AED Maintenance 101: Keeping Your Device Ready to Save a Life

An AED can restart a heart in the minutes before an ambulance arrives, but only if it works the moment someone reaches for it. A defibrillator runs on batteries and gel electrode pads that quietly age and expire, and a unit that fails its self test in a closet helps no one on the field. The good news is that keeping an AED ready is simple: a short routine, a few minutes each month, and one person who owns it. Here is a practical maintenance guide any school, league, or facility can follow.

Do a monthly visual check

The core of AED readiness is a short visual check you run on a set day each month. Start with the status indicator, often called a rescue ready indicator: almost every modern AED runs an automatic self test and shows the result as a light or a symbol, and a green light or check mark means it passed, while a red light, a flashing symbol, or a chirping beep means it needs attention now. Then look the unit over for cracks or damage, confirm the electrode pads and the spare set are present, sealed, and not past their dates, and make sure the scissors, gloves, and razor are in the case. A five minute look once a month catches almost every problem long before it matters.

Track and replace pads before they expire

Electrode pads are a consumable. The gel that helps them stick and conduct dries out over time, so every set carries a printed expiration date, usually a few years out depending on the manufacturer. Expired pads may not adhere or deliver a shock reliably, so replace them before that date arrives even if the package was never opened. Write the expiration date where your team can see it and order the next set well ahead of time, so the device is never left with pads it cannot trust.

Keep spare pads and pediatric pads on hand

One sealed set of pads is not enough. Pads are single use, and a real rescue, a training drill, or an accidental opening can leave you with none. Keep at least one spare adult set stored with the device. If children may be present, and at youth sporting events they always are, keep pediatric pads or a pediatric setting available as well, following your device instructions. Having the right pads within arm reach is part of being ready, not an optional upgrade.

Watch the battery expiration date

The battery is the other part that ages whether or not the AED is ever used. Most AED batteries last a few years, though the exact life varies by model and by how often the device runs a self test or a rescue. Find the battery install or expiration date, record it, and plan to replace it before it runs low. Do not wait for a chirp or a red light to start looking for a replacement, because a battery ordered at the last minute is a gap in your coverage.

Store it where people can find it fast

An AED only saves a life if someone can reach it in seconds. Keep the device in a known, accessible spot, out of extreme heat or cold, and clearly marked with standard AED signage so even a stranger could find it. Make sure it is reachable during evenings, weekends, and tournaments, not locked in an office that closes. Everyone who coaches or volunteers should know where it lives. A device no one can locate under pressure is the same as no device at all.

Replace pads and battery after any use

After the AED is used in a real emergency, treat it as not ready until you restock it. Replace the electrode pads, since they are single use, and check the battery, replacing it if the rescue drew it down or if the manufacturer directs you to. Many devices store data from the event, so follow your program steps to download it and return the unit to service. An AED that just helped save a life has to be made ready again for the next one.

Keep a simple log and name one owner

The habit that ties all of this together is a written check log and a single person who owns it. Give one named coordinator responsibility for the device, and have them record each monthly check, every pad and battery expiration date, and any use or replacement, on paper or in a shared sheet. A log turns maintenance from something everyone assumes someone else is doing into a clear routine with dates and a name attached. It is the difference between hoping the AED is ready and knowing that it is.

Maintaining an AED is not complicated, and it is one of the highest value habits a youth sports program can build. If you help run a league, coach a team, or simply want your family and facility ready, BeeReady would love to help. As a physician led nonprofit, we bring American Heart Association CPR, AED, and Basic Life Support training, along with AED devices, to the youth sporting events where families already gather. Reach out through our site and we will help your sideline build a routine and keep it. And please remember, this article is educational and is not a substitute for hands on, certified training from a qualified instructor.