Yep, a routinely scheduled change of the lithiums in our Yale (zigbee) door lock is how I do it too... I preemptively change mine every fall with the smoke alarms.
Aside from that lock and the smokes, every other battery-powered device we have is fly-to-failure (hat tip to Device Activity Check!)
Update:
I changed the (4) AA batteries in my lock on 21 August. I checked before installation and they were all reading 1.7 volts. As mentioned above, about a week ago, I excluded and re-included the (Z-Wave) lever lock to see if that would help with the rapid battery drain. I posted that it seemed to slow down the rapid drain but I'd watch it for a while. As of today - (29) days after the new batteries were installed, Hubitat is reporting that the batteries are at 34%. This is still not 'normal' for this lock which used to go six months between battery changes.
I have observed that each time the lock is locked or unlocked (which is just a rotation of the lock core because this is a lever lock), the battery percentage drops approximately 3%. The batteries sometimes rebound by a percent afterward. This may indicate that the lock core is a bit difficult to turn. I've checked and it doesn't seem to turn slowly or sound like it's working hard, but I can't think of another reason for the drop. Again, since this is a lever lock, it's not binding due to interference in the door jam, etc. I also checked and found that the lock is not designed to be lubricated - although I may try some Teflon lubricant on the moving parts anyway.
Further testing will be impacted due to a 5-week vacation starting on 1 October. but I'll report on any testing I do between now and then and when I return. The good thing about being away is that I'll install new batteries again just before I leave and the lock won't have to deal with any locking/unlocking while we're away except for emergencies. The batteries should be able to last for the length of the trip.
This seems like a critical clue. This seems to indicate that the battery is working hard in order to move the deadbolt. There are a few things that could cause this:
If that doesn't turn up anything, I am not sure what else could look at. Have you tried contacting Yale? I have a Yale Assure2 Zwave and when it started acting up (tamper alarm would go off any time the door was opened or closed) they replaced the defective parts for free.
I agree that the fact that the battery drain is most likely related to the physical locking and unlocking effort. However, it’s important to note that this is not a deadbolt lock. It’s a lever lock. So the only moving parts are the internal locking mechanism. In addition, according to the manual, the lock never needs lubrication. Nevertheless, I applied silicone to all of the easily visible (by removing minimal covers, etc) moving parts. If that does not work, I’ll disassemble the lock and apply silicone to all movable parts and ensure all connections are good. If those steps don’t work, I’ll either have to live with the short battery life or consider replacing the lock with another lever lock. I don’t need a deadbolt for this lock as it’s a secondary security measure - inside of the garage and behind the main garage door.
Anyway, the next steps have now been determined and I’ll execute them after I return from a 35-day trip. The batteries should be fine during that time since they’ll get no physical use.
Quick Update: I have been away since 1 October and will return on 4 November. I installed new batteries in the lock the morning I left. They were at full strength - I checked them. No one has used the lock. The battery strength currently stands at 29% after only 12 days of NO activity.
So, it appears that it’s not the mechanical activity that’s eating the batteries. I may need a new lock when I return.
Final Follow-Up:
The battery life issue for my Yale YRL226 Z-Wave lock, discussed above, worsened until the batteries were only lasting 3 weeks OR LESS. During this time I tried multiple exclusions/inclusions without success.
Believing that the lock itself - either the Z-Wave module or the lock's electronics was at issue, I finally ordered a Yale YRL216. I installed the lock three days ago and it has been in use since then. The batteries are still at showing 100% and the lock is performing as expected.
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