How to avoid alkaline battery leakage?

[Questor]

I needed to change the batteries in my 15 year old MagLite flashlight this morning. The screw cap for the battery compartment was seized and I had to put the flashlight in a vise and use channel lock pliers to remove the cap. Inside, there was corrosion. The batteries were seized into the barrel of the light.

Do you happen to know how to prevent this sort of thing?

[mirage1988]

Buy good batteries, I use energizers or duracells and never have had a problem.

[Brett]

Don't leave them in your flashlight for 15 years. 

Seriously, I Change batteries in my flashlights or walky-talkies at least once a year even if they are not dead.   Try to avoid leaving them in hot, humid environments... I know not easy if you like to keep a flashlight in your trunk or glove box.   

[Graybeard]

When ya put them in pay attention to the date code. Get them rascals out of there by that date code. Do not ever leave it on and let the batteries run down and stay in the flashlight after being run down.

Do those two things and you will "most of the time" avoid it. Still there is no absolutely certain way except to change them annually regardless of use.

[powderman]

Buy good batteries, I use energizers or duracells and never have had a problem.

YEP. Only ones I've had leak in many years were store brands. POWDERMAN. 

[cwlongshot]

I did the EXACT SAME THING!!  Burned my arse to loose a good lite like that too...

I replaced it with cheapie Surfire jobbers, NICE lite, and MUCH smaller!!!



cw

[Questor]

This was the first case where I had problems with alkaline batteries. They were Duracells (my favorite brand), and the batteries were within their date spec. I use the flashlight pretty regularly. Although it's my emergency flashlight, I also read in bed with it, so they are never in there more than a year or two.

Must be a fluke.

I replaced it with a similar Maglight, but the LED version instead. This is a great flashlight, so long as it is as durable as the old one. Maglight's approach to LED power is a little different than others. They use one big LED. Otherwise it works just like their tungsten lamped flashlights.

That old Maglight was one of my favorite tools.

[Screwbolts]

Did you send the old light back to duracel with the batteries still in it, don't they have a replacement guaranty if there batteries ruin something?

[Glanceblamm]

I did the exact same thing just yesterday morning but there was not any corrosion involved from a leaking battery.

The Mag light, mini-mag actually had been exposed to Cold\Warm for a season too long this year and the threads had expanded or galled locking the end cap in place.

I have seen this happen time after time with the threaded cap of a junction box that was in place to feed exterior lighting in an industrial plant but had never had it happen to my flashlight which was 7 yrs old.

[Brett]

Put a little Vaseline on the threads after you get it cleaned up and you shouldn't have that problem again.

[ShadowMover]

Put a little Vaseline on the threads after you get it cleaned up and you shouldn't have that problem again.

That's a great suggestion. Avoid silicone lubricants, as you may forget they are there, and when you handle the thing they may get on your fingers and then into your eyes. Vaseline or any petroleum jelly works well on automotive battery posts too. I keep a special small jar of it in the shop for goobering up the connections on my travel trailer battery and auto batteries. After you clean the terminals and make a connection, just spread a blob around with a popsicle stick or a gloved finger. Make sure you get some on the steel parts of the clamp. It will melt and spread itself around. I have never had one corrode after applying vaseline.

As an electronics hobbyist I have often come across old electronics that have had batteries left in them, and it is a big problem  to repair them more often than not.  Even stainless steel and  other 'non-corroding' items seem very vulnerable to dry cell juice, and very tough to clean. If you have any valued electronics not used on a regular basis, take the batteries out and keep them in a plastic zip lock bag near the item.  If you can't do that, at least store the item so the critical parts are above the battery and the juice will run away from the electronic parts when a leak occurs.