How to clean Mag-Lite flashlight when Duracell March 2013 alkaline batteries leaked

Do you know what chemical can clean an anodized aluminum Mag-Lite flashlight when Duracell March 2013 alkaline batteries leaked.

The flashlight itself seems to be black anodized aluminum. The bottom Duracell March 2013 D-cell battery leaked and started corroding the steel spring in the bottom end cap. It left a gunky grayish white gritty goop on the spring.

Likewise, the grayish gritty goop expanded the battery such that it was stuck inside the 3-D-cell flashlight. After about 10 minutes of banging upside down, I was able to extricate the three D-Cell Duracell batteries.

I generally use vinnegar to clean up scale in brass water faucets. Do you know what chemical I can use on aluminum & steel flashlights to dissolve the grayish gritty goop from a leaked alkaline battery?

What is that goop made up of anyway?

Reply to
SF Man
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On Thu, 30 Jun 2011 23:40:46 -0700, SF Man wrote:

I have no idea what chemical will clean the flashlight (maybe others know that) but I do know that you can get a free flashlight for the price of the postage.

I realize that's not what you asked and that postage might cost more than the flashlight is worth. But it's one answer that others might use.

See the Maglite flashlight FAQ.

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Q: I can?t remove the tailcap from my Mag® flashlight. I have even put pliers on it and tried to twist it off, but it's absolutely frozen or stuck. Is this problem covered by my warranty?

A: When you cannot remove the tailcap to change the batteries, it almost certainly indicates that the batteries have leaked and sealed everything inside the flashlight. Unfortunately, Mag does not warrant against battery leakage, however, we do have agreements with Duracell, Eveready and Ray-O-Vac. If one of these brands of batteries has leaked in your flashlight, send the flashlight to us and we will repair or replace it at no charge to you. We recommend that you ship the flashlight UPS or Postal Insured for tracking purposes. Please send to; Mag Instrument, Inc., Attn; Warranty Dept., 1721 E. Locust St., Ontario, Ca. 91761-7769. You pay the freight to us and we pay it going back. Please also include a letter with your name, address, phone number and description of the problem. Don?t forget to indicate what brand of battery is inside if you know. Once we verify it is Duracell, Eveready or Ray-O-Vac, we will send you a new flashlight at no charge. Occasionally we open the flashlight and we find it contains leaking batteries that are not Duracell, Eveready and Ray-O-Vac. In cases of "off-brand" battery leakage, we can replace your flashlight for a charge of -- $12.00 plus your state's sales tax for a ?C? or ?D? Mag-Lite® flashlight, or $8.00 plus tax for a Mini-Maglite® flashlight. If you are not sure, send the flashlight to us, with the batteries inside, and we will check to determine the brand. If we find that they are "off-brand" batteries, we will contact you and arrange for payment before sending you the replacement flashlight.

Q: I can?t get the batteries out of my flashlight. They're stuck inside. How do I change them? Is this covered by my warranty?

A: When this happens, it almost certainly means that the batteries have leaked and are stuck inside the barrel. Note: Batteries normally swell before leaking causing them to get stuck inside the barrel. Mag Instrument does not warrant against battery leakage, however, we do have agreements with Duracell, Eveready and Ray-O-Vac that allow us to replace your flashlight. If one of these brands of batteries is stuck (by leaking in your flashlight), send the flashlight to us and we will repair or replace the entire flashlight at no charge to you. We recommend that you ship the flashlight UPS or Postal Insured for tracking purposes. Please send to; Mag Instrument, Inc., Attn; Warranty Dept., 1721 E. Locust St., Ontario, Ca.

91761-7769. You pay the freight to us and we pay it going back. Please also include a letter with your name, address, phone number and a description of the problem. Don?t forget to indicate what brand of batteries is inside if you know. We will check to verify that it is Duracell, Eveready and Ray-O-Vac; and if it is, we will send you a new flashlight at no charge. Occasionally we open the flashlight and we find it contains leaking batteries that are not Duracell, Eveready and Ray-O-Vac. In cases of "off-brand" battery leakage, we can replace your flashlight for a charge of

-- $12.00 plus your state's sales tax for a ?C? or ?D? Mag-Lite® flashlight, or $8.00 plus tax for a Mini-Maglite® flashlight. If you are not sure, send the flashlight to us, with the batteries inside, and we will check to determine the brand. If we find that they are "off-brand" batteries, we will contact you and arrange for payment before sending you the replacement flashlight.

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Reply to
Wilbur H.

I had already seen the Duracell so-called "guarantee":

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All DURACELL Batteries are guaranteed against defects in material and workmanship. Should any device be damaged by these batteries due to such defect, Duracell will repair or replace it (at Duracell's option) if it is sent with the batteries, postage prepaid to: Duracell Berkshire Corporate Park Bethel, CT, 06801 U.S.A. Att: Consumer Dept. Phone: 1-800-551-2355, 6:00 am to 2:00 pm, Pacific Standard Time

However, it's just a $25 flashlight so I don't think the postage to send it to Duracell will be worth the price of a new flashlight.

I just want to clean it up.

Googling, I find this forum says to use isopropyl alcohol to clean the flashlight after batteries leaked:

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However, this forum says hydrogen peroxide is what we're supposed to use:
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Yet, this site says "baking soda" is what to use:
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And this site says to use vinnegar:
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This one even suggests "Coke Classic" (i.e., phosphoric acid):
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It seems strange that these (very different) chemicals are suggested:

- alcohol

- hydrogen peroxide

- baking soda

- vinnegar

- phosphoric acid

Does anyone actually 'know' what chemicals will dissolve the grayish gritty goopy crud from a leaked alkaline battery?

Reply to
SF Man

You may have paid $25 but you can get a new barrek for $9 plus shipping & tax at

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The tailcap & spring assembly is $6.40
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This might help. How to Clean Alkaline Battery Corrosion?

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It seems the culprit is Potassium Hydroxide (KOH), also known as caustic potash. The solution, says that web site, is vinnegar.

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Reply to
Wilbur H.

You don't clean it, you call the 800 number on the Duracell batteries and then follow their instructions to sent the flashlight to them where they will examine it and repair or replace it.

Reply to
Pete C.

Just for the heck of it, I'd entertained the idea of getting my D-cell leaked-battery maglite open one day. I'd already put a ton of force on it with a pipe wrench (while not crushing it) but that didn't work.

I wonder if vinegar would penetrate? If I did eventually get it open, would I be able to get the batteries out by drilling or whatever?

Reply to
Tom

Do yourself a big favor and throw that piece of overprices junk in the trash and buy a good plastic flashlight. Also, quit buying Duracells. They're crap.

nb

Reply to
notbob

"Good" "plastic" any recommended brands?

"crap" any recommended "notcrap"?

Reply to
Mr.E

If you can remove the end cap, simply drill a hole into the bottom of the battery and use a screw extractor to try to 'spin' it out.

Worse case, you can successively drill the center of the batter until it falls apart.

Even so, any decent (aluminum) flashlight is ruined when batteries corrode so you're best bet is to call the battery and/or flashlight manufacturer customer service number to get a free replacement.

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Reply to
Wilbur H.

The F switch plastic flashlights are not reliable.

What good is a non reliable flashlight.

The corrosion of the battery is not the fault of the metal maglight with a push-button switch.

As for cleaning, I don't think there is any way to remove the caustic hydroxide once it contacts metal. Sorry.

Reply to
Abolishinist

Had that happen on a 4 C cell Mag. Luckily I had a soft bronze wire brush just oversized of the bore. Used spray silicone and brushed the inside out. Brushed the spring and bottom cap and sprayed with silicon. Works fine now. I don't use Duracell batteries now. They are known to leak especially when the get low.

Reply to
A. Baum

yeah, just use a bottle brush and lots of clear water. then spray it with something to keep future corrosion at bay. Spray silicone is a good idea.

nate

Reply to
Nate Nagel

I think for every major battery-supplier I've ever heard of, somebody has told me their batteries leak.

Reply to
croy

Look for 'tactical' flashlights in the gun and police web stores. Streamlite is a good, well known brand. I don't think they are 'plastic', but more of a composite material (not sacrificing strength, but decreases weight).

Get one with multiple functions, like a key-chain/Kubotan/stun-gun/stun-flash for example. If you plan to carry it all the time, that is.

Follow the manufacturer's recommendation for batteries. A great flashlight is a luxury item that you can expect to pay upwards of $150 for.

Reply to
G. Morgan

Probably!

Reply to
croy

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Well, the key is *alkaline.* you want to neutralize the alkalai so a weak acid would seem to be the most appropriate chemical to use. I'm thinking phosphoric acid is probably your best bet as it is also good at removing corrosion, although I don't honestly know what is the safest for the anodized black finish.

nate

Reply to
N8N

For me (in my experience) Ray-O-Vac's are unreliable and they leak. Even if they're NOT in a flashlight! I honestly can't understand how they stay in business.

Reply to
Bob Villa

"guarantee":

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leaked:

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vinnegar:

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acid):

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When that happened with my 35-year-old Maglite 5C, I couldn't get the last 2 batteries out. I wrote to Mag and got directions for removing the switch assembly so I could press them out, but that didn't work. I sent it to Mag and they replaced it with a 4C model (they don't make a

5C anymore ) They said they had an agreement with the major battery makers to replace the lights and bill Duracell, Reyovac, Eveready, etc. If you use off-brand batteries, even alkalines, you might be out of luck (I know you said Duracell)

-Bob

Reply to
zxcvbob

My ML 5C went south after about 2 yrs. The switch failed. I jes tossed the damn thing. Got a Rayovac that's 3 yrs old, cost < $10, , made of plastic, and uses either lantern battery or 4 D cells and still works flawlessly. Of course, I can't hit a pop fly or do a Rodney King with it, but I can put a Kryton bulb in it and blind an intruder while I whip out my stun gun.

nb

Reply to
notbob

notbob wrote: > Of course, I can't hit a pop fly or do a

The 5C model was the perfect size for that. Houston cops used to carry them in a ring on their Batman belts instead of a nightstick.

-Bob

Reply to
zxcvbob

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