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Leaking 2013 AA Energizer Battery

Happened to try a seldom-used tv remote control last night, dead. opened it up, one 2013 AA Energizer battery was fine, the other was dead and leaking. I stupidly thought that the date on batterries was how long they were supposed to last if they were not used - shelf life.

Since the battery was not used more than a few minutes since it was put in the remote a couple of years ago, and had been in an air- conditioned and heated room in the house for its entire time since I brought it home from the store, I thought that it was safe to leave it in the remote without having to periodically check for leakage. Fortunately, the leakage was minor and because of the physical position of the remote, the leakage went onto the inside of the back cover and did not get into the electronics in the remote.

Just thought I would post it here as a reminder not to assume anything about battery life.

Reply to
hrhofmann
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File that under "stuff happens". I recently replace the batteries in one of my thermostats. The date on them was 2007 and they were still working up to a couple of weeks ago.

In spite of the date on yours, they "should" not leak even if they were dead from use. I never check battery condition on anything until it stops working, but they can catch you.

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

Ed Pawlowski wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

I've gotten to the point where I check everything battery powered periodically to insure the batteries are NOT leaking. It seems like I've had every manufacturer's batteries leak and crud up the device. Had some leak in the packaging,unused and well before the use by date.(all were alkaline cells)

the remote for my CD player stopped working completely,it did something to the ICs inside.I took it apart,cleaned it thoroughly,new good batteries,and still nothing. the CD player is old enough that no replacement is available,and "universal" remotes don't have the functions I use.

Reply to
Jim Yanik

LOL...

Better living through chemistry sometimes goes awry...

Your battery was either an outlier in the QC process that was still within the acceptable range for the manufacturer and it prematurely failed, or there was a microscopic imperfection in the membrane which separates the battery gel from the metal cylinder it is contained in and the chemistry going on inside the battery was able to erode away at it until it escaped containment...

At least it didn't cause any damage...

~~ Evan

Reply to
Evan

Yea... what they all said.

The battery game is pretty much a crap shoot no mater what Mfg's say/do.

However, one thing that will greatly accelerate leakage is elevated temperatures. For example, batteries in flashlights left in the car or TV remotes left exposed to direct sunlight and/or the like.

Storing new batteries somewhere warm; same deal....

Erik

Reply to
Erik

Call energizer and inform them of your experience. They will get needed feedback, and you'll get a coupon for replacement batteries.

Jon

Reply to
Jon Danniken

They might have the "replace the device" promise. I think Duracell did that for years. As long as neither the user nor the device attempts to recharge the cell.

I've recharged Energizer and Duracell. If the cell isn't too badly discharged, they will take a topping off. Below some point, they tend to leak from the flat (negative) end.

Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus

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Call energizer and inform them of your experience. They will get needed feedback, and you'll get a coupon for replacement batteries.

Jon

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

Send the battery to Energizer along with a note that it was in your sister's smoke alarm. Inasmuch as she, and her two children (and the family Dalmation), died last week in a house fire, you don't know whether the smoke alarm was regularly checked for leaking batteries, but your brother-in-law and the rest of the family is consulting with a lawyer to answer that question. In the meantime, you were hoping that the company that made the battery could shed some light on the cause of the battery's failure.

Reply to
HeyBub

Doubt that AA size is used in any smoke detectors, they take 9v transistor. You could say monoxide alarm. A slow bluidliup of mosnoie has been sheornwn wo cause loses r ofd corrindation wand typing skils.ser.

Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus

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Send the battery to Energizer along with a note that it was in your sister's smoke alarm. Inasmuch as she, and her two children (and the family Dalmation), died last week in a house fire, you don't know whether the smoke alarm was regularly checked for leaking batteries, but your brother-in-law and the rest of the family is consulting with a lawyer to answer that question. In the meantime, you were hoping that the company that made the battery could shed some light on the cause of the battery's failure.

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

I've heard good about Kirkland. Being in NYS, we don't have Costco here. But, the discount stores do have off brands of batteries that are good. Such is life. Buy cheap, and don't sweat the occasional bad one.

As to the OP, the Energizer people may replace the remote. Sounds like not worth the shipping.

Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus

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I have had some dead fresh out of the package. I have also found that Costco's Kirkland brand are just as reliable as the major brand, and a good deal cheaper, so you don't mind as much when you do find a dead one. But, I have had better results with Costco's batteries.

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

The remote was sitting on the back of the tv table with the keyboard up. The leakage was on the negative spring and on the removable trapdoor so I wiped the spring and washed the trapdoor off, everything works fine and you're right, it would not be worth the trouble to ship it to Energizer. I will call them to let them know what happened tomorrow when most everybody is back to work and see if they will send me free coupons. I'll report back here what happens

Reply to
hrhofmann

I've always had the flat negative end that leaks. Why? No idea. Sometimes I take a leaked battery device, and clean it with hot water and tooth brush. Leave it open over night, and let it dry.

Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus

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The remote was sitting on the back of the tv table with the keyboard up. The leakage was on the negative spring and on the removable trapdoor so I wiped the spring and washed the trapdoor off, everything works fine and you're right, it would not be worth the trouble to ship it to Energizer. I will call them to let them know what happened tomorrow when most everybody is back to work and see if they will send me free coupons. I'll report back here what happens

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

Not if it were a catastrophic failure.

Reply to
HeyBub

We have three Costco stores in Houston and about fourteen Sam's Clubs. Wonder if Costco being unionized and Sam's not has anything to do with it?

Reply to
HeyBub

I bought 100 packs of "Utilitech" brand AAs and AAAs from Lowes for $20/pack. I've been using them for a bit over a year and they seem fine. I probably should get another pack or AAs soon.

Reply to
krw

Probably has a lot more to do with the fact that Sam's is owned by Walmart. I used to be a Costco member but after everything went to their house brand I didn't see any point in continuing the membership. I wasn't using enough of their stuff to justify the expense. Never been in a Sam's.

Reply to
krw

A HUNDRED packs of AAs? Are your running your whole HOUSE off of batteries?

Reply to
HeyBub

Seems so, at times. I just stuck eight of 'em in my new Internet radio (present from Santa Amazon). I think I have more remote controls laying around than light fixtures in the house (about half AAs and the other half AAAs). Flashlights...

Reply to
krw
100 might not be all that many. when I was doing walkie talkies for the museum, we used 24 per shift. They didn't want to use nicads, don't last long enough, they said. So, we used alkalines and were happy with that.

Seriously, depending on the use, 100 might not be that many. An old style CB walkie talkie takes eight. I've got several CB walkied that take eight cells.

Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus

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A HUNDRED packs of AAs? Are your running your whole HOUSE off of batteries?

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

He said a hundred PACKS of batteries. How many in a pack? I dunno. Assume it's twelve or 24 (plus 2 free). That's a god-awful bunch of batteries.

Think of the trips to the hazardous waste disposal station!

I'm going to go lie down.

Reply to
HeyBub

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