YARA - Yet Another Rotten Alkalines ... sigh

[mmagin]

I've heard it suggested that alkaline batteries got a lot more leaky when they went to mercury-free formulations. That does seem like a reasonable hypothesis since that roughly coincides with the era of batteries I first started to notice a large uptick in the number of leaky batteries. I can't point to a specific brand but I've had batteries of all types leak, occasionally new in the package, sometimes even before the "best before" date. Duracell, Energizer, Kirkland, they all seem to leak. AA seems to leak more often than C or D but that may just be because they're so much more common. These days I use Eneloop in most things and cheaper Amazon LSD NiMH in stuff like clocks, remotes, and other infrequently used stuff. NiMH seems fairly robust, I haven't had one leak yet, even a couple of "9V" (8.4V actually) LSD batteries I got from Harbor Freight, I've used them in my Fluke 87 for years.

This seems plausible.  On the other hand I wonder if it wasn't that the formula per se but was this when they also changed production facilities and lost a bunch of organizational knowledge.  Anyway, I definitely think they're worse than I remember from the 80s and 90s.  Just encountered these from 1986 the other day: https://www.eevblog.com/forum/chat/what-did-you-buy-today-post-your-latest-purchase!/msg1191650/#msg1191650

I also use LSD NiMH or lithium primary batteries now  tin anything where I don't want leakage.  Unfortunately I haven't seen any of the lithium primary 1.5V-nominal batteries in "D" size, which I need for my Simpson meter (I'd rather not use NiMH batteries for how slowly I expect to use them up.)  I suppose I could use one of the AA-to-D adapters sold for Eneloops. At least the Lithium Iron Disulfide's slightly higher voltage seems to be usable with the Simpson ohm meter design.

[james_s]

Yeah I don't know the precise cause, but I'm quite sure they are worse overall, it may come down to the same race to the bottom cost cutting that has caused quality to plummet across the board. I'm sure battery manufactures have calculated out the cost of replacing damaged equipment for people who bother to send it in and determined the best compromise from a fiscal standpoint.

For rarely used or non-critical equipment there are cheaper LSD NiMH cells than Eneloop, I think the Amazon Basics cells I have cost about the same as lithium primary cells.

[SkyMaster]

Those seem bootleg, as that packaging is not familiar looking.

Where's the pink bunny??  Is that character not used in the far east?  http://www.energizer.ca/

Ed

No Energizer bunny in Asia.

http://energizer.asia


Here is why the Energizer bunny only exist in North America;

The Duracell Bunny was originally trademarked as Rampant Rabbit for use in the U.S. and other countries. Duracell failed to renew its U.S. trademark of the bunny and as a result, lost it. Energizer, seizing an opportunity, trademarked a new bunny for its use.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duracell_Bunny

 

[Electro Detective]

I've noticed smoke detectors doing weird false alarms and indicating faux faults with different batteries used, especially in hot humid conditions.

FWiW standard alkaline Duracell 9v are still reliable for smoke detectors and EMG guitar pickups (till further notice!)

I have also noticed some brands of batteries do not conform size wise and cause connection issues where the positive plus
+ pole or end piece is either not long enough, or the body is too long (and or fat) on AA and AAA batteries.

One can only wonder wtf these 'unemployable in a real job' corpoRATe clowns are up to,
perhaps demanding 'how low can you go Mr. Lo?' prices at the   -One Hung Way Too Low Dragging On Floor-   battery factory ? 

I lost a good low ohm meter a while back to battery BS, the board and selector switch traces eaten beyond recognition =  'not happy Jan..'     

[james_s]

If it was damaged beyond repair that seems like a good candidate for sending for the repair or replace offer printed on most better batteries.

I have a few best by 2014 Duracell 9V batteries that are leaking. I also noticed last night that the 9V "heavy duty" type battery in my thermocouple adapter is dated 2006 and still works fine, no sign of leaking. I don't use that very often so it's pretty much down to the shelf life.

[helius]

Leclanché cells do not leak as often, probably because ammonium chloride is less corrosive to the case. They have worse self-discharge and capacity.

[WaveyDipole]

I have seen threads on oter forums on the subject. This was posted on one of them regarding Duracell batteries:

https://thecounterfeitreport.com/product/106/

I had many Duracells leak in the last couple of years, but since I haven't been buying them for some time, I don't think I have any left to check whether mine were counterfeit.

In situations where longevity and avoiding corrosion are required, I am beginning to wonder whether the safest bet for expensive instruments and equipment is to use the new equivalent Lithium cells? They are still comparatively expensive so I will not be replacing en-masse in a hurry but I might start by changing the ones in my Fluke and replacing others as the expire.

[james_s]

Just use LSD NiMH, they're about the same price as the lithium primary cells and you can recharge them. I've yet to have one leak.

[Electro Detective]

Hopefully not too Off Topic:      

Another gnash to complement the latest russian roulette battery nuke crisis, is those ANNOYING small foam battery nudgers stuck on to the multimeter battery covers that deteriorate badly, and turn into flakey, powdery, sticky slimey gunk. 

They shrink/compress, which defeats their purpose for being 'stuck' in there,   
and being sticky tend to grip/drag AAA or AA batteries slightly out of their proper contact range, at random.

This can result in a free entertainment intermission on a ballbreak troubleshoot job, with the meter readings playing up depending on how you hold it/switch between ranges/placed on bench etc,
and intermittent standup guest appearances by Mr. Low Battery Warning.

I remove and clean all foam battery nudgers (on Flukes especially).
On a couple of meters the crud actually etched into the Fluke tough plastic,
resorted to medieval scraping, finished with fine steel wool for aesthetics.

I remove them on new gear too because it's the same crap waiting to bite, and easier to get off when new with fingernails or nylon tool.   

I replace with something appropriate that conforms better physically, has good springiness and recovery to keep batteries where they should be, and lasts for ages without turning into swamp quicksand.

IMO the foam decay vapor over time can't be doing any tight sealed meter any internal favors either. 

Get in early, because it's a hassle performing a major clean up of this sticky moldy foam, especially if mixed with badly leaked batteries. 

Crossed fingers the expensive meter will still work, and hold spec after cleanup and a few shots and chasers at the local Isopropyl Pub. 

 

[SeanB]

and am using them slowly in wall clocks...

That's not going to work. I had two wall clocks destroyed by alkalines. And the clocks were still running.

Remember, the clock from the Fong kong shop is cheaper than the batteries.

[james_s]

I also had two clock movements destroyed by leaky batteries. Mine were radio controlled "atomic" movements. Not super expensive but not dirt cheap either. Mine were also both still running.