| Cleanup After Leaking Batteries Any tips on cleaning a plastic battery compartment? Two AAA batteries just beginning to leak. Pulled the batteries and will dispose at city hazmat/electronic disposal. Battery connectors intact and look good but have leakage residue on them.
What is the best way to clean/remove the corrosive residue? What product to use?
Cheers,
-- Asterger |
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| Assuming it was alkaline batteries.
Light acid wash (i.e. vinegar) use an old toothbrush to scrub the contacts and casing, rinse with water. Use a cotton swap to get into tight spaces. Make sure it's completely dry before you put in new cells.
You should see what leaking batteries do to the inside of a Mag flashlight, it isn't pretty.  |
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lutful... of ideasPremium
join:2005-06-16
Ottawa, ON Reviews:
 ·TekSavvy DSL
| reply to asterger
said by asterger:What is the best way to clean/remove the corrosive residue? What product to use?
If those were alkaline batteries, the white residue is actually potassium carbonate which is sort of a baking powder. It will create some potassium acetate residue with vinegar.
»en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potassium_carbonate
I usually clean it up using just distilled water and cheap paint brushes.
P.S. If the batteries were zinc-carbon (so called "long life" ) batteries, the leakage residue is mainly zinc chloride. »www.osha.gov/SLTC/healthguidelin···ion.html |
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 Sc0ttKneedraggerPremium
join:2000-11-13
Stockholm, NJ | reply to Thane_Bitter
said by Thane_Bitter:You should see what leaking batteries do to the inside of a Mag flashlight, it isn't pretty.
that's an understatement. i had to buy a new one las time i had this happen to my 4 cell mag. the batteries were in there so tight, they weren't coming out with the flashlight intact |
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 jrs8084Premium
join:2002-03-02
Statesville, NC
kudos:1 | reply to Thane_Bitter
said by Thane_Bitter:Assuming it was alkaline batteries.
Light acid wash (i.e. vinegar) use an old toothbrush to scrub the contacts and casing, rinse with water. Use a cotton swap to get into tight spaces. Make sure it's completely dry before you put in new cells.
You should see what leaking batteries do to the inside of a Mag flashlight, it isn't pretty.
I had a AA LED light fail with relatively new batteries. They swelled, but I managed to get them out. 6 months later, I had a D cell mag light do the same. I couldn't even get it open. (Well, I didn't try chewing it up with channel locks.) All bats 1 year old.
I had to send to CA and they replaced for free (Energizer/Duracell/ and I think Ray-o-Vac are covered)-took 4 weeks.
Now I open and check them every few weeks. I didn't know there was such a thing as high maintenance flashlights. |
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 Sandman5Premium
join:2002-07-10
Strafford, MO | reply to Sc0tt
said by Sc0tt:said by Thane_Bitter:You should see what leaking batteries do to the inside of a Mag flashlight, it isn't pretty.
that's an understatement. i had to buy a new one las time i had this happen to my 4 cell mag. the batteries were in there so tight, they weren't coming out with the flashlight intact I have one of the 3x AA ones that I thought I was going to have to toss. My father-in-law was able to get the batteries out (it took him 30-60 minutes to get the 3 batteries out), cleaned it with some baking soda and water and it still works.
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Rule #62: Don't take yourself so damn seriously! |
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 CruiserMDPremium
join:2003-04-26
Beltsville, MD | reply to asterger
Try a bottle of Coke and brushes. Works great! |
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| reply to asterger
Thanks for the input everyone.
As I had distilled water on hand, I used that and cotton swaps. Initially the crystallized residue on the spring connectors pulled the cotton off the swap. After the first pass, not so much. If I was doing this again, would opt for the small paint brush. "Painting" distilled water on the spring clips and soaking it up took 9 swaps, but the job is done. Battery compartment looks clean. |
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