Group Actions
Engagement
  • Author Author: shabaz
  • Date Created: Date Created
  • Views 2438 views
  • Likes 0 likes
  • Comments 17 comments
Related
Recommended

Leaking Alkaline Cells

shabaz

I just opened up a (semi) expensive bit of equipment and discovered the Duracells inside had leaked with the typical

white powder (potassium hydroxide) : (  and corroded contacts in the battery compartment as the result.

These ones were dated 'best before' March 2024, and had been inserted for less than a couple of months (and had just average use

during this time).

 

I was wondering what experiences others have had, and if they have successfully brought product liability charges against the manufacturer.

In the UK, a manufacturer can be held responsible for their faulty product, and any damage to property or to people (pure economic loss is not covered -

i.e. down time, loss of earnings, etc). However I expect in most cases the manufacturer just settles before a claim is raised in court.

 

I believe it is well known that Duracell batteries leak (something they don't mention in their bunny commercials) - so I always try to purchase Energizer or

other brands, but sometimes stores only have the Duracell option for alkaline cells : (

 

image

Parents

  • Hi Shabaz,

    I just had to come to the defense of the "Energizer" Bunny. As far as cleaning the crusty areas by the springs I usually use a wire brush to get in and breakup the crystals. In my more important equipment I use the Duracell but I have no real justification for this. I am interested if there is truth to your supposition that they are prone to leak more than the Energizers. I could change brands without a glance back. For my less critical equipment I usually buy 2 alkaline for a dollar from the Dollar Store.

    John

  • in reply to jw0752

    Hi John,

     

    I'm wondering if I should try to examine one of the cells in more detail (perhaps destructively) to see if I can come any closer to determining if it is genuine or not.

    The Duracell customer support person didn't say I needed to keep hold of the cells, but since I have two I don't see why I shouldn't take one apart if needed.

    The trouble is, I do not know what to look out for to identify a genuine or a fake Duracell : (

    Duracell do not seem in any way inclined to want to run any analysis on the cell.

     

    There is the possibility that more fake Duracells are out there than fake Energizers I suppose. But in that case if it is so hard to spot the difference

    between fake and genuine, perhaps Energizer is the safer choice : ( I don't know.

     

    For the nephews motorized toys, I use very cheap store-brand alkaline cells from the local Maplin store (it is like a Radio Shack) - they appear to last a very reasonable time.

  • in reply to shabaz

    The discharge of the internals may not be due to running flat.

    They could have overheated and then discharged.

     

    The white deposit often cleans off with hot water ... (obviously depending on how well you can isolate the battery compartment)

    You will need to neutralise the acid that is contained in the white deposit .... baking soda is always in the cupboard.

     

    I haven't really seen any issues here, but then most of my batteries over the years have been cheap sourced or nicads.

     

    Mark

  • in reply to shabaz

    Hi Shabaz,

    I like your idea to check one out internally. I am going to dissect one here in my shop and I will post the autopsy pictures. You can do the same and we will see how consistently they are manufactured across the globe.

    John

  • in reply to mcb1

    Hi Mark!

     

    They were installed in a receiver spec'd at 110mA nominal, so low risk of overheating. That would be an interesting experiment though, discharging Duracells through a low resistance for some time and then leave them and see what happens after a few months.

  • in reply to jw0752

    Hi John,

     

    Excellent, that will be interesting to do!

    First part of the autopsy will be to take photos of the battery as-is, and then photos after cleaned up of the white powder, and then I'll try to peel off the label to see the metalwork quality.

    Then, should we slice it into some cylinders, or axially or first try to unplug the end?

    I'm not sure what is safest, but I will wear gloves and glasses and perform the operation outdoors in case things get hot or worse.

    I saw this video on battery construction: https://youtu.be/ksxSOwA933M

    but not found any literature on what precautions to consider when opening up an alkaline cell - a lot of the dissection information out there only refers to zinc carbon.

Comment
  • in reply to jw0752

    Hi John,

     

    Excellent, that will be interesting to do!

    First part of the autopsy will be to take photos of the battery as-is, and then photos after cleaned up of the white powder, and then I'll try to peel off the label to see the metalwork quality.

    Then, should we slice it into some cylinders, or axially or first try to unplug the end?

    I'm not sure what is safest, but I will wear gloves and glasses and perform the operation outdoors in case things get hot or worse.

    I saw this video on battery construction: https://youtu.be/ksxSOwA933M

    but not found any literature on what precautions to consider when opening up an alkaline cell - a lot of the dissection information out there only refers to zinc carbon.

Children
  • in reply to shabaz

    Hi Shabaz,

    I have performed a battery autopsy. The first recommendation is to make sure the battery is fairly dead. It would be difficult to separate the Anode from the Cathode without shorting the two together. The subject battery was dated 2011 and had leaked. It was marked as Made in USA and did not look suspicious with respect to being a knockoff. I am quite sure it is genuine Duracell. The case is the Cathode unlike older Zinc - Carbon type batteries I took apart as a kid. Here is the original picture.

     

    image

    I peeled back the label and separated the Anode cap from the Anode. It was spot welded in two places at 180 degrees. Below the cap I could see 3 small vent holes in the metal.

     

    image

    Battery with label removed.

    image

    The anode cover cap has been removed.

     

    image

    After using a diagonal cutter to peal the edge, this is where the anode and cathode get shorted together and where things will get hot if the battery isn't already dead, I removed the "Nail" that collects the negative charges. The "Nail" in this battery was 1.4mm in diameter and I measured 31.62 mm from the end of the Nail to the front of the Anode where I had removed the cover piece, shown in the foreground of the picture. To take it apart further looked messy and probably not very productive so I will stop at this point. There were no identifying internal marks that I could see that would help determine whether the battery was indeed genuine or not. Perhaps the dimensions of the Nail will be an indicator but then again they may have changed this with successive production runs and upgrades.

     

    Battery Coroner John - Signing Off

  • in reply to jw0752

    Nice pics.

     

    I can see how you would need to be careful ....