Leaking Duracells

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
Or get eneloops or Tenergy rechargables and put battery problems on the list right on the last page.

I have some 6 year old AA Eneloops, and they still function flawlessly, although I've no idea if they've lost some capacity over the years. zero leaks, so far, in expensive GPS units, but voltage at 1.2V each cell, is a little low for some LED flashlights.

I've had many, many, many Kirkland brand batteries leak in the various devices at home so I switched to Duracell. Now you're making me wonder if the Duracells are going to leak too.

On a side note, I've been able to save 99 % of all the items that the batteries have leaked into. All it takes is a small screwdriver a handful of Q-Tips, and a bottle of white distilled vinegar.

Pull the batteries and carefully disassemble the device. Dip a Q-Tip in the vinegar and it will eat through the corrosion like a hot knife through butter. Just be careful to keep the vinegar out of the electronics. Let things dry out and reassemble.

Or get eneloops or Tenergy rechargables and put battery problems on the list right on the last page.

Finding leaking batts in a device not used in years is understandable. But that scale was still working yesterday,...even tho the batteries may have been a couple 3 years old.

Anyway, Jim's post above is probably the best insurance against leakage,....change them all once a year, need it or not.

I pull batteries out of just about anything you can imagine for my customers, they all leak but the cheapies are more likely too. The best thing to do is keep them out of the device if you don't use it on a regular basis, change the remote batteries and such when you do your smoke alarms.

The new red colored Duracells have ruined a flashlight and a Zenith Transoceanic Radio I bought a Px in Nam. Not a cheap radio now days. Kinda upset about it but nothing I can do.
I nearly forgot a wall thermostat too.
They must have been importing cheapies from China, with their label.
The copper tops are doing fine.

Call Duracell. They will replace the batteries and the item. They have replaced a maglite flashlight for me and sent me a coupon for 8 new batteries.

DURACELL BATTERY GUARANTEE Guarantee: If not completely satisfied with your Duracell battery product, call 1-800-551-2355 (9:00AM – 5:00PM EST). Duracell guarantees its batteries against defects in materials and workmanship. Should any device be damaged due to a battery defect, we will repair or replace it at our option. Leaking battery and damaged device must be provided as proof of claim. Duracell may deny claims of damage caused by misuse or modification of the batteries or device.We encourage you to recycle packaging as well.As part of our commitment to preserve the environment, we use only nontoxic inks in our packaging and the card portion of our package is made from 55% recycled material. The plastic portion is made with 30% recycled plastic. The battery “can” is made with 40% recycled steel to reduce environmental impact while still maintaining strength.

They only wanted pictures of the item. I didnt need to ship it back

Call Duracell. They will replace the batteries and the item. They have replaced a maglite flashlight for me and sent me a coupon for 8 new batteries.

I have been using various Alkaline batteries in a multitude of devices for 40 years. I cannot tell you how many dozens of expensive and less expensive devices have been damaged by EverReady alkaline cells.... AA, AAA, C, D, and 9V cells. I slowly gravitated toward using DuraCell batteries and have noted over the last 20 years or so far far fewer instances of battery leakage. This experience continues to this day. For every leaking DuraCell battery, I can cite 8 or 10 cases of EverReady leakage.

That is my long term experience.

I think essentially any dry cell battery can leak given enough time. Once the case material is compromised, it leaks.

It is worth noting that there are quite a few counterfeit Duracell (and presumably other major brand) batteries out there, and they're generally inferior quality to the real thing.