a leak on any nimh cell will come from the + end.
methinks a past alkaleak did the damage.
they leak from the -.
Leaking Eneloops
- Thread starter louie
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methinks a past alkaleak did the damage.
they leak from the -.
not kidding...
clean up device contact points, clean up battery contact points, charge, and get on with it.
that is all...
radellaf
Flashlight Enthusiast
The C01 came back and I bought a bunch. Looks like the official Sofirn store is out of the warm white but another vendor has them (haven't checked the new rules or I'd post a link). Cleaning it? I'd try a few solvents and some pressure (paper towel on a stick?) first before abrasives (emery paper on a stick?).
The C01S is wonderful for what it is but I love the Arc AAA nostalgia. They also now have a C01S that always starts on LOW, which does make it a better bedside light. The high is really high. I've killed an Eneloop Pro AAA in one of those in probably less than 30 cycles. It got almost too hot to hold each time (at least 40C for the outside of the light).
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Never had any NiMH leak except when I had a job doing prequalification tests for UL certification. Really abused some Sanyo HR-3U-2500 and nothing much happened until you hit 50C (pop) or 60-70C (ooze or hiss and spatter black liquid). The 50C tests seemed to indicate they had a re-sealing vent (pop,pop,pop if you kept going) so I suppose they'd most likely leak if the charger was too enthusiastic and the vent didn't re-seal properly.
I do have a pair of AAA where one has a rusty ring around the positive nubbin. I'm pretty sure, given what it was in, that a bit of water got in and it's really just rust. I still use it, performance is about the same as other 2008 Eneloop AAAs.
The weirdest should-be-dead NiMH I have are a 1200mAh AA Eneloop that has a pretty high internal resistance but is reliably running a mouse, and a 2200+ mAh Pro that still delivers full capacity but basically has to be C/20 charged. An Opus C700 is what I usually use and it reduces from the 400mAh default down to 60-80mA. Eventually it terminates, not sure on what, and the cell is full. I either run a mouse or a LED candle with it. All my other NiMH that died either got high self discharge or just wouldn't take a charge any more. Those two are oddballs.
The + end of things is nice and clean. Unless it did leak underneath the insulator and down inside the wrapper.
Alka? No. The eneloop was the first and only battery put in this thing. I would think that the liquid in the battery compartment would have dried up at least a couple months back if it was from anything other than the eneloop.
Dave_H
Flashlight Enthusiast
Not specific to Eneloops or any other brand, I have seen white crystalization around the vent holes on AA's; generally on older cells which have been sitting around idle. These cells may have vented at one time, or seal otherwise damaged, allowing them to leak. Fortunately, no damage in the small number of devices I've seen it in. This is the end of these cells, off to recycle.
As mentioned earlier, older cells with higher IR are kept for garden lighting, small low-drain devices, etc. charged on a slow charger which doesn't complain and start flashing. I've collected a small box of these. Most are odd mismatched capacity, brand, and condition anyway so might be lucky to "match" two or three at most. That they don't hold up too long is no great concern.
Dave
As mentioned earlier, older cells with higher IR are kept for garden lighting, small low-drain devices, etc. charged on a slow charger which doesn't complain and start flashing. I've collected a small box of these. Most are odd mismatched capacity, brand, and condition anyway so might be lucky to "match" two or three at most. That they don't hold up too long is no great concern.
Dave
radellaf
Flashlight Enthusiast
There's definitely only a vent on the positive end. I've had electrolyte get stuck under the label of a (alk) battery and come out the other end from whence it originated but it doesn't _look_ like that in the photos.
Schermann
Newly Enlightened
- Joined
- Aug 23, 2012
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Have you considered the possibility that they are counterfeit knockoffs?
radellaf
Flashlight Enthusiast
That's my thought. Only time I got a rust-ring on the positive paper washer it was most likely some water. If it was an electrolyte leak... it'd be white or green, I'd think. Potassum...and nickel compound? I only had Chem101 and google isn't helping.
radellaf
Flashlight Enthusiast
Yeah you're just not going to get an appreciable liquid leak out of a small, starved electrolyte, rolled electrode kind of cell. Even under severe abuse, very little comes out.
Out of curiosity I looked further into why an alkaline leak can be green. The white powder from alkalines or NiMH is (KOH electroyte + CO2 = potassum carbonate crystals). Green seems like it must be Copper(II) hydroxide from the combination of water, electricity, and copper battery contacts. Not enough water from any NiMH mini-leak for me to have ever seen green. Rust would be even stranger. I'm gonna go with water.
Out of curiosity I looked further into why an alkaline leak can be green. The white powder from alkalines or NiMH is (KOH electroyte + CO2 = potassum carbonate crystals). Green seems like it must be Copper(II) hydroxide from the combination of water, electricity, and copper battery contacts. Not enough water from any NiMH mini-leak for me to have ever seen green. Rust would be even stranger. I'm gonna go with water.
