Battery Check Your Devices

[metalsideup]

Just a friendly reminder to gather up all your battery powered gadgets & devices tomorrow and give their battery compartment a quick visit eyeball check. My TV remote is only a year old yet it quit working today. A simple battery change, so I thought, but it turns out one of the batteries started leaking. That leaking substance is corrosive, and can lead to a destroyed device in short order. I subsequently did a check on my other gadgets and found 2 other leaking batteries inside a flashlight and a walkie-talkie I keep in my glove box. Just thought I'd pass on some advice to add "checking on the batteries on our "little-er" gadgets that we take for granted" on the list of routine maintenance.
And at the sake of sounding redundant, it's also a good time to take account of the various types of batteries your gadgets have and write down on your to-do list to pick-up all the spares you need for backups to them devices... little devices that play a big role in our RVing lifestyle.

[boondocking]

Good reminder!
That is something that I think the majority of us never think about.

[northstar1960]

Originally Posted by metalsideup

Just a friendly reminder to gather up all your battery powered gadgets & devices tomorrow and give their battery compartment a quick visit eyeball check. My TV remote is only a year old yet it quit working today. A simple battery change, so I thought, but it turns out one of the batteries started leaking. That leaking substance is corrosive, and can lead to a destroyed device in short order. I subsequently did a check on my other gadgets and found 2 other leaking batteries inside a flashlight and a walkie-talkie I keep in my glove box. Just thought I'd pass on some advice to add "checking on the batteries on our "little-er" gadgets that we take for granted" on the list of routine maintenance.
And at the sake of sounding redundant, it's also a good time to take account of the various types of batteries your gadgets have and write down on your to-do list to pick-up all the spares you need for backups to them devices... little devices that play a big role in our RVing lifestyle.

I change my batteries when ever the items quit working . i walk over to the battery drawer pull out the correct ones
close the battery drawer then replace the old ones which i toss in the trash can

[f5moab]

Originally Posted by northstar1960

I change my batteries when ever the items quit working . i walk over to the battery drawer pull out the correct ones
close the battery drawer then replace the old ones which i toss in the trash can

Except for the smoke and CO2 detectors, that is exactly what I do, and cannot remember the last time I have had a battery leak. But I only use Duracell, Energizer or Ray-O-Vac batteries

[northstar1960]

Originally Posted by f5moab

Except for the smoke and CO2 detectors, that is exactly what I do, and cannot remember the last time I have had a battery leak. But I only use Duracell, Energizer or Ray-O-Vac batteries

X2 on the smoke alarms. they always go bad at 3am

[edcronin01]

I remove all the batteries when I'm not using the RV, don't mix old batteries with new ones and don't mix different brands in the same device. That can cause them to leak.

[brewjaz]

Thanks for the head's up. I only take my batteries out of my devices at the end of the season.

However, I take ALL my gadgets with batteries out of the RV EVERY time we unpack after each camping trip. My camper is stored outside in the heat--which is hard on the batteries. (and yes, sometimes I miss one!).

[pmsherman]

Carbon zinc batteries leak acid that eats away the metal contacts of the battery case. Alkaline cells, when they leak, make a mess but rarely destroy the battery contacts.

If an alkaline cell leaks into the battery compartment, scrape away all of the white stuff you can with a toothpick then press a paper towel that's wet with vinegar into the area. If you listen carefully, you'll hear the vinegar reacting with the alkaline deposits left. When the crackling noise stops, wipe everything down with a water dampened towel and your battery box should be good to go again.

Phil

[wildwoodtraveler]

Please remember to recycle your old batteries and don't throw them in the trash to end up in a landfill somewhere where they can leak toxic chemicals into the ground and water supply. ♻️

[Delco Bobby]

Originally Posted by f5moab

Except for the smoke and CO2 detectors, that is exactly what I do, and cannot remember the last time I have had a battery leak. But I only use Duracell, Energizer or Ray-O-Vac batteries

They all leak eventually, from experience.

[vasnipe]

Originally Posted by pmsherman

Carbon zinc batteries leak acid that eats away the metal contacts of the battery case. Alkaline cells, when they leak, make a mess but rarely destroy the battery contacts.

If an alkaline cell leaks into the battery compartment, scrape away all of the white stuff you can with a toothpick then press a paper towel that's wet with vinegar into the area. If you listen carefully, you'll hear the vinegar reacting with the alkaline deposits left. When the crackling noise stops, wipe everything down with a water dampened towel and your battery box should be good to go again.

Phil

Good idea on the vinegar.
I used rubbing alcohol on a walkie talkie along with toothpicks and a pencil eraser on the terminals and saved the unit.
Lesson learned.

Chris in Virginia