Running watch - battery duration

[Zev1963]

Hello running chums.  I know a lot of you, as I do, run with a running watch to record your route and your stats.  Since graduating in Nov 2014 I've been running with my faithful Garmin FR15, which I'm very pleased with. 

Since recovering from ankle injury in Oct I've been gradually lengthening my long run by abour 10% per month. This month I'm at 22km for my long run.  I've decided to stick at 22km for the next few months and try to improve my times.

Anyway, Mr Garmin seems to be almost out of battery at the end of 2hrs 27mins (I know  that isnt very quick for 22km, but like I said, I plan to work on that over the next few months )

Is 2hrs 27 mins pretty normal as a limit for running watches, or is mine on his way to retirement?  What are your experiences, do you have watches which stay awake for longer?

The worst part about Mr Garmin running out of battery is that he loses all of the data for that run

[secan Graduate10]

I've never used a Garmin but to me it sounds strange its battery life is so short, maybe as you said it is on his way to retirement. For your reference, I have a Fitbit Charge HR (hence no GPS, which drains quite a lot of battery power) and I have to charge it only every 4-5 days.

[Terrorrun Graduate10]

I have a Garmen Forerunner 10 and the battery will get me through a full days walking - 6/7 hours no probs, so it does sound to me as though perhaps yours is indeed feeling a bit under the weather ! I would be so gutted to lose a long run like that.....I feel your pain  

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate10 in reply to Terrorrun]

Me too.. my battery seems to last for ages... I think the Garmin feels sorry for me.. and that I need the company!

[benwill Graduate10]

According to the website with a HR monitor connected via bluetooth and GPS on it should last 8hrs.   So i would say something wrong with your watch. 

buy.garmin.com/en-GB/GB/spo...

[Zev1963 in reply to benwill]

Thanks for that, sounds like mine is under the weather !  I'll check out your link

[poppypug Graduate10]

Oh Zev, what a shame you lost all the data . Mind you , you've got the memory to keep in your head and that cant be taken away , but you still like seeing it there written down in black and white don't you

Have you been on the Garmin web site troubleshooting page ? I am sure they have info on there about the battery draining quickly.  

Seems such a shame , nowts ever built to last these days is it ?

* Poppypug shuffles away muttering " When I was a lass..... *

Good Luck, hope you get it sorted xxx

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate10 in reply to poppypug]

But some things are built to  last pp...good things like you and the crowd on here

[poppypug Graduate10 in reply to Oldfloss]

Aw thank you Floss , Have a Pug Hug on the house, specially for you (((( ))))

I know, Im not ready to pop mi' clogs yet , they will have to carry me kicking and screaming ha ha xxx

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate10 in reply to poppypug]

Thanks... I can feel that hug... As Churchill used to say... just all have to  KBO...

[poppypug Graduate10 in reply to Oldfloss]

Ha ha  , he certainly had some brilliant quotes didn't he ? xxx

[Curlygurly2 Graduate10]

Who did you buy it from? I got  similar watch but for swimming from Amazon, when that went a bit wonky I contacted Amazon and a brand new watch arrived the very next day - worth a try...Or contact Garmin as PP says. It does sound a bit low, I thought they were meant to last about 8 hours.

[Zev1963 in reply to Curlygurly2]

Yes the blurb says 8 hours.  A search of Mr Gooogle reveals that most people seem to get about 5 to 6 hours from a full charge.  Mine is now 18 months old, so well out of warranty. I bought it from Amazon, and have been very happy with it.  Maybe it is just worn out now.  I don't know how long they are meant to live for.  I don't even no if it is possible to replace the battery.

[Curlygurly2 Graduate10 in reply to Zev1963]

My swim watch was out of warranty too.. naughty me, I also contacted Finis (the makers) and they sent me a new one too...I had to show pics of Baldy smashing it to bits with a sledge hammer lol!

If I understand correctly they are a sealed unit, you can slice them open and replace the battery and stick it back together, but the cost of the battery is quite high, so probably not worth it. If it was me, I would  have a bit of a moan but be prepared to cough up for a new one. 

[poppypug Graduate10]

Yes they are a sealed unit , I got a new battery for mine, and someone very kindly replaced it for me but then there was some soldering involved and its really important to get it 100% right when sealing it up together again .

Its such a shame that Zev, you would expect a watch to last wouldn't you for quite a bit. Its not even 2 years old. Maybe if you emailed Garmin support they could suggest something ? xxx

[Zev1963 in reply to poppypug]

Yes, thanks Poppypug   I've sent them a little message on their support page

[Curlygurly2 Graduate10 in reply to Zev1963]

Let us know how you get on.

[Hidden]

Hey Zev1963   22km that is awesome , really well done 😊

[Zev1963 in reply to Hidden]

Thanks Rob    Its funny, during april I was running 18km each sunday nd it was quite a struggle at the end of the run, then this sunday I decided to up it to 22km and it didn't feel too difficult

It's a very sedate 22km at the moment though. 2hrs and 27mins !

[Hidden in reply to Zev1963]

Time doesnt matter Zev , thats is pretty much HM distance , deep respect ☺

[misswobble Graduate10]

Mine too Zev.  I have the garmin f10 and I stopped bothering taking it on a hike as it always died on me despite being fully charged up for the job.  Mind you I don't know if it's sold as a hiking watch.  

[davelinks Graduate10]

My Garmin 210 has a 200mah battery.. Just copied the specs from the manual, so a tad rough, but you should get an idea..

Battery Life

Is rated at..

1 week if You are training for 45

minutes per day with

GPS. 

The Forerunner is in

power save mode for the

remaining time.

Up to 3

weeks

If You are using the

Forerunner in power save

mode the entire time.

Up to 8 hours if You are training with GPS

the entire time.

[davelinks Graduate10]

The life of the battery in my watch is supposed to be 4.5 years approx. If used an hour a day..

[davelinks Graduate10]

As quoted in garmin fr15 manual the battery life is 3 year's and uses a CR 2032  3 volt coin battery, user replaceable, so all is not lost..😊

[Zev1963 in reply to davelinks]

Thanks very much Davelinks all very useful info

Given that information I will definately have a go at replacing the battery.  I may get a second running watch as well so that I have one if the other is unwell, but it's definately worth a go fixing it

Thanks again

[rmnsuk]

before you start opening the watch it's worth checking for firware updates etc. The garmin forum will tell you how to do it. There are some older firmware versions that reduce how long it takes to drain the battery. Once you have the latest it should be fine again. Also resetting the watch may help too. Do you use a HRM? that will reduce the battery life.

Although it takes ages to connect to the gps, my fr15 will reccord a half marathon with lots of time to spare.

[Zev1963 in reply to rmnsuk]

Firmware is up to date, but I'll try the reset idea thanks