Alkaline battery leakage and lithium usage poll

I was challenged in a thread on my personal observation regarding the experienced leakage of alkaline batteries I have observed. I decided I would ask everyone in the forum what their opinion and experience of alkaline leakage is. I have also included the alternative most CPFers have gone to in place of alkalines for primary cells.

I am going to limit the poll to AAA/AA/C/D because those are the batteries I hear most commonly people are trying to figure out how to convert to lithium for reasons of which one is..... leakage of alkalines.

The first set of questions is about alkalines ONLY. not lithiums...


Alkalines only.... NO carbon zinc, heavy duty, odd brands you are unsure of either.

I have had approx. 5 alks leak.

Nearly ruined a 3C Mag, a 3C SL Twin Task and a Pelican Mitylite AAA.

MOST of the trouble came in lights exposed to more heat than others.

But the SL 3C was indoors in a climate controlled situation.

NO alkalines in my truck!

One light, a SL 3C XP actually got a wee bit brighter with 3 LIth AA than it did with 3C Alk. Also it can sit there ignored with NO chance of it getting ruined.

I've had 3 ever active d cells leak in a 3d m@g once. I got most of it cleaned out,sanded the corrosion down, and then sprayed some jb80 or pb blaster in there and continued using it with fresh duracells. But I think the light got dropped contributing to the leakage.

I am very firmly in this catagory.....

"I am trying to get completely away from using alkalines"

In fact, I just recently ordered quite a few Nimh batteries. I have Eneloops at the moment for me, and after some digging around for a few days on the forum to find some 'approved' batteries, I decided on GP Recyko LSD cells to replace all alkalines. I wanted something different to the Eneloops. They're for me, Recyko for the household. I have maybe 30 or so Alkalines left, so I will pack them away, or give them away, but one way or another, I'm not using them anymore after the Recyko cells arrive.

This is not so much because of alkaline leaking, although it has happened a couple of times, but more because of battery performance.

Totally off topic, but I'm going to take this opportunity to thank Silverfox. I went through so many threads over a few days, and it really brought it home to me how much effort he has put in and what a great contribution the data has made to the forum.

There should be another poll option:

"I am ok with using alkalines for low draw devices where lithiums do not last long"

EDIT: The only alkaline battery I've had leak in the last 5 years was an Energizer AAA cell.

Black Rose said:

There should be another poll option:

"I am ok with using alkalines for low draw devices where lithiums do not last long"

EDIT: The only alkaline battery I've had leak in the last 5 years was an Energizer AAA cell.

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Yeah.... I know the poll is far from perfect.... the first time I tried the forum crashed while I was making the poll and I lost it. They only allow 10 items in a poll and I started at 4..... lol

oh and you can choose several items in the same category. I was most interested in the leakage part as myself I seem to figure about 1 of 100 of my alkalikes have leaked on me.

I haven't used more than 1000 alkaline batteries in my whole life -- disposable batteries are too expensive to buy in that kind of quantity. But I have never seen a leaking 1.5 V cell that I can remember. I only remember one instance of a leaking 9 V battery where I left it in a multimeter for years and forgot about it.

Lynx_Arc said:

I was challenged in a thread on my personal observation regarding the experienced leakage of alkaline batteries I have observed. I decided I would ask everyone in the forum what their opinion and experience of alkaline leakage is. I have also included the alternative most CPFers have gone to in place of alkalines for primary cells.

Click to expand...

Let me first state that i was I was the person in the other thread referred to in Lynx_Arc's OP.

I don't mean to come across as confrontational, but here's the thing about anecdotal evidence; it's not a statistically accurate way of looking at the problem of alkaline cell leakage. Try thinking about it this way: if 1 in 100 alkaline cells leaked, how could Duracell, Energizer, and Rayovac possibly offer a guarantee to repair or replace any device damaged by leaking cells? They'd all go out of business!

Some people on CPF have a pretty good idea of what I do for a living and why that gives me an insight on this topic. I'll simply leave it at that.

Voted.
About 1 in 100 for me and I'm okay in using them. I find they leak sometimes if left in some device even if the batteries are not flat. I have an old 4D cell mag that had a leaking cell wedge tight in it. I got it out, but the flashlight still had a strong beam as if the batteries were new.

I use a lot of LSD Ni-Mh cells now. I still use a lot of alkalines in many devices though. I always buy RayoVacs or generic ones. There seems to be no advantage to buying the big name ones.

Voted. I can't resist this, as I have junked a heap of Mag products, and cleaned up most of a bevy of others, lights and non-lights, from alkaline battery leakage. 1 in 100 for me, although it seems more like 1 in 40, if that were an option. I've had them leak when very dead, hardly used, still new in the package before expiration (multiple times), Eveready, Duracell, Rayovac, AAA, AA, C, D, 9V, almost always stored indoor at reasonable ambient temperatures.

That's from personal experience, but I also keep an eye on a bunch of battery recycling buckets at work, so I see a cross section of literally hundreds of peoples discards. The quantity of leaked batteries in these seems consistent with the 1 in 40 to 100 batteries range as well.

MorePower said:

Try thinking about it this way: if 1 in 100 alkaline cells leaked, how could Duracell, Energizer, and Rayovac possibly offer a guarantee to repair or replace any device damaged by leaking cells? They'd all go out of business!.

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I have absolutely no problem understanding why this can be. The VAST majority of people experiencing leaks don't know about the guarantee. Then, many of those who do are able to recover the device, which is less trouble than invoking the guarantee. Finally, most of the remainder know about it but are not willing to go through the hassle of getting the details and doing the work to send in the device and just scrap it. Until my last Maglite (a BRAND new 2C with <1month old ROV cells), I was in that last group. BTW, ROV sent me a nice check that covered my light and shipping, and a new set of cells. Another of those C cells leaked in the package unused, also - it was a 12-pack.

At least for AA and AAA, I am using NiMH in anything that matters much to me. The new 2C mag has LSD NiMH's in it, too. I love Li_Ion's too, but the cost of disposable lithiums keeps me away from them for most uses.

I think it may be pertinent to point out that those who use alkaline batteries in MP3 players, digital cameras and such, probably see less leaking of cells. If you buy a set on Monday and use them up by the next Monday, the leak rate observed is likely to be much less. It's when they are left in devices for some time, that the leak rate increases substantially.

As for the poll, I voted 1 in 100, however I'd say 1 in 25 to 1 in 50 would be more accurate, in my experience.

There are three reasons I no longer use alkalines. Number one, is their pathetic performance under all but very light current draw (eg. less than 100mA). Energizer's own pdf for their E2/X91 alkaline, demonstrates the shortcomings of one of the best alkaline technologies. At a 1A draw, most any modern lithium, or nickel based rechargeable battery will outperform them. If you look at the E91, they don't even spec use above 500mA. Quite a few of today's single AA lights draw upwards of 2000mA's at maxiumum output, not to mention devices like digital cameras. Go figure.

Number two, and a close rival to number one, is leakage. It only takes an alkaline cell leaking once, in a $100 flashlight, $500 camera, or some other device, to cause one to rethink their usage.

Other things I've considered, rechargeable nickel based cells are cheaper to use. Lithium cells, as the L91, may cost more, but even in low drain situations, they seem to last longer in my applications. Considering numbers one and two, the piece of mind is worth it anyway. Also I'm not a super "green person", but why not help the enviroment, when you can acheive better performance and reliability?

In summary, probably more than you wanted to hear, but I'm about 99.44% alkaline free.

Dave

When I've installed alkaline cells in something used it, even infrequently, the cells would be flat and replaced long before they got a chance to leak. Its generally recommended that you remove cells from anything that isn't going to be used for a while (e.g. for months / years), the only time I've had leakage is when I've not followed that advice, by the time I've found the leaking cells, whatever had them inside is long out of regular use. Over the sorts of long periods of time that it takes alkaline cells to leak I've had as many NiCd cells leak.

I use rechargeables on a cost basis, disposable cells get expensive if you're a heavy user.

Hello Andy,

While I understand what the manufacturing testing indicates, I have to admit that it seems that I am seeing higher leakage rates than what you indicated. I wonder if there is something going on with shipping and storage prior to purchase that is adversely effecting the cells.

In the past two years, I have had 5 alkaline cell leak. One was a D cell dated 2009, 2 were AA cells dated 2011, and I just found another 2 in my ZTS tester that were dated 2015.

I have not used anywhere near a half a million cells, so I am interested in why there seems to be such a difference between the test results and the actual users experience. Any ideas on this?

I usually go through 100 - 150 alkaline cells a year.

Tom

SilverFox said:

Hello Andy,

While I understand what the manufacturing testing indicates, I have to admit that it seems that I am seeing higher leakage rates than what you indicated. I wonder if there is something going on with shipping and storage prior to purchase that is adversely effecting the cells.

In the past two years, I have had 5 alkaline cell leak. One was a D cell dated 2009, 2 were AA cells dated 2011, and I just found another 2 in my ZTS tester that were dated 2015.

I have not used anywhere near a half a million cells, so I am interested in why there seems to be such a difference between the test results and the actual users experience. Any ideas on this?
I usually go through 100 - 150 alkaline cells a year.

Tom

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Hi Tom,

I believe industry standard practice is to label cells with a "use by" date 8 years beyond the manufacturing date. Your leaking 2009 D cell would be ~7 years old, which for an alkaline cell is definitely getting up there in age.

As far as test results vs user results, most testing is focused on undischarged leakage and partially discharged leakage, under a variety of temperature and humidity conditions. Users typically experience overdischaged leakage. An overdischarge condition is much harsher on an alkaline cell than a partial discharge condition. In an overdischarged cell anodes and cathodes expand, free volume of the cell goes down, gaskets deform, excess gas is produced, and then the cells vent and leak. That's why manufacturers state that cells should be removed when they no longer power a device.

Physical abuse can hasten leakage as well, so any time you drop that flashlight, remote, kid's toy, etc, any alkaline cell it contains is more likely to leak.

MorePower said:

Hi Tom,

I believe industry standard practice is to label cells with a "use by" date 8 years beyond the manufacturing date. Your leaking 2009 D cell would be ~7 years old, which for an alkaline cell is definitely getting up there in age.

As far as test results vs user results, most testing is focused on undischarged leakage and partially discharged leakage, under a variety of temperature and humidity conditions. Users typically experience overdischaged leakage. An overdischarge condition is much harsher on an alkaline cell than a partial discharge condition. In an overdischarged cell anodes and cathodes expand, free volume of the cell goes down, gaskets deform, excess gas is produced, and then the cells vent and leak. That's why manufacturers state that cells should be removed when they no longer power a device.

Physical abuse can hasten leakage as well, so any time you drop that flashlight, remote, kid's toy, etc, any alkaline cell it contains is more likely to leak.

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I think you have, without realizing it, added to the reasons some folks are steering away from alkaline cells. The reason for Lynx's poll, is to find out how many people have had alkaline cells leak, and how they view alternatives. You have provided some prerequisites, and certain parameters under which they will leak. Well, it appears they, in fact, do.

It's unlikely that the average battery user is never going to over discharge, drop, or otherwise abuse a battery at sometime or another. This poll is a real world observation, not a laboratory controlled test. In my experience, alkaline cells are inferior to other chemistry options for the reasons I stated above, and to some extent, those you brought up as well.

Don't get me wrong, MorePower, I read and respect your posts on these forums, and appreciate your input. I think in this case however, possibly you're looking at the theoretical world, as opposed to the real world.

Dave

I'd say probably 1 in 10 alkalines have leaked with me. The problem has gotten so bad I'm basically phasing out alkalines altogether in favor of Eneloops. When a device with alkaline cells dies, the cells get replaced with Eneloops. Alkalines at one time offered the alleged advantage of low self-discharge compared to rechargeables. I say alleged because this advantage disappears when they leak. With today's LSD rechargeables, this advantage, which was their only real advantage, disappears. I really see no point to using alkalines any more.

I won't even touch lithium primaries. It really runs against my grain to buy a disposable battery which costs as much as a decent rechargeable. Maybe if they were $0.25 in bulk I'd consider them for a few niche applications, but at $10 for a 4-pack forget it.

I still use alkalines especially considering lithiums are not readily available in D or C cell size but for most expensive devices that use AA or AAA I use lithiums or maybe rechargables.I have far fewer problems with alkaline leakage on devices only used indoors than those that are left in the car or garage.It seems that alkalines exposed to freezing temperatures are almost guaranteed to leak.I have resorted to AA to D adapters and lithium AAs in my Mag 2Ds that I keep in the cars.Any D cells are stored seperately.

45/70 said:

I think you have, without realizing it, added to the reasons some folks are steering away from alkaline cells. The reason for Lynx's poll, is to find out how many people have had alkaline cells leak, and how they view alternatives. You have provided some prerequisites, and certain parameters under which they will leak. Well, it appears they, in fact, do.

It's unlikely that the average battery user is never going to over discharge, drop, or otherwise abuse a battery at sometime or another. This poll is a real world observation, not a laboratory controlled test. In my experience, alkaline cells are inferior to other chemistry options for the reasons I stated above, and to some extent, those you brought up as well.

Don't get me wrong, MorePower, I read and respect your posts on these forums, and appreciate your input. I think in this case however, possibly you're looking at the theoretical world, as opposed to the real world.

Dave

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I thought the purpose of Lynx_Arc's poll was to show me that I'm wrong about the rate of alkaline leakage?

Yes, alkaline cells can leak. Yes, certain conditions make them more prone to leak. On the other hand, people exaggerate how often they leak. People tend to remember when bad things happen (a leaking cell) compared to the number of times everything was fine (non-leaking cell). As I stated before, 1 in 10 cells leaking would, quite seriously, put alkaline battery manufacturers out of business.

Regarding real world vs theory, perhaps I'm a bit more careful in my personal use of alkaline cells than the average consumer. I've had 1 alkaline cell leak over the past 20 or so years, and it was a no-name Chinese cell in a clock. Clocks are notorious for overdischarging cells. I'm not at all surprised that the combination of poor manufacturing and the device in question led to a leaking cell.

In more recent times, maybe I haven't had any alkaline cells leak because I replace them as soon as they're dead. After all, when you can grab a few AA cells out of a box of 500, why wait to change them out?

I have had MANY alkaline batteries leak. AAA, AA, C, D, and 9V. Energizer, Duracell, Rayovac, and many generic brands. Ruined several radios, flashlights, RC cars, digital multimeters, TV and stereo remote controls, and many more items. I hate alkaline batteries.
Sometimes, if I catch the leak early, I can repair the equipment. The most expensive loss due to leaky alkalines was a shortwave receiver. Totally ruined.My most recent loss was just last week. I went to use a 3C Pelican light. The beam looked a little weird cuz there was a puddle of goo on the inside of the lens that had come from the Energizer batteries I had put in the light a month ago. The light was salvageable except for the plasic lens which was etched from the goo.
If I have to use traditional 1.5V/cell batteries, I use Eneloops. I have not had one of those leak yet. Wherever possible, I have switched to rechargeable Lithium Ion cells.

Someone "challenged" you? LOL seems like a silly thing to wage war over. if you've been lucky, then you are OK with them. If you've been unlucky then you are going to seek out alternatives. All it takes is one leak in someones favorite light or electronics to taint their opinion.

I think I am averaging about 1 in 15-20. Definitely more than 1/100, but 1/10 seems excessive. I voted for 1/10 since thats closest.

I use alkalines as a last resort, but I make sure I monitor them. So I am not completely against them, but I would never recommend them to anyone.