. There are eight Phillips screws located on the back of the device. None are hidden or tricky to remove. Some are different lengths, so keep track of which screw goes where.
  3. Carefully pull the back off of the device. There are several wires connecting the back to the front. Take care not to pull them off of their solder joints.
  4. Disconnect the black and red battery wires.
  5. Remove the six screws holding the white battery compartment cover.
  6. Purchase a replacement battery. The battery in my unit was a B.B. Battery model HR5.5-12. I easily found a replacement on Amazon. Make sure that you order a battery with the correct type of connector. The connectors on my battery were type F2.
  7. Prepare the battery to be reinstalled by adding some foam strips to the sides to keep it snug in its compartment. I just reused the ones that were on my original battery.
  8. Place the new battery back in the white compartment with the positive (red) terminal on the right.
  9. Attach the battery compartment to the back of the Storm Station using the six screws. Attach the black battery wire to the black terminal and the red battery wire to the red terminal.
  10. Attach the back of the Storm Station to the front with the eight screws and you are good to go! My replacement battery had some charge in it, so I was able to test the Storm Station right away.
  11. Recycle your old battery!

Now that I have the new battery, the storm light will stay on for more than 14 hours. A big improvement from before!

119 Comments

  1. We received our storm station for a gift also. It has never worked, we will try to replace the battery, We lost the manual, so hopefully this will solve the problem or maybe it will become a door stop!!

  2. Good info. thanks. We got ours at a yard sale. …without any power cord to recharge. Is there suppose to be one? We’ll follow your advice on replacement of that batttery..and we are using it with 4 double A’s…..
    We can’t even figure out where a cord would plug in IF we had one.
    HELP!

  3. I had my storm station for years the same one you have. (2007). And now it does not hold any charge. Your post help me keep it alive again. Going to order the battery from Amazon and also look for the little light bulb ( its out too). I live in SoCal and need it for the next quake. I still remember the 1994 Northrigde quake. Never again going with out light.
    Thank You again
    Art

  4. Pulled mine out of storage for Sandy, battery completely dead! Your post encouraged me, so I pulled the back off it to check things out. Unfortunately, one screw for the battery compartment was an unremovable “warranty screw” with a hollow top – none of my fancy screw drivers could budge it. Guess I’ll call B&D later or just use it as a flashlight charger! Sheesh, glad my power didn’t go out. But thanks for the post regardless!

  5. Thanks for the instructions. If I only new my battery was dead before Hurricane Sandy. Just ordered the battery, looking forward to making this work.

  6. Thank you, it worked like a charm and I found the battery on Amazon.com for $16.75. I gather that when one stores the unit, the switch should remain in the “On/Charge” position with the power adapter plugged in.

  7. I replaced battery per your great instructions and unit worked great until charge cord seemed to short out. The female charge connector on the unit seemed loose so I cracked the unit open and found the solder point bad. After trying to repair that I found the 4 wires at the bottom came off. Does anyone have a scematic or picture of board so I can replace the wires and see where all the components go?

  8. Thanks for this info. Awesome! Also the light bulb in the flashlight is just a standard flashlight bulb. Do not know about the one in the radio itself. Antenna is not made anymore but maybe Radio Shack will be able to get something adaptable? ebay was not much help for this radio. Thanks!

  9. My daughter bought me a storm station about three years ago. Currently it is not working but after reading your instructions I think weneed to change the battery. However, wat brought me to your website is I am looking to purchase a Black and Decker Storm Station now in return for my daughter. I have looked in 7 stores, no store seems to have these. Are they still available for purchase? And do you know where? Thank you

    • patti. IF you still come here, or if this post finds you. Did you ever find a Storm Station unit? I am replacing the battery in mine, and mine is new in the box. I will be selling it, once I replace the battery. For a small investment, if you still want one, I can sell you one that works totally, still in the box. I seem to find that 90% of these have problems, that one or more things dont work. This is the first thing that hasnt worked on it since I got it. IF you come here, or if this post find you. Let me know if you want to buy it, once I replace the battery, and know 100% for sure it was just that the battery was to old to hold a cahrge. here in Fla. I can find a more current emergency unit for hurricane use. If not, I will have this on EBay, just need to find out a fair price for a totally working one.

    • Realize that this is an “old” post, but I just wanted to thank you for helping me to bring my Storm Station back from the brink of its death.

      Your instructions per spot on with the small exception that my unit has 10 not 8 screws. It wasn’t a problem though, with your instructions I knew what I was looking for. Fresh batter installed and now the unit is working again.
      Thanks again.

  10. Hi. I recharged me unit after over a year of not using it. Thinking I better charge it,hee in Fla, hurricane season comes along in a blink of an eye. I STILL to this day dont know how long the light is suppose to run on a full charge,or the radio,or the flashlight,not time tables on how long these things will work all together or each one. Anyway, I charged it all day, over 18 hrs, and it was still on ‘charge, the little red light was still on charge, not CHARGED. So I figured the battery was in need of replacement. I finally found one online at EReplacements.com, I got the last one for ‘Black and Decker Storm Station’,it was $27,plus shipping, $35,I didnt find this site of yours till after I bought it,on a weekend,so i cant stop the charge. I checked amazon.com and it had the battery YOU say you bought for a lot less. My question is, is the one I bought, that says it is made for this unit, gonna fit?
    It is suppose to be specifically the battery for this unit. Theres no name on it, no power strength,or anything, it looks like a black box. But i am assuming since it is meant for this unit, it must be the right one…right?
    I cant call the company and check, for 2 days, its the weekend. So, did I just blow over $30, when i could have gotten your $16 one? Or do i have a Black and Decker replacement battery? Sorry so long. IF it fits, IF it charges fully, should I keep it plugged in 24/7 from now on? I think it is like 8 years old, I have used it like 2 times for less than a few hours,but it all works. But dont want to buy another battery. So…plugged in 24/7? Or charge it and put it back in the box where it lives all the time?

    • Stan,

      Thanks for stopping by the site!

      My experience was that the charging light never went out on the old battery and the battery charge would last less than an hour.

      I checked ereplacements.com and couldn’t find the battery listed, not even listed as out of stock. So, I wasn’t able to compare it with mine.

      As for charging, I now keep mine plugged in all of the time. I’ve done that since I wrote the article and so far, so good.

      • As i told you in an email you sent to me, I found this battery that YOU boguht , and show how to put in the Storm Station, that I have as well. That is on Amazon.com. I stopped the purchase of the other battery on Ereplacementparts.com, it was 435, and a special order, up to 3 weeks to get. And I am buying this battery that you bought, it is still $16 no shipping charge. How long did it take you to get yours? Do you recall? My charging light on my Storm Station always went off on my unit, when the battery was fully charged. Now that it isnt going off, and turning on the ‘charged’ light. I am assuming the battery is old and not charging,or getting fully charged. It could be charging 10% or 90% but I think my unit is about 5-6 years old. So I think the battery is probably dead/old. So I am replacing it with the battery you bought on Amazon.com, for $16, i might as well try. Seems like my unit totally works, and has since day one. So…just incase I need it this year, I am going to replace it. I just hope the battery is the same one in all the Storm Station SS925 units. So I dont end up with a battery that I cant use.

  11. I just bought a storm station still in the box. I put it on charge four days ago and it is still blinking red. Even the flashlight doesn’t show it is charging.

  12. Great, thanks for this blog…I was able to fix in less than 10 min. Now I need to find a new ac adaptor. has anyone found a new charger lately? I am struggling to find…thanks

    • The adapter that came with my Storm Station is a Hon-Kwang I.T.E. Power Supply, model number A15-1.5A-950, input 120VAC, 60Hz, 250mA and output: 15VAC, 1500mA. I haven’t found a place to purchase that exact model, though.

  13. Hi Michael, I am so glad I stumbled across your article. I guess I need a battery for my storm station. I also let someone borrow my station and they lost the flash light. Any idea how I can get another one? I am going to try to order the new battery and replace it myself using your instructions. thanks

  14. Hello Michael,
    My Dad got one of these years ago and never really used it, so of course the battery was completely dead when he gave it to me a few weeks ago to dispose of properly. I asked if I could have it and he said if I could do something with it by all means do so….I was planning on just using it as a plug-in weather radio and possibly an extra AM/FM radio, as the reception was very strong and clear. After getting it home and checking out some reviews I stumbled across your site and figured “what the heck, may as well give it a try” and ordered a replacement battery. It arrived two days ago and after installation and charging it now works perfectly. Thank you for providing a simple and very effective how-to blog to revitalize this useful device!

  15. Dear Michael, Love your site. I spent a couple of hours on the internet trying to find the right battery. Measuring and all. So glad I found your site. thanks again. Ordered battery. 🙂

  16. Wow – stumbled upon your site, followed all the instructions, ordered the battery from the link at amazon, free shipping under $16! arrived today, perfect fit and voila – we are all fixed up. So much better than throwing it away and wishing I had light in a storm. Thanks for the instructions , they were great!

  17. Thank You for the time and effort you put into this “HOW TO”. We built a new house back in 2008 and after the move the Storm Station ended up in storage. Pulled it out a few weeks ago and it would not take a charge. With A/C power it worked fine. Followed your procedure (new battery) and it now works like day one. Thanks again.

  18. Buen día, tengo una estacion tormenta a la cual le sustitui el bombillo de roon light por uno de más potencia causando daños ya que ahora siempre llega voltage a este bombillo y así lo quite de su base sigue consumiendo energía agotando la batería. Desarmé la estación y verifique que desconectando el circuito completo que maneja este bombillo y los LEDS con referencia WS 3805 deja de consumir energía. es posible adquirir este circuito completo para su cambio. Gracias

    • Alvaro,

      I’m basing my response on a translation service. My apologies if I have misinterpreted your question. I don’t know of any place to get a replacement circuit for that bulb.

      Thanks for stopping by the web site!

  19. Someone gave me a storm station. When I called the 1-800 number listed, I found out they stopped making this in 2008. It was in a sealed carton when I got it. I don’t want to use it forever if I have to keep it plugged in. After about 6 hours, the flashlight and the room light worked. My question is, is this safe to use since the battery is so very old?

    • Gloria,

      The battery is a sealed lead-acid type. I found this FAQ that may be helpful: http://www.atbatt.com/sealed-lead-acid-batteries/faq. As long as the battery is not bulging or leaking, you should be OK. You would need to open up the case to do a full inspection.

      Chances are that the battery won’t hold much of a charge if it has been on the shelf uncharged since 2008. If that is the case, you would need to replace the battery. Amazon still sells the battery I used for this replacement project.

      Thanks for checking out the site!

  20. Rarely comment on blogs; however, after a friend asked me to look at his Storm Station, it was quickly determined the battery was dead.

    ebay at $100 for a refurb station was not going to happen. Batteries listed for the station are $40. Found your blog on a quick google search to find the battery model number. Then found the battery for $16 shipped.

    Thanks.

  21. Michael,

    What battery and clip type is needed for the triangle battery used on the 5140026-81 flashlight for this unit ? I could not find a picture that identifies the correct clip on this battery.

    Thanks

    • Darlene,

      I hadn’t tried to replace the battery in the flashlight before, so I took mine apart. Going by the label on the flashlight and the configuration of the cells, it looks like the flashlight has a battery pack made up of three AA nickel cadmium batteries in a triangle configuration. I verified with a multimeter that the full configuration is 3.6 V.

      I looked around online, but couldn’t find a battery pack with the correct connector. I did find this battery pack, however:

      http://www.batteryspace.com/nicd-battery-pack-3-6v-1000mah-3xaa-3-6wh-triangle.aspx

      You would need to use a soldering iron to disconnect the battery connector from the old battery and connect it to the new battery. Then, you could plug the new pack into the flashlight.

      I hope this helps!

  22. Michael,
    Thank you for your article and posting. We received our Black and Decker Storm Station about 10 years ago. We put it in our utility room, plugged it in and forgot about it. When our power went out during Hurricane Sandy the emergency lights reminded us it was there. We used it extensively during that storm and during the weeks that followed. After the storm we went in search for more to give as gifts to friends and relatives and discovered that Black and Decker had discontinued them. 🙁
    Some time after Sandy, the Storm Station got relocated to our family room where I neglected to plug it back in. I took it out during our recent blizzard only to discover it would no longer take or hold a charge. After Sandy, I fet kind of lost without it.
    I did an internet search for “black and decker storm station replacement battery” and found your website.
    I wanted you to know that your website continues to help Storm Station owners. It was a great help to me. My $16 battery is on order from Amazon and I do anticipate that will do the trick. Thanks !!!

  23. I have a blacker and I need a plug for it and the little light that goes on the lopall I see is the wire do u have a phone number I can call thank u.

  24. I have a B&D SS925 Storm Station. I recently developed a problem after 10+ yrs of faithful service. I recently purchased and replaced the main unit battery using the battery info found on your site and Amazon.com. I plugged the unit in and the orange storm light came on. No other charging lights came on. The main room light and the radio worked. I turned them off and unplugged the unit. I turned on the main light on and the radio again and they worked w/the unit unplugged, however, the orange storm light was not on. The flashlight didn’t work. It worked all the time prior to this current problem. Can you give me some advice as to the next course of action?

    • It sounds like there may be something wrong with either the power supply or with the power supply connection. The orange storm light only comes on if there is no power applied to the unit. I would test the power supply with a voltmeter. If that checks out ok, you should inspect the power connector inside of the unit to make sure nothing got knocked loose.

      • John replied to me via email:

        I purchased a new ac adapter compatible w/my storm station. It seems to be working fine. It looks like my original ac adapter was faulty. My next endeavor is to go back and put my original battery back into the unit and see if it is still good since it was the ac adapter that was faulty. I did notice w/the new ac adapter the green light indicating fully charged only comes on when I take the flashlight out of its’ charging port.

        The flashlight issue I was having turned out to be a blown bulb. I replaced it w/another flashlight bulb and it now works fine …. so far. Knock on wood! It looks like I may be back to normal. Thanks to you and your site. You may put this reply on your site to help any other viewers that may have similar problems.

        John

  25. If anyone is still looking for the a/c wall adapter, they are readily available. Google:

    hon kwang a15.1.5a-950

    Yes, I do think the name is sort of funny. This is the exact make & model the BD Storm came with.
    HON-KWANG A15-1.5A-950

  26. Hello,

    Thank you for posting this very useful instructions. I have successfully replaced the battery and everything works 100% except the flashlight (expected) and the radio. The radio works well for a few minutes and then it fades away while it is still powered on. I have to power off the power station by using the main power swatch and then turn it back on in order for the radio to work for a few minutes. This issue happens on battery power and on home power. Personally I think it could be a faulty capacitor but any input from you is appreciated.

    • Thank you for stopping by the site, Nikolai! I haven’t seen that kind of behavior with the radio on my Storm Station. Are there any other ways that the Storm Station is not working correctly? You might want to try a new power supply (see the comment from TJ, above).

  27. Hello Michael, thank you for the response. The radio fails when it runs with the battery or with power from an electrical outlet. So this issue points to a faulty radio circuit (i.e. capacitor). Any assistance from anyone with this particular issue is much appreciated.

    Respectfully,

    Nikolai

  28. Hi I have one storm station for many years use 1 time now I conected the flashlight everything work but when I unplugged work only the flashlight what do you think I can do

  29. I am a ham radio operator I had used the storm station many times as a backup for emergency operation sure helped me to stay on the air .I need a battery is there a place in or around Baltimore MD

  30. To The Great Michael Lind!!!

    Thanks for the instructions!!! It really was helpful and relatively easy to change!!! My only problem was I didn’t have the right screwdriver…the 6 main screw chambers were too tight and too deep and my tools were either too big or too short. Good thing Harbor Freight was nearby. Thanks!!!

  31. Found your site while looking for a newer model. I’m sure the battery is bad. Bought in 2006 rarely use it. Why does it need to be on charge 24/7? 12yrs plugged in not being used seems kinda long. I assumed a rechargeable battery would stay charged until use.

    • Thanks for stopping by the site, Cathie! I don’t know why the battery needs to be kept charged. I found it really odd that Black & Decker had both “keep it plugged in” and “don’t keep it plugged in” written in two different places!

      • Thanks for responding, much appreciated. We were hit by Hurricane Irma last September & learned some valuable lessons. Going to order a battery for sure. Thanks again. 🙂

  32. Michael, just dodged Hurricane Lane here on Oahu. But in prepping I noted my station was not charging. Found a replacement battery on Amazon and while waiting for delivery found your instructions. Spot on. Thanks!

  33. bought a new battery and installed per the instructions. but the new battery isn’t holding a charge. Or it doesn’t seem the unit is charging at all.

  34. It appears that the power supply is the problem thanks….but the new battery tested 12 volts and the main battery lights still don’t tell me the status..

  35. Michael thank you so much for your 123… instruction! I’ve had my storm station for 20yrs and last week I wanted to use but it would not hold the charge. So I purchased the replacement battery online at amazon and it worked! The replacement battery came with some charge on it. I will fully charge and try it tonight. I will get back to you on the results (smile)

  36. Appreciate the post. My gift if a number of years ago is back up and working like a new one. $19 replacement battery with no shipping made the project very doable. Thanks agaib

  37. Thanks. I was heartbroken to think this emergency unit wouldn’t work anymore, since we get a few outages from wind and weather each year. Therefore, your information was like gold: Where to get the battery, what type to get, clear instructions on replacement.

  38. So glad this old post is still around. Just replaced the battery in my Storm Station using these instructions. Trouble free and the suggestion about going slow is dead on – had a wire that was tangled that would have pulled loose if I had not opened it slowly. Was a little charge in the new battery and the radio and light both fired up after reassembly. Currently charging so looks like I’m back in business! Thanks so much!

  39. Bought one of these at a garage sale for $5. It worked if I had the adapter plugged in, but not if I unplugged it. I found this page, ordered the battery from Amazon for $20 and replaced it. Now it works perfectly. Thanks!

  40. I noticed it’s a 12 volt battery. I’m going to replace my battery but I’m not sure I have the correct power adapter. “Should” a 12 volt output adapter work for recharging?
    Thank you.
    Rob

  41. Hi there. I gave my mom one of these for Christmas probably about 10 years ago, and she just gave it back to me. When I plug it in to charge the green “charged” light comes on, but there’s no charge in it. If I gently bump the unit around the red “charging” light will come on, but only for a moment then the green light comes back on. Will a new battery fix this? Or do you think I have a different issue to deal with?

    • Hi Anne,

      Thanks for stopping by the site! Seeing as the device is 10 years old and probably sat on a shelf without being charged, a new battery is worth a try. I had to replace my battery after not keeping the device plugged in for a few years.

  42. Finally got around to replacing the main battery in my Storm Station. Your instructions gave me confidence to crack open the case and get it done. My original battery was a B.B. Battery HR 5.5-12 which I could only find for sale in Germany. Didn’t want to pay the shipping! Could have used the PowerSonic as you did but I like originality so bought a B.B. Battery HR 5.8-12 from zBattery.com in Michigan. Battery case is same size so it fit perfectly. Just slightly higher AH rating, which is good. Now it’s time to tackle the flashlight which still glows very dim. As you know, the rechargeable flashlight battery consists of 3 size AA NiCd cells with a total 3.6 v fastened together in a triangle shape. That’s all the information I have since the battery pack has no markings. I checked the pack you referenced and apparently it is still in stock. The description says it has 1000 mah. Do you think that is enough? I’ve only looked for a short time and found triangle packs with 1200 and 1400 mah. Some of these packs are NiMh instead of nickel cadmium. Do you think I should stick with the nickel cadmium battery pack as came originally?

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