OT (disposable) battery replacement schedule - partialy shop related

Greetings all

I am interested in finding out what others do with respect to changing out disposable batteries (AAA thru D cell). In the past decade or so I seem to have aquired a lot of battery powered (or battery back up) devices - everything from a digital scale, numerous multimeters, remotes, flashlights, clocks, freon tester .... In the past half year I have found corroded batteries in a couple of devices that had not been used for several months - in the digital non-contact tach the corrosion was so severe that I had to fab and solder in a new spring to serve as a battery terminal. I realize that I could remove batteries after use but that might wear out the battery access cover (I already have a few that are taped shut). On some infrequently used devices I hang a tag on the outside with the latest battery check date. On even less frequently used devices I remove the batteries. I have thought of making a spreadsheet but this seems overkill and a drain on precious shop time ( 'course washing out battery corrosion is a drain on my time also) and I think that the spreadsheet would be obsolete over time - my shop is miles from home and any battery checks or updates done there might not get updated in the spreadsheet at home.

So, how do you cope with batteries?

Reply to
aribert
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I keep fresh batteries in the closet. When things quit operating , I check the battery voltage and install fresh batteries as needed. The spent batteries go in a drawer and get taken to the recycling center when I happen to think of it.

I try to not buy things that use batteries, especially those things that are not used much.

Dan

Reply to
dcaster

  1. On installation I write the month and year on every battery.
  2. Check all devices once a year.
  3. Never mix new & used batteries.
  4. Never use chinese batteries. I've never had a problem with Duracell copper tops leaking even 5 years after installation. Art
Reply to
Artemus

The main use I have is bicycle lights. For that, I just throw them out every 3-4 months and put new ones in. They will still appear to work fine for 1-2 weeks after they start leaking, so I can't use the light's brightness as any indicator.

I prefer alkalines if I can choose, as they usually aren't as destructive as a leaky acid battery is. Acid leaks = eats holes in stuff and corrodes metal. Alkaline makes a mess but usually doesn't ruin much.

For alkaline leaks, you remove the batteries and then dip the electronic-whatever in vinegar for 60 secs or so, then rinse it with distilled water and let it dry before using it again.

Reply to
DougC

I don't know if you have Rite-Aid(r) in your area, but I once found some store-brand alkalines for way cheaper than the copper-top ones (admittedly, they were on special), and they outlasted the CT ones by almost 50 percent!

Cheers! Rich

Reply to
Rich Grise

A few years ago, a member of the HP200LX listserv did a test for longevity of name brand alkaline AA batteries for use in that palmtop. As a control, he also bought Walgreens brand AA batteries. He found the service life of the Walgreens AA slightly better and overall they were considerably cheaper when bought on the very frequent 2 for 1 sales.

David

Reply to
David R. Birch

Well if you use gmail you could use the google calendar to schedule repeating battery check dates for individual devices. Do it once for each device and the calendar can send you an email and/or text every however many days you specify. Karl

Reply to
kfvorwerk

4) is not always as clear as you think. Most of the name-brands made and sold in the US are also made in China as well. You often get this if you buy a device that has batteries included--they mostly look like the usual, but say made in China instead of made in USA. And they tend to not last very long as well.

I can understand their reluctance to sending cargo containers of batteries on what amounts to a round-trip, but I'd prefer they not include the cheap ones at all.

...

Occasionally the big bargain packs sold at Costco or Sam's are imported too.

Reply to
DougC

At the time, I was using my flashlight a lot, and it was just a sort of feeling, one day, I was noticing that they seemed to last longer than the other ones, and they were cheaper anyway.

In other words, I didn't do a strictly controlled life test, they just didn't go dead as sppn as the others.

Cheers! Rich

Reply to
Rich Grise

snipped-for-privacy@c3net.net wrote in rec.crafts.metalworking on Fri, 3 Jun 2011 13:07:01 -0700 (PDT):

Use alkaline in low drain devices. Use NiMH in high drain devices.

Recharge the NiMH with a good quality charger that charges each cell independently. Avoid the chargers that charge in less than one hour.

Reply to
dan

Thanks for the responses. I understand the desire to not have battery powered devices - especially if they are not used far from a power source. A number of my devices were auction purchase and I buy what is available based on bid price and desire to have. I also have used Walgreens batteries almost exclusively the past few years, buying them when they offer a combination of a sale price + 2 for one.

Art: Since you mentioned Duracell - my 0-10 lb digital scale uses 2 D- cells. I checked the batteries last weekend when I used the scale as part of recharging my P/U A/C. The battery voltage was still at 1.48 and 1.51. I typically replace 1.5v batteries at about 1.35v. The "expiration date" on them was 2004!

So far I have considered to replace all batteries yearly or some other calender interval but I am frugal and do not want to discard a significant quantity of value still left in most of the batteries - some of these might last half a decade or more. I think that for very infrequent use items (that are typically out of sight, that I'll remove the batteries and that for most items I'll hang a tag or put a lable on the outside of all battery powered devices to record the last battery change. FOr stuff that is used fairly frequently, it is sometimes obvious when batteries are low and other times not. The setback thermostat in the house kept right on working while the batteries began to leak (don't remember seeing a low batt indicator).

Reply to
aribert

Just a quick note based on my experience last week. Change the AA batteries in the thermostat every year. The thermostats use a latching relay to turn the fan/heater/aircon on and off. Twice now I've had a thermostat turn on the function and not have enough battery power to turn it back off. I came home last Friday and the house was 86 degrees and the heater was still running. Replacing the thermostat batteries and cycling it fixed the problem. The batteries had been in the unit long enough to start leaking.

Reply to
Jim Stewart

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