AA battery failure - gun safe

[LSU]

I changed the 4 AA batteries that control the locking mechanism on my 15+ year old Sentry gun safe. I’m not sure how old the batteries were - maybe 18 months. Two of them were corroded and leaking. The safe is in an inside climate controlled closet.

I was able to clean up the mess but I was disappointed in the batteries’ performance.

I’ve started removing all batteries from my mag lites and other hardbodies flashlights. Same thing with my handheld GPS’s.

It seems to me that the quality of batteries has gone down over the years.

The batteries that leaked were either Duracells or Energizers.


Any tips to prevent this in the future. I know AA batteries don’t last forever but I didn’t expect them to leak. The battery holder was not sealed like a aluminum flashlight. Air could circulate.

Thoughts?

Tips beyond the obvious - check the batteries more frequently.

Thanks.

 

[MOS3522]

Use these:

Energizer Ultimate Lithium | Best Long Lasting Batteries

Energizer Ultimate Lithium batteries are the best batteries you can buy when compared against other AA disposables. Learn more!

www.energizer.com

 

[wyliesdiesels]

Yeah ive noticed the leaking issues on not just duracells but kirkland brand as well.

I have a tub of old batteries for ewaste and one day one of the batteries in there started bubbling... was very weird

 

[Snapped-off]

I put lithiums in anything of importance.

 

[Metal-Marc]

Check with the lockpickinglawyer on yt. You most likely don't need batteries to open your safe.

 

[3baygarage]

That stinks. Several months ago I had a AA leak in my thermostat. I took it apart and wiped every bit of acid on the board which still was all liquid. I got it functioning little by little but couldn’t get it 100%, so had to buy a new one. The only good thing was it was a couple years old so I bought the same model and just replaced the front half.

edit: the things you don’t think about, like changing batteries in an item that’s working.

 

[HenryAZ]

Lithium primaries solve the leaking issue. They are more expensive, but in return they also last a bit longer. I have never had a Eneloop NiMH rechargeable AA leak. That is not to say they will not, but I am usually changing them out at more frequent intervals for recharging. I use the lithium primaries especially in things that do not get checked so often, like the gun safe, multimeters and other small devices, flashlights that sit mostly on a shelf, etc.

 

[wyliesdiesels]

That stinks. Several months ago I had a AA leak in my thermostat. I took it apart and wiped every bit of acid on the board which still was all liquid. I got it functioning little by little but couldn’t get it 100%, so had to buy a new one. The only good thing was it was a couple years old so I bought the same model and just replaced the front half.

edit: the things you don’t think about, like changing batteries in an item that’s working.

alkaline batteries do not have acid in them. they have alkaline electrolyte.... alkaline is the opposite of acid on the PH scale.

"The alkaline battery gets its name because it has an alkaline electrolyte of potassium hydroxide (KOH) instead of the acidic ammonium chloride (NH4Cl) or zinc chloride (ZnCl2) electrolyte of the zinc–carbon batteries."

 

[Metal-Marc]

alkaline batteries do not have acid in them. they have alkaline electrolyte.... alkaline is the opposite of acid on the PH scale.

Honest question, what is the white flaky stuff when they leak?

I just cleaned a small mess a Duracell AA battery made on one of my TV remote.

 

[WagonHo!]

I have found 3 flashlights with corroded Duracells, 2 with AA’s and one with C’s. The large police style with the C’s was salvageable others no. Even in hot and humid climate of Hawaii I don’t remember batteries corroding like this recent batch.

 

[Zeke]

A retired helicopter mechanic who was also a master electrician AFA as avionics and cars go, had the following advice:

Clean the connections with cleaning vinegar, rinse with distilled water and rinse or dab with alcohol.
The vinegar part does indicate that the corrosion is alkaline.

 

[loganb]

I've had good luck with Eneloop rechargeable and have switched all AAA and AA to those...spendy up front but should pay off and havent had one corrode in the last 5 years. For sizes without that option I try and use Duracell Procell and never had an issue but the last 2 9V in the box were dead when I went to swap the battery in my voltmeter last weekend so they don't last forever either but I also don't use them as rapidly as smoke detectors in this house are permanently wired.

 

[Zeke]

Procells do not outlast the regular Duracell's for me. Also, I bought into the rechargeable thing first with Radio Shack and then with Amazon house brand. They don't keep a charge for half the time of a fresh disposable battery (for me anyway).

I don't have any lithium rechargeables. I guess that's the way to go?

 

[Blueshound_GJ]

Odd. I can't remember the last time I found a leaky alkaline battery, if ever. I do recall the old "heavy duty" ones leaking though.

 

[3baygarage]

alkaline batteries do not have acid in them. they have alkaline electrolyte.... alkaline is the opposite of acid on the PH scale.

"The alkaline battery gets its name because it has an alkaline electrolyte of potassium hydroxide (KOH) instead of the acidic ammonium chloride (NH4Cl) or zinc chloride (ZnCl2) electrolyte of the zinc–carbon batteries."

Thanks. I skipped chemistry.

 

[mikedodge]

Ive had more leaks from energizer and no names then Duracell. But I've also had more leaks lately. It used to be batteries could be in remotes for years and die. Now a year in they can leak.
Maybe they're making them more environmentally friendly and that's causing some of this.

 

[Blueshound_GJ]

Ive had more leaks from energizer and no names then Duracell. But I've also had more leaks lately. It used to be batteries could be in remotes for years and die. Now a year in they can leak.
Maybe they're making them more environmentally friendly and that's causing some of this.

Maybe, but Occam's Razor says they are just trying to make them more cheaply, in order to squeeze every possible bit of profit for the stockholders.

 

[wyliesdiesels]

Honest question, what is the white flaky stuff when they leak?

I just cleaned a small mess a Duracell AA battery made on one of my TV remote.

the alkaline electrolyte.... what specific chemicals? dried potassium hydroxide have you ever had a bottle of hydroxide leak out onto concrete and then dry up? it turns white....

 

[rharman]

I've given up on Duracell, even though the pricing is so good at Costco. Switched/Switching entirely to the Energizer Lithiums.

I like the 3-packs of flashlights at Costco but they come with Duracell (well, DUH... they're Duracell flashlights). I put a label on each with the date and location (I hate misplacing them) and plan on replacing the Duracell batteries in a year or thereabouts.

 

[yatg]

Just opened up an old Simpson multimeter. It had 1 D cell and 4 AA cells - from 1993. Kinda messy but could have been worse. Working on cleaning it up too see if it will still work.

 

[AntonLargiader]

I see corroded AAs a fair amount. Only after they are discharged it seems (although that could correlate to simple age). At the shop they are mostly in my torque wrenches.

I also have switched a lot of keyboard and camera stuff over to Eneloop whites. All rechargeables are not created equal... my camera forum has a fair amount of data (including a pretty exhaustive test of many different batteries by a guy many years ago) that supports Eneloops being one of the better ones. Unfortunately two of my three torque wrenches do not like rechargeables very much due to their lower voltage. The older wrenches (TechWrench) see fully charged ones as being nearly dead. The newer one (the TechAngle) is more forgiving on this if I remember correctly from years ago but for only one wrench it's not worth managing rechargeables at work.

Not being alkaline, I do not expect to see that alkaline corrosion from them of course.

 

[Norcal]

Yeah ive noticed the leaking issues on not just duracells but kirkland brand as well.

I have a tub of old batteries for ewaste and one day one of the batteries in there started bubbling... was very weird

Duracell & Kirkland are the same thing under different branding.

 

[exmaxima1]

I put lithiums in anything of importance.

Exactly. For example, I use Energizer Ultimate Lithiums in my Canon IS binoculars. It would be a shame to ruin them with cheap batteries.

 

[LSU]

So why are the Energizer Ultimate Lithiums better than other batteries? Why are Lithiums better batteries?

Thanks.

 

[grounded-b]

Dave from EEVblog on Youtube tested a variety of alkaline batteries and explored leakage

 

[Racer_X]

I switched to Ray-O-Vacs about 15 years ago when I found they were the only one of the big three still making them in the U.S.A. I've never had one leak, unlike Duracell and Energizer.

 

[Snapped-off]

So why are the Energizer Ultimate Lithiums better than other batteries? Why are Lithiums better batteries?

Thanks.

The chances of them leaking are negligible.

 

[LSU]

The chances of them leaking are negligible.

Don’t disagree but what do you base this on?

 

[Snapped-off]

Don’t disagree but what do you base this on?

Lithium battery technology, along with my very limited experience of leaking batteries. 100% off them have been traditional alkaline.

What else do you want?

 

[pizza]

alkaline has always had the "alkaleak" nickname for good reason, but it seems like it's worse than usual lately.

i'm wondering if there's a lot of counterfeit duracell and energizer out there or something. especially if you buy from amazon.

**** alkaleak though. i only buy a device that takes AA/AAA if there's no reasonable alternative.
and even then, i try to put Li primaries or NiMH rechargeables

 

[honcho]

I'm in the Energizer Ultimate Lithium camp for AA & AAA size cells for things that I want to leave batteries in. I've tried to get better at taking the cells out of things that aren't in active use but that's something of a pain in the rear. I do also use Eneloops and the Ikea Ladda LSD (low self-discharge) NiMH AA & AAA size cells for several different applications.

I'm a huge proponent of AA/AAA powered devices whenever possible. Those size cells can be found just about everywhere. It seems very wasteful to have devices with non-replaceable rechargeable cells that force you to buy a new device when the non-replaceable battery fails. Unfortunately, the the marketplace is pushing out user replaceable batteries for a variety of reasons but I think planned obsolescence is a very real reason.

I believe that both Energizer and Duracell guarantee against leaks and offer to repair devices damaged by leaking cells. I recall reading where people have successfully taken them up on the guarantee but have no personal experience one way or the other.

Finally, Energizer brands bought the Rayovac brand from Spectrum brands a few years back. Rayovac was the value leader for price / performance for alkaline cells but in the last couple of years prices for Duracell / Energizer / Rayovac alkaline and the Energizer Ultimate Lithiums have shot skyward. The higher prices have made me make more use of rechargeable AA / AAA cells even though they save me money and require more attention over time.

 

[LSU]

“I believe that both Energizer and Duracell guarantee against leaks and offer to repair devices damaged by leaking cells. I recall reading where people have successfully taken them up on the guarantee but have no personal experience one way or the other.”


Anybody have any experience with these guarantees?

 

[wyliesdiesels]

I switched to Ray-O-Vacs about 15 years ago when I found they were the only one of the big three still making them in the U.S.A. I've never had one leak, unlike Duracell and Energizer.

wow good to know. I'll buy made in the USA any day.... thanks

 

[tool_scrounge]

“I believe that both Energizer and Duracell guarantee against leaks and offer to repair devices damaged by leaking cells. I recall reading where people have successfully taken them up on the guarantee but have no personal experience one way or the other.”


Anybody have any experience with these guarantees?

Yes, Duracell bought me a new flashlight after I gave them the battery serial numbers to confirm it was not a forgery.

 

[wyliesdiesels]

Yes, Duracell bought me a new flashlight after I gave them the battery serial numbers to confirm it was not a forgery.

damn wish i had known about this all these years

 

[American Locomotive]

Don’t disagree but what do you base this on?

The chemical reaction that occurs inside an Alkaline battery is imperfect, and is prone to producing hydrogen gas. The gas pressure builds up inside the cell, ruptures the case seal, and pushes the alkaline chemicals out into the device. Corroding it.

The Energizer Lithium batteries (or any lithium primary cell) use a completely different chemistry that is not prone to producing gas.

 

[LSU]

Locomotive, that helps. Thank you. .

 

[nafterclifen]

I'm not a fan of electronics on safes, especially a gun safe. I use mechanical lock safes from V-Line...

Home Security - V-Line

www.vlineind.com

 

[captaindiode]

Alkaline batteries used to contain mercury which suppressed the corrosion of the zinc casing. Without mercury, todays alkaline cells are more prone to leakage.