On Fri, 12 Dec 2008 17:01:25 -0800, James Sweet
wrote:


I've found that alkaline batteries and even carbon-zinc flashlight
batteries last for years when I don't use them, or only use them when
I'm actually looking at something. But 2 or 3 years stretches into 5
years pretty easily. And I don't think my flashlight batteries have
ever lasted longer than 5 or 6 years.

I keep my batteries, film, long candles, drugs, and paint dispensers**
in my fridge. **They have those paint brushes and rollers that suck
the paint into the handle. I used to clean every night, but I found I
could just put the thing in the refrigerator and it was good the next
day, even several days later.


I've sure had a lot of alkaline batteries leak, seems worse in the last
several years.

I try to avoid things that use batteries, but I still have a bunch,
and I've only had one or two alkalines leak, both in the same device
at the same time. Carbon-zinc definitely leaked more often, but with
flashlights I figured if I left the light on, I'd only waste cheaper
batteries.

I've bought foreign batteries at hamfests, one batch so cheap they
leaked within weeks of being put in something (without damage,
somehow) so I threw them all away. (They were in the fridge until I
used them. One gave hints of leaking, iirc, while still in the
fridge, but theese were verrrry cheap.)

In another situation at a hamfest, the guy next to me noticed how
light the "alkaline" batteries were, and he was right, they were too
light to be alkaline.

Finally, in the past year, I bought some "Duracell"s at a price that
seemed too low, and eventually noticed that the small circle that's
supposed to have an R or TM inside had nothing but a dot inside.
Maybe it t also didn't say "alkaline", which is what makes it a
Duracell as opposed to some other type battery.

Have had several Maglites ruined by leaks, if you can get
the batteries out the manufacture will usually pay for the damaged item.

You have to get the batteries out? I don't know but isn't it more
convincing when the batteries are stuck inside?

IIUC what it says on the batteries, they will pay for a flashlight of
something of similar cost if flashlight batteries (carbon-zinc) leak,
and they'll pay more money for something electronic if alkaline leak.
And there are probably other rules for other kinds of batteries.

Makes sense to me.

I'm hoping the eneloop rechargeables I use now will hold up better.

I'm finally reading the manual for my fancy camera, and it gives
several reasons why rechargeables won't have power as long as one
would want. Not using them for a long time was one. (I can find the
list if you want.) Maybe it's not true and they just don't want
people complaining to them, the camera company, when it probably is
either normal or a battery problem.

Lithium is a good option for emergency flashlights too, they rarely leak.