We have blacklisted duracells and there are being removed from equipment as the cost of premature replacement batteries is far cheaper than dealing with duracell, or replacing the equipment.
I am hopeful that Berkshire-Hathaway will restore the brand, but the reputation is now gone as far as I can see. Equipment with older duracells pre do not seem to have this trouble, and I found some little used devices that were still functional with duracell batteries dating form in them.
I have had huge leaking problems with Duracells in recent years as well. They leak before the date printed on the battery, and they leak even if not discharged. When I was younger, I preferred Duracell over Energizer.
Duracell batteries lasted much longer than Energizer. The use was almost. Now-a-days, I have noticed a big problem with leaky Duracell batteries. Hardly saw any leaks years ago. Ditto with the Duracell leakage..
They were kept in a dark climate controlled area. The other brands Energizer, Everyready, etc. I had to remove some installed leaking Duracells , thank you for the clean up tip. I just took all Duracells out of my small flashlights and other equipment.
I bought Amazon Li Ion rechargeables. The only issue with them is their starting voltage is 1. Duracells are the absolute worst batteries for leakage. You nailed it. I grew up with Duracell batteries and they were the best. For years now, I have noticed the same problem with all of my Duracell batteries. It does not matter if they are installed in a device, or if they are in a plastic storage box designed specifically for batteries, they LEAK.
I never have the issue with rechargeable batteries. The last several years, I noticed Duracell batteries leak much more readily than other brands, that is my experience after 3 flashlights, a weather station monitor and a laser pointer all had their Duracell batteries leak and corrode and destroy circuitry and chips.
I could not fix the units after cleanup and threw them away. I will not buy Duracell again, they are equipment-destroyers. Also, I have started taking any brand of batteries out of key equipment like certain multi-meters and cameras that I rarely use. I had wondered what has changed with alkaline battery life.
In the recent years past, my stored unopened batteries are leaking before they ever see service or the light of day. I have always stored them in a temperature controlled, dark, cool closet, for future use. Now within a year or less, I am seeing ALL brands leak, while sitting in unopened packaging with impressive expiration dates.
Store brands are the worst as well as name brands such as Duracell and RayOvac. I have gone to solar chargers and am having better luck using rechargeable batteries. I will begin to stock up on lithium batteries as well, now that I know they may last longer and leak less. Maybe this is due to China-made or corporate greed cutting corners. Batteries rarely leaked like they do nowadays. Thanks for the article. I have been also experiening Rotting batteries, big time.
This is a big nightmare for me! ALmost weekly..? But not sure the charger is appropriate for the multiples.. I do it anyways,but sometimes they loose charge, too. How about adding clear polich to the edges of the batteries?
Not cover the silver parts? Well thanks for the info. Be careful here! Some instruments that use multiple cells will be ruined by lithium batteries. Might not matter with only a couple of cells, but you put 4 or more of those in series and the voltage will be destructive to some instruments. In fact check out the high end Fluke DMM. They specifically say not to use lithium batteries because of this. If you must use them, drain them some first to lower the voltage.
Lithium batteries ARE a lower voltage, 1. Not enough voltage to make the Fluke work properly. That is a good question. To date I have not experienced a leaking problem with the eneloops and I have been using them for years.
I have been using the eneloop batteries for years now, and have never experienced any leakage. This is true for eneloops installed in devices as well as uninstalled in plastic storage boxes. NO they wont. I have had rechargeable batteries leak.
Not often, but it can happen. I have also recharged standard alkaline batteries in a recharger. They take a recharge just fine. They normally only leak after repeated recharge or overcharge.
I have never had one explode, although if overcharged they do get extremely hot. Recharged alkaline batteries ARE more likely to leak or lose their charge if left unused for an extended period. Alkaline batteries do not seem to have this problem. If I remember correctly, about 5 years ago approximately? So far so good with those. Love the rechargeables. I was told by them to not use Lithium batteries as the voltage is too high. Usually parked under a pole shed in a cool climate.
Is it any different for permanently installed batteries such as in cordless drills, emergency wind up radios and flashlights? My flashlight has a removable carriage that holds 3 AAA batteries, is removing the carriage from the unit while leaving the batteries in the carriage disengage them from discharging?
Ken, the carriage likely does not have circuitry, but does it have metal at the ends, which is touching the battery ends? There is such a thing as electrolysis. They become dead by a parasitic drain over time, or simply over-usage. If the batteries are still in good shape not dead , I suspect that you will be okay with them simply installed in the battery carrier.
Perhaps over a VERY long time, there could be some visible electrolysis depending on the materials used at the contacts…. If the batteries in the carriage are connected in parallel, I would think they would be more prone to discharging during storage with carriage removed because of the weaker battery ies sucking a charge from the other one s. Taking a closer look at the carriage I noted that it has a depressible button on it that isolates contact between the batteries when removed from the flashlight.
Somebody was thinking. This has been a very good topic. Generally the only way to slow the self discharge is to store at lower temperatures. The lower the temp the slower the chemical reaction the slower the self discharge. Combine slower chemical reactions with thicker viscosity of oil and slow starts!
Hey fom yonder Island, Been going around emptying flashlights and such. Great timing, I thought there was something going on with one side -the negative. On to another article. Be well and as always thanks for your work. Be careful! Not all electronics are protected from reverse polarization, e. I would never just reverse the batteries. Just take them out and store them in the reefer. Low temp, slow reactions.
They can easily be purchased on either eBay or Amazon in various sizes. I had a big Maglite 5 cell corrode so badly it would not open. Sent it back to Maglite and they replaced it with a new one, even though it was several years old great company, btw and they had no obligation to do so.
They sat out for about 15 minutes and felt cool to the touch. I placed them together in a ziplock bag and sealed it. The next morning there was condensation in the bag and two of the batteries had leaked and corroded with black marks near the postive terminal. Wondering what I did wrong and if there are special rules for the storage of rechargeables that I may not be aware of.
Any input appreciated. The batteries will last far longer and have more of a charge than if you use a faster rate. Faster rates cause higher internal temperatures, and higher gas pressure, that is more likely to pop a seal or cause a leak. I bought a Panasonic portable irrigator recently, supplied with 2 AA Panasonic batteries. The instructions include the following guidance see under.
So they advise replacing batteries which last only for 20 mins use with AA Panasonic alkaline batteries and NOT rechargeable ones. Before reading this I had decided to use rechargeable batteries for reasons of economy. I now wonder … can anyone tell me if there is a logical reason for the warning — or is this merely the manufacturer trying to increase sales of their alkaline batteries?
Please use Panasonic alkaline batteries AA size. It can be used for approximately 30 times with full tank usage, or approximately 20 minutes of continuous usage. Do not use rechargeable batteries. Doing so may result in the leakage of the battery leading to malfunction. Alkaline batteries have a voltage of around 1.
Rechargeable NiMH batteries have a voltage of around 1. Additionally most electronic gear design and manufacturers take into account the voltage characteristics of rechargeable batteries. With that said, I am not sure why your particular product mfgr suggests not to use rechargeable batteries. Perhaps it is an old design… or maybe they want to sell you their own batteries ;.
Thanks for reply Ken, much appreciated: it does seem to support my impression that the manufacturer just wants to increase sales of their own batteries. Duracell battaries leak even brand new before using. This happens only in revent years. Just a few days ago took out Duracell batteries from an old radio that was not in use for over 10 years. These old batteries did not leak although discharged. All of them leaking. I have seen brand new batteries leak. Even the ones they pack along with flashlights.
My take is that they are trying to boost sales of new devices that use batteries due to a slow economy. I had decent luck with Kodak batteries. I think you are right. Duracell batteries sometimes leak even brand new before using, and I also think that this has been happening only in recent years.
Just some time ago I took out Duracell batteries from an old walkman that was not in use for over 20 years. Not kidding. These old batteries did not leak. Total rubbish now. Have not had Panasonics leak, yet. Several times here it states that Lithium batteries do not leak Slugjet June 16 I invented an electronic device, and stored it for 28 years after first removing all known voltage sources.
When I took it out for inspection, a brown liquid poured out. Battery and counter were totally defaced. One transistor is slightly covered with brown residue.
I do not have all diagrams, and want to name and replace it. I want to give it a wash-up, but do not know with what. Duracell batteries are over-filled with electrolyte during manfacturing. As the cells are used, the available space inside the battery decreases. If the cells are exposed to any heating, the expansion of the eletrolyte will break the seal and it will leak out. I advised them of this problem years ago. Duracell batteries have damaged many items that I own. Unfortunately, they are the largest vender of batteries.
Other better brands are not sold everywhere. If the battery powered item is seldomly used, remove the batteries and store them separately. Will reversing the batteries positive touching positive stop any parasitic leak? I think that this will stop all current from flowing through the battery and into the device. If the batteries are connected in parallel as a group within the device, you will have a short if you reverse one or more of the batteries.
The voltage between the common terminals for three parallel batteries will be 1. If you reverse one of the batteries, you now have two parallel batteries connected to the reversed polarity battery which is a short circuit.
Draw it out on paper and it should make more sense. Batteries should not be leaking like this. The manufacture should rethink how to build batteries. When batteries leak take it back and get a replacement. This is awful. I have been noticing for a while issues with batteries leaking, much more so in recent years. AND it still works with the corroded batteries inside it! As noted previously, these would last for Ten Years or more, some still working, but none leaking.
For lead batteries, sulfuric acid is the dangerous residue, which requires a different type of clean-up. Leakage from an alkaline battery is caustic and handling should be avoided to prevent chemical burns. If attempting to clean battery leakage from a device, proper safety equipment would be advised i. The leaking batteries should be removed from the device and placed in a plastic bag for disposal in the trash. If you come in contact with it, rinse well and consult with a doctor to see whether you need medical care.
To be safe, you should still wear gloves when you handle the powder and refrain from breathing it in or eating it. To clean a gadget caked with the aftermath of a leaking battery, dip a cotton swab in an acid such as lemon juice or distilled white vinegar and dab it on the potassium carbonate—that neutralizes it. Go slowly. The liquid will start to fizzle as it interacts with the potassium carbonate. Once the white powder softens, you can gently rub it away with a cloth or toothbrush.
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