Battery Acid Oh My!

[dsphotog]

It' strange that batteries leak in our expensive cameras, & equip. but only rarely in a $2 flashlight.
Murphy's gotta have a law about that.

[Jerry Bodine]

Are you aware that Murphy's an optimist?

[aphexafx]

It' strange that batteries leak in our expensive cameras, & equip. but only rarely in a $2 flashlight.
Murphy's gotta have a law about that.

Your $2 flashlight is a big cheap plastic switch that fully opens the circuit and prevents the batteries from over-discharging. Your expensive digital camera, in all its glory, pulls the slightest current even when "off" and this will eventually fully deplete the batteries and cause them to want to leak. Sometimes they are successful.

As Kirk mentioned, there is no acid in an ALKALINE battery...

[Chris Strobel]

It's most certainly not acid that came from the battery - it's probably potassium hydroxide that's leaked.

Just found this:

Over time, alkaline batteries are prone to leaking potassium hydroxide, a caustic agent that can cause respiratory, eye and skin irritation. This can be avoided by not attempting to recharge alkaline cells, not mixing different battery types in the same device, replacing all of the batteries at the same time, storing in a dry place, and removing batteries for storage of devices.

Once a leak has formed due to corrosive penetration of the outer steel shell, potassium hydroxide forms a feathery crystalline structure that grows and spreads out from the battery over time, following up metal electrodes to circuit boards where it commences oxidation of copper traces and other components, leading to permanent circuitry damage.

The leaking crystalline growths can also emerge from seams around battery covers to form a furry coating outside the device, that then damages objects in contact with the leaking device such as varnish on wood shelves, and then oxidation and graying of the wood itself.

[Kirk Keyes]

In extreme heat (130° F) I had some batteries explode in my pocket.

Also watch out you don't short them out in your pocket with keys or change. I learned that lesson when I was 10 years old with a 9 volt battery!

[Archphoto]

I allways keep batteries in resealable plasic bags, esp when not using them for any extended time, never had these problems.

Peter