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Hints, Tips and Solutions (Do NOT post requests for help here) If you have any useful general hints and tips for vintage technology repair and restoration, please share them here. PLEASE DO NOT POST REQUESTS FOR HELP HERE!

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Old 30th Aug 2018, 11:08 pm   #21
Biggles
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Default Re: Summer fades, leaking dry cells.

I just had my first leaky Energizer AA cell. It was used in a wall clock in constant room temperature inside the house. I do hope that Energizer aren't using the same manufacturing plant as Duracell nowadays, and badge engineering their products.
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Old 31st Aug 2018, 5:20 am   #22
TonyDuell
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Default Re: Summer fades, leaking dry cells.

One of my other interests is old film cameras and I recently got a couple of the flashguns for Polaroid cameras. These are very simple, just an AA cell, the flashbulb and the shutter connecitng plug in series.

Anyway, I took them apart to extract any cells they contained. One contained an alkaline cell, I think 'Energiser' that was leaking like mad and had made quite a mess. The other contains a good old Eveready HP7, the orange one. It had leaked a bit but the plastic sleeve had contained it. Oh well...

I also just looked at the cells in some of my calculators, Duracell branded AAA and N sizes. They did not appear to have leaked (no white mess, etc) but they must have given off something as the contacts were corroded (green). They'll clean up OK, though.
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Old 31st Aug 2018, 9:14 am   #23
The Philpott
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Default Re: Summer fades, leaking dry cells.

I too have had Energizer alkalines suffering quite early leakage, so another brand i avoid. My replacement regime is currently Panasonic and Philips- ie whatever poundstretcher are supplying as an alternative. Less juice, but at least the juice stays where it should do (so far..)
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Old 31st Aug 2018, 10:29 am   #24
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Default Re: Summer fades, leaking dry cells.

You would also think that Duracell would realise if one or more of the big retailers were selling fakes in their name, and do something about it. Some market traders might get away with selling fakes, but not the big guys.

I find it difficult to believe that all the duds I have seen were because they were fakes, not real, leaky Duracells.

I'd still like to know what they do differently to other makers, at least the two others in my listing which seem so much better at keeping their seals intact. From the responses here, it seems that there is little evidence of excessive leakage from any other mainstream maker.

Stuart
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Old 31st Aug 2018, 10:39 am   #25
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Default Re: Summer fades, leaking dry cells.

The "leaky Duracells are all fakes" story has been actively pushed by Duracell themselves, but there is no evidence that this is the case other than at the very bottom end of the market. The big supermarkets and chains buy very large quantities of batteries from first line distributors or the manufacturers themselves. If they started selling fakes then the lawyers would be on the case in a heartbeat.

Duracell themselves produce a range of different batteries at different price points. They even supply Poundland (though they don't sell for a pound there).
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Old 31st Aug 2018, 11:05 am   #26
m0xte_chris
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Default Re: Summer fades, leaking dry cells.

Indeed. A couple of years back I ordered some Duracell batteries from Ocado with my shopping. When they arrived they were in date and one had leaked in the packaging. Haven't gone near them since.
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Old 31st Aug 2018, 1:00 pm   #27
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Default Re: Summer fades, leaking dry cells.

Quote:
Originally Posted by paulsherwin View Post
The "leaky Duracells are all fakes" story has been actively pushed by Duracell themselves, but there is no evidence that this is the case other than at the very bottom end of the market. The big supermarkets and chains buy very large quantities of batteries from first line distributors or the manufacturers themselves. If they started selling fakes then the lawyers would be on the case in a heartbeat.
There was a scam not that long ago where some workers at several large stores were obtaining packs of fake batteries [fakes of several popular brands] and swapping them for packs of genuine batteries on the display-stands. So even if the warehouse was sending genuine batteries to the store, the consumer wasn't always ending up with genuine batteries.

[I'm always intrigued at new ways to commit fraud: it also seems that a non-trivial amount of the stuff ordered-online-and-then-returned is the subject of such 'substitution fraud' too]
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Old 31st Aug 2018, 1:41 pm   #28
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Default Re: Summer fades, leaking dry cells.

Presumably the 'swappers' had a market for the real ones at close to full value?
In which case perhaps it would be better to buy from the fraudsters........................
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Old 31st Aug 2018, 3:23 pm   #29
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Default Re: Summer fades, leaking dry cells.

I think the air up here must be good for batteries. Every third of fourth time this subject resurfaces I have a root through my gash battery box, just in case. Still no leaking Duracells or Energisers. To be fair, there's no other leakers either and I have an eclectic mix of brands, all salvaged for bench testing or use in clocks or abused children's toys.
Perhaps long, very low use, i.e. standby, plays a part. Remote controls feature a lot in reports.
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Old 31st Aug 2018, 10:41 pm   #30
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Default Re: Summer fades, leaking dry cells.

I found that white vinegar was great to remove the leaky "goo" with.

Decades ago I ran a stockroom for a State agency.
We were forced by Central Stores to buy Burgess batteries. "They have the battery contract". What a waste of tax monies.
Now the Safety Inspectors I took care of had their lives sometimes depend on the batteries.
The Burgess cells often (99.9% of the time) had a life of 20-120 seconds. Then they were dead. Repeated pleas to purchasing failed to work. The inspectors were forced to buy their own batteries, as to not be endangered.
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Old 1st Sep 2018, 4:50 am   #31
TonyDuell
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Default Re: Summer fades, leaking dry cells.

Quote:
Originally Posted by FrankB View Post
I found that white vinegar was great to remove the leaky "goo" with.
Yes, the leakage is alkaline, you want a (chemically) weak acid to remove it. I find a solution of citric acid in (tap) water works fine, and smells nicer than vinegar.
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Old 5th Sep 2018, 12:27 am   #32
Graham G3ZVT
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Default Re: Summer fades, leaking dry cells.

Leaky Duracells are not a new problem.

In the mid '80s I was tasked by the chief engineer in a large Manchester hotel to collect examples of in-date Duracells as evidence for a compensation claim he made to Mallory, the then owners of the brand.

I think some BER TV remotes were sent as well.

If I remember correctly, the cells were marked either France or Belgium depending on where they were made, only one type leaked.
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Old 10th Sep 2018, 10:17 pm   #33
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Default Re: Summer fades, leaking dry cells.

I find the GP range of batteries to be the worst for leakage. Today Ive had to clean out my pcb drill which contained leaking GP AA batteries. One of many items over the years. Unfortunately we are forced to use GP batteries at work.
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