Alkaline Battery Corrosion

[Susquatch]

I bet there isn't a single member who has not experienced this.



For some reason, i missed this clock in my battery updates.

I learned a while ago that Duracell batteries are one of the worst offenders for battery leakage and corrosion.

The best is Eveready Energizer who actually brag about their battery's resistance to leakage. None the less, it does happen.



This one was in a multimeter so I am NOT HAPPY!

Nonetheless, I have not found anything better than the Energizers.

Anyone else have better experience?

 

[6.5 Fan]

Nope they all leak as far as i have found.

 

[phaxtris]

I lost one of those big d cell mag lights to leaky battery's, they were swollen so bad I couldn't even get them out!

Now anything that's going to sit I take the batteries out, hopefully crappy batteries won't cost me $ again

I've had good luck with rechargeables, but they have their own set of drawbacks

 

[Bruce Rossiter]

I found the best way to clean battery corrosion is by brushing vinegar in the battery compartment and then coating the contacts with dialectic grease. I've saved a few electronic components this way.

 

[DPittman]

Yes I've had poor luck with Duracell as well for corrosion issues but the Energizer have been better. I read somewhere that there were counterfeit Duracells out there but I wondered if that was just a way of Duracell blaming some else for there product troubles.

 

[140mower]

I use the Kirkland ones from Costco, they seem to last as long as any other and are cheap enough that I don't mind changing them a little more frequently....

 

[Susquatch]

Yes I've had poor luck with Duracell as well for corrosion issues but the Energizer have been better. I read somewhere that there were counterfeit Duracells out there but I wondered if that was just a way of Duracell blaming some else for there product troubles.

I've had so much trouble with Duracell that I wouldn't believe a single word they said. They have ruined countless flashlights, etoys, test equipment, remote controls, radios, hand held electronics, and you name it.

The vinegar and dialectic has worked for me too but only when the damage is minimal. When the wires are gone and the spring has no spring, it's over. I've learned to hate Duracell.

That one Eveready is the only one I've had out of hundreds that failed. I confess that I was shocked when I saw it. I'll be watching more closely as time passes.

 

[Tecnico]

No more Duracells under our roof. No batteries in little used items either. Even our second tier power outage flashlights are stored with batteries in Ziplocks.

Weird outliers though, I've found dead but not leaked original batteries in things like TV remotes that should have kicked the bucket many years ago. At some point the TV won't respond and look what I found!

If you're cleaning up with vinegar make sure the item is washed thoroughly afterward, the electronics don't fare well with acetic acid. Also found in RTV silicone. Company I worked for paid a big price for securing electronic components with RTV.

D

 

[PeterT]

I read a comparison article long time ago stacking up big brand cells to generic flavors. The takeaway point was some big name brands may well offer 20% more maH capacity (and sometimes not), but if they cost 3X as much, the value metrics greatly favored the generics. I have a half decent RC charger that I can input an appropriately low discharge current rate & terminal voltage, it spits out a voltage depletion curve, resultant maH capacity & internal resistance. Sure enough, similar findings as the article. The way we go through batteries in our home I've settled on AmazonBasics bulk packs & been quite satisfied, both run life & lack of spewage. Where they actually come from is apparently cloaked in mystery LOL. The worst price around here is drugstore 4-packs of coppertops or bunnies.

Unraveling the Secret Origins of an AmazonBasics Battery

One of Amazon’s smallest and most popular products has a surprisingly large footprint

onezero.medium.com

 

[combustable herbage]

. No batteries in little used items either. Even our second tier power outage flashlights are stored with batteries in Ziplocks.

That's the key, you can blame the batteries all you want, if they are left connected stored away for god knows how long in god knows what kind of conditions, they are gonna leak and corrode.
I have never had anything I use regularly corrode nor have anything corrode without any batteries in it.

 

[Susquatch]

That's the key, you can blame the batteries all you want, if they are left connected stored away for god knows how long in god knows what kind of conditions, they are gonna leak and corrode.
I have never had anything I use regularly corrode nor have anything corrode without any batteries in it.

Both you guys are dead nuts right. But it shouldn't have to be like that.

The problem with removing the batteries when not in use is:

Clocks, ambient temperature monitors, tv remotes, that flashlight you forgot to remove the batteries from, etc etc etc. There are always things you don't or can't remove batteries from. Clocks, tv remotes, and standby flashlights are the worst offenders.

We go through batteries around here like water. Between grandkids, and a gadget critter like me, I could build a battery factory. And try telling the wife to remove the battery from the remotes between use. Go ahead, I wanna watch!

It doesn't have to be this way.. Given how common this problem is, I think its criminal that the battery companies get away with it. There is no good reason they couldn't stop the carnage.

To be honest about it, I'm not really all that concerned about the battery cost per watt-hr. The power cost doesn't compare to the equipment carnage.

A few years ago, I switched to volume buys of the Eveready swish logo batteries. They have a decent power/cost ratio but their real benefit was their anti leakage performance. I too have purchased bulk quantities of them.

This whole thread was brought on by the failure of just one Eveready battery. It's the first time it has happened to me. Until that one battery, I was fat dumb and happy hating Duracell. I plan to write Eveready about that one battery, but I haven't done it yet. Before I did that, I wanted to get a sense of what other members experienced and especially if anyone had or has a better plan.

FWIW, here is a link to the Eveready claim:

Battery Leakage | Energizer

Battery leakage (known as battery acid) is nasty, corrosive stuff and it can ruin whatever device it has leaked into. Check out more information here!

www.energizer.com

 

[Chicken lights]

I picked up a Streamlight rechargeable flashlight probably 6-7 years ago, it maybe only needs recharging 2-3 times a year. No leaky batteries, much brighter than maglites, and not as bulky as the big maglites. Sure it was $150 or something, so $20/year, roughly, but haven’t had to buy any batteries for it, either

 

[phaxtris]

@Susquatch, have you thought about going to rechargeables ? Sounds like you use a lot of batteries. The rechargeables out now are a lot better and cheaper than they were even 10 years ago, and they sell some big capacity ones to for hardly more than a normal alkaline

 

[Susquatch]

@Susquatch, have you thought about going to rechargeables ?

Ohhhhh yes!

Like many on here, I went through all the rechargeable chemistries. Way back in the day I made my own charging station complete with variable voltage and variable current. It was a cool unit with a wooden trough you could lay a series of batteries in and then put a big heavy brass contact on top.

As technology changed I modified it to accommodate the newer chemistries. But it got lost/stolen in our last move. I had grown tired of chasing technology anyway so I just dropped the idea of making a new one. I still have my battery rack though.

So ya, I'm too lazy to get back into that race.

 

[Engmaxx]

This thread is the story of my adult life with kids. Agree with everything here but I would add that I keep a dremel tool with flexible extension on the bench ready to go with a steel or brass brush chucked in it. Fastest and most effective way to remove the corrosion after dusting off with an old toothbrush to minimize dried battery acid flung in the face! Yes, Energizers for me all the way. I have given up on Costco's brand and the Duracell packs they have on sale there. I hate Duracell now simply for the leakages.

 

[Susquatch]

I keep a dremel tool with flexible extension on the bench ready to go with a steel or brass brush chucked in it. Fastest and most effective way to remove the corrosion after dusting off with an old toothbrush to minimize dried battery acid flung in the face!

Oh man, here we go again!

Speaking of Dremels and batteries, I have a Dremel "Stylus" that I absolutely loved. Fit my hand so perfect. I used it like you did and for a thousand other jobs. BUT,.... the rechargeable NiCads in it went south a long time ago. Worse, Dremel has discontinued the Stylus.

I've tried to put other batteries in it, but failed so far. At some point I will probably make a new battery compartment for it to take lithiums or some other high current rechargeable. Just not yet.

 

[PeterT]

If it like this Stylus model (I think they made a few?) its actually easier than other cordless tools where they pretty much lock the cells into to a module housing making replacement more difficult. By the time you get access & remove the cells, the housing & terminals get mutilated. Often you can find complete replacement modules from China reverse engineered to fit a brand name. Just de-rate the advertised maH by 30% or more LOL. But I suspect you are a few generations old, the Ni* packs are now spendy because they are rarer.

 

[Susquatch]

If it like this Stylus model (I think they made a few?) its actually easier than other cordless tools where they pretty much lock the cells into to a module housing making replacement more difficult.

Yes, that's the same as mine.

I opened it up a few years ago. It wasn't hard to take apart. Just slice the foil antitamper wrap.

Inside, it has those stupid spot welded connections. Yes, they can be cut and replaced, but what I'd prefer is to install springs and slides to take regular rechargeable batteries. And maybe some day regular non-rechargeable AA lithiums.

Part of the reason I have not already done it is the overall life expectancy of the tool itself - bearings etc.

It's a future project.

 

[PeterT]

The spot weld tabs are obviously commercial mode, get them out the door as fast/cheap as possible. They don't pull enough current to warrant an upgrade but actually soldering your own equivalent is no problem. Just use copper shim stock. But just confirm - sometimes the case cavity is tight & you cant squeeze any other kind of connector in there. Most any battery shop has the welder. I haven't been in years but it was one stop shopping, bough the generic cells & they did the pack weld up.

How many round cells does it use? Is it a voltage match to a 2S Lipo? They are spit cheap these days. Being more rectangular might even fit better. The plug might take some thinking or but not insurmountable. Or just let it peek out slightly. Then you'll have an overclocked Dremel with 3X the hours of entertainment LOL

2S Batteries :: Rotor Village - Canada's Drone Shop

rotorvillage.ca

 

[Susquatch]

How many round cells does it use? Is it a voltage match to a 2S Lipo?

Two AAs.

That's only a small part of the problem. The bigger problem is the custom cradle charger. The Dremel Stylus has two contacts on the bottom of the pistol grip that touch two tabs in the charger when the device is slipped into the charger/holder. The charger is designed to charge NiCads.

I hate NiCads.

If I put some other battery chemistry in there, I have to redesign the charger. I'm not nearly bored enough for that job just yet.