AED pads and batteries: what expires, and when
Pads and batteries have separate lives, expire whether or not the unit is used, and are the two most common reasons an AED fails when it is needed. What to track and how far ahead to order.
Two clocks, running whether you use it or not
Electrode pads carry a conductive gel that dries out, and they typically expire two to five years from manufacture — not from when you installed them. Batteries hold a charge for roughly two to five years depending on model, and the standby drain runs continuously because the unit self-tests.
Both dates are printed on the parts themselves. The unit's status light tells you the battery is alive right now; it does not tell you the pads in the pouch expire next month.
Pediatric pads are a separate set
If children may be present — a school, a rec centre, a restaurant — you need pediatric pads or a unit with a child mode, and those pads have their own expiry date on their own schedule. Spare adult sets do too, which is why tracking one date per AED is not enough.
Order before, not after
Pads and batteries are model-specific and not always in stock locally. Ordering 60 to 90 days ahead of the expiry costs nothing extra and means the unit is never sitting there with an expired part in it while you wait for shipping.
Have this tracked for you
Pads and batteries expire quietly. ReadyAED tracks every unit, warns you months ahead, and turns the monthly check into a 60-second phone task.