NEW AND IMPORTANT Check your batteries

komodo

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Well, I was having a problem with my Radio Shack 22-801 multimeter, pulled it apart to find a bad fuse. Got it back together and then found the common jack for the banana plug was goobered up. Knowing I had a spare multimeter in storage, I went digging for it.

Turns out I have 5 spare multimeters. I opened them up and three of them had batteries in them, Fortunately, none of them had leaked. They were dead and one battery was starting to weep so I caught it in the nick of time. If you have spare test equipment with batteries in them, go pull them all out. Not sure how that happened. Most of my spare or less-used equipment has the batteries sitting loose along with the piece of equipment. Those batteries expired last year or several years back so I'm not certain how long my test equipment has been in storage.

Unfortunately, I had a cheap analog multimeter from Radio
Shack that suffered a sad fate. The AA battery had leaked a long time ago and destroyed the pads on both ends of the battery compartment. Now I need to cobble something together to repair it. Guess I can find an old piece of electronic junk to gut a new pad out of.

This public service announcement brought to you by someone who doesn't want you to see fireworks when you go to use your test equipment.

have a safe and happy fourth.
 
Hopefully one day we'll have leak-proof batteries. Though I believe they do already exist?

Also, ironic that also we need test equipment to repair test equipment. Haven't figured that one out as yet. :001_sbiggrin:
 
Hopefully one day we'll have leak-proof batteries. Though I believe they do already exist?

Also, ironic that also we need test equipment to repair test equipment. Haven't figured that one out as yet. :001_sbiggrin:

Battery leaking seems to have gotten worse over the years, I have seen so many leaks in various devices from all brands of alkaline batteries, doesn't seem to be one better brand over another. I have seen them leak while sitting in the package and sitting in my battery box. I have seen a ni-cad rechargable with crystals on the top but I have never seen a NiMH battery leak so that may be the best way to go if your devices can handle the voltage of them, some things don't play well with them.

Lithium primaries are a good option too but again some devices don't play nice with them. I haven't seen one of these leak yet. Be careful.

Its worth noting that most battery companies (energizer, duracell and rayovac) will replace the batteries and the device if you call them up and the batteries have leaked and give them information about the device and the batteries. The batteries must not be expired. For more expensive things they may request that you send the item in.
 
I will never buy Duracell batteries again. The darn things leaked on me like a couple of weeks after they went dead. They weren't even expired...
 
On the contrary they leaked like sieves back then. Energizer batteries now have a no leak guarantee. Check that out.

Pretty much all the major companies have a no leak guarantee, I have seen all brands leak, even Duracell which I always thought was better than Energizer but I guess they are all the same. I have seen them leak while sitting in the package at stores and I have seen them leak while just sitting in my battery box (not touching other batteries), I have had to clean up a mess in my box more times than I can count due to what is usually one leaking battery and these batteries are not expired either.

Its more expensive to replace your stuff every time one leaks so now I just buy NiMH which pretty much ensures I won't have a leak, If you buy them on sale the cost is not much more than grocery store alkaline batteries. This works for most household things however some things are voltage sensitive and won't take NiMH... like thermostats and smoke detectors.
 
I use NiMh in just about everything. The Smoke, CO Detectors and Safe get lithium.

LED flashlites don't work as well with NiMh because of the voltage
drop - they aren't as bright.

Never had a NiMh leak.

JD

Pretty much all the major companies have a no leak guarantee, I have seen all brands leak, even Duracell which I always thought was better than Energizer but I guess they are all the same. I have seen them leak while sitting in the package at stores and I have seen them leak while just sitting in my battery box (not touching other batteries), I have had to clean up a mess in my box more times than I can count due to what is usually one leaking battery and these batteries are not expired either.

Its more expensive to replace your stuff every time one leaks so now I just buy NiMH which pretty much ensures I won't have a leak, If you buy them on sale the cost is not much more than grocery store alkaline batteries. This works for most household things however some things are voltage sensitive and won't take NiMH... like thermostats and smoke detectors.
 
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