What's the best way to store alkaline batteries for longivity?

Seeing as how a battery is made up of a controlled chemical reaction, it seems storing batteries on the shelf may not be the best way to keep them fresh.

I have been keeping them in the fridge, but was wondering if keeping alkalines in the freezer would be the best since the cold would slow down the chemical reaction even more. Does this theory hold water?

Cold-storing batteries is a dubious practice at best; you're looking at maybe a low-single-digit percentage difference in self-discharge over a room temp stored cell, which doesn't take into account cells damaged from condensation. Alkalines aren't a good choice for long term storage anyway, for that look to primary lithiums. And definitely don't freeze them, alkalines start to get iffy as the temp drops below freezing.

The best way to store alkalines is to keep them on the peg in the store!!:devil::nana: Seriously though, I just keep them in a cool place and use them as quickly as I can. I do not use them in my lights for the most part, but I have a bunch I keep in a plastic container in a cool place and they seem to do fine.

My advice is unless you catch them on sale don't store more than 6 months use of alkaline batteries away and rotate your stock constantly as alkaline batteries can leak even before the expiration date IN THE PACKAGE. If you are finding you are storing alkaline for more than a year and they were not a bargain purchase you may consider investing on other battery types. I recommend if you store batteries without using for more than 2-3 years consider lithium primaries instead as they can store safely for a lot longer time even though they cost 2-3 times as much they store 3-5 times as long worry free.

Buy them, keep them in their original packaging, store them in a cool and dark place. Though tossing them in the fridge is overkill. Not ideal, but that's the best way ... for alkies.

That's interesting. I had heard the freezer was the best with the fridge second best. That's why I asked. I guess I will take them out of the freezer. I wonder if anyone has done any real studies to determine what the best way really is? I have never had any problems such as swelling from being in the freezer. No water inside to freeze.

davesc said:

That's interesting. I had heard the freezer was the best with the fridge second best. That's why I asked. I guess I will take them out of the freezer. I wonder if anyone has done any real studies to determine what the best way really is? I have never had any problems such as swelling from being in the freezer. No water inside to freeze.

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The fridge/freezer just slows down self discharge of batteries and alkalines already discharge slow enough if kept cool (comfortable temps for us to live in) such that if you need for them to keep that extra long you are wanting them to last over 5 years in storage which IMO is not ideal for alkalines anyway.

Well, that settles it. I will take them out of the fridge and put them in the canned goods closet. That leaves more space for cold BEER.

davesc said:

Well, that settles it. I will take them out of the fridge and put them in the canned goods closet. That leaves more space for cold BEER.

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And also when you do use them in humid weather out of the package they don't sweat from being cold and get water in your devices.

But perhaps the most important thing with alkaline batteries is to NOT STORE THEM IN ANY KIND OF DEVICE! That's how stuff is ruined by them. If you need to have something like a flashlight available for emergency use, lithium primaries or LSD NiMH are both FAR better ways to go. Lithium primaries in particular are more expensive than alkaline batteries. But if those alkaline batteries leak and destroy whatever they're in, then they're no bargain.

Yeah, I've had that happen more than once. The alkalines would leak and swell. I had to take a metal screw twisted in to pull them out of one of my Mag lights a few years ago. Funny thing, even though leaking, they still would light up the light. I'm more careful, now.

davesc said:

Yeah, I've had that happen more than once. The alkalines would leak and swell. I had to take a metal screw twisted in to pull them out of one of my Mag lights a few years ago. Funny thing, even though leaking, they still would light up the light. I'm more careful, now.

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Consider yourself lucky. I actually found a Mag a few weeks back that I lost YEARS ago with alkaline batteries in it. ALL THREE of the batteries had leaked, swollen, and seized HARD into the tube. There was no way to extract them - they literally had to be torn apart in the tube. But the BIG problem is that the top battery is inaccessible. I'm not sure it will EVER come out.

Sadly, sometimes, it's best to toss a light that has experienced something like that.