Stupid Question: Are 123 or AA batteries ruined or compromised after submersion?

If batteries ... 123, AA, Lithium AA ... are exposed to water or submerged for a short time, are they ruined - or is there any danger in running them after drying?

None of my batteries got wet, but I was just curious regarding emergency preparedness and that was all you got around.

Thanks!

The 123s have a gas vent. Not sure how water tight that is. AAs seem to be fine, provided that they did not short dead.

When I was younger I put some cell, though I don't recall if it was a 9V or a C battery into the tub, and left it for a few hours. The stuff inside (acid?) does leak out after some time, or at least it did with those.

I dropped a pair of Pila 300P's in the toilet by accident, with #1 in the water.:green: After I washed it with soap and water and let it dry for a week, it works perfectly fine. I'm not sure if the insides are corroded/damaged, but everything seems to be in perfect working order.

Pilas are mighty tough cells, I must say.

I can't speak for CR123's, never tried it. I probably won't, unless it's on accident.

Dudemar

Alright, I might be the one here, but isn't fresh water conductive unless it is deionized? In turn wouldn't this mean the battery would short right away? Or am I missing something and I can take my 18650's with me in the shower next time lol

I don't mean to hijack the thread, but it's interesting you mentioned that. After I let my 300P's dry for a week, they retained enough of a charge to light up a LF EO-9! Amazing!

Dudemar

I know that someone tested some new Li cells underwater for cooling, however I am pretty sure it was deionized which would elimanate the chance of a short. Also interesting to note, the seal on a lithium battery is VERY watertight. It has to be, as otherwise the water vapor (even smaller than liquid water) would get into the cells over time and kill them (while also creating a time bomb...)

So I can shower with Li-ion batteries? lol

123A cells have a vent seal, as stated above, but also that when crimped the top vent holes contain a pocket of air....unless the air was forced out by some sort of an angled concussion, I see no reason for that pocket of air to be flooded or the compromise of a plastic seal

AA cells, if contacted by water, should be dried out as soon as possible....I don't know about these coppertops, but for early energizers generations, some Carbon zincs and 9V cells, rust has been observed on the contact areas

if its salt water we're talking about, all bets are off...even if the cell survives, the contacts may cause intermittent contact.

Thanks for clearing that up Illum

So that is why the light in the ?G2? abuse thread still ran, even after the lens cracked and water got inside?

So if you drop a 18650 in a toilet, take in the shower, etc... you should be fine as long as you make sure no water gets in the vent area?

Srry if it's annoying answering potentially some of the same things... but I'm just making sure I have this right, as Li-ions are nothing to kid around with

what about Energizer Lithium AA's (L91) ?


Can they stand to get wet ?


Dunked & submerged ?

_

Early GAT lights had the CR123 exposed completley to the elements, and were proven ok underwater.

Bill

Thanks for mentioning that Bullzeyebill, I always wondered about that part of the GAT light!

Dudemar

D-Dog said:

Alright, I might be the one here, but isn't fresh water conductive unless it is deionized? In turn wouldn't this mean the battery would short right away? Or am I missing something and I can take my 18650's with me in the shower next time lol

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This is what a safety instructor told me. Fresh water is not conductive enough to cause any problem. An old trick of WD 40 salesman is to spray a corded drill with WD40 and dip it into a bucket of tap water, and shows it still working underwater. But what people don't know is the drill will work perfectly fine underwater even without WD40 contrary to popular belief.

I don't knoow how valid is it. He claim he did the dip a running drill into water many times before, but I ain't gona try that no matter what he says.

dudemar said:

I dropped a pair of Pila 300P's in the toilet by accident, with #1 in the water.:green: After I washed it with soap and water and let it dry for a week, it works perfectly fine. I'm not sure if the insides are corroded/damaged, but everything seems to be in perfect working order.

Pilas are mighty tough cells, I must say.

I can't speak for CR123's, never tried it. I probably won't, unless it's on accident.

Dudemar

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Ewww that is so nasty

Considering the price of Pila's I would have rescued them from #2.

Bill

I've had the privilege of making the mistake of leaving my plastic lined EDC cells in a shirt pocket, machine wash cold, rinse, final spin...oops forgot to add softener, no worries, 2nd rinse, second final spin.. tumble dry in this mess it transferred itself into a sock....and escaped detection by mom and returned into my room.

the plastic bags torn up pretty good, and the cells were wet, left it out to dry, last I remember I exhausted that set of cells in my A2 sometime ago, no change in performance

D-Dog said:

Alright, I might be the one here, but isn't fresh water conductive unless it is deionized? In turn wouldn't this mean the battery would short right away? Or am I missing something and I can take my 18650's with me in the shower next time lol

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DI water is not necessarily less conductive than normal tap water, which is to say not very. Your light will not short out even if submerged. Try dropping a running flashlight into a tub of water. It will continue to run. This has been experimentally proven by my daughter and our toilet. At the voltages encountered in a normal LED or incan light current through the water is very small. Distilled water IS less conductive than tap.

The envelope of a hot incan may shatter due to the sudden temperature change, but nothing will go up in a fireball.

MikeLip said:

Try dropping a running flashlight into a tub of water. It will continue to run. This has been experimentally proven by my daughter and our toilet.

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Note to self, don't by lights from mikelip.

jzmtl said:

Note to self, don't by lights from mikelip.

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She is 17 now, and although I wonder sometimes (often) if she's really any more sensible than she was when she was 4, she hasn't dropped anything in the toilet for a LONG time!