Parasitic Drain question in certain LED lights

Just a quick question, I tend to leave my AA Ultimate Lithium batteries inside my light but I heard there is a risk of Parasitic Drain.
Will this cause damage to the light or will only just drain power from the batteries?

itsonlyme said:

Just a quick question, I tend to leave my AA Ultimate Lithium batteries inside my light but I heard there is a risk of Parasitic Drain.
Will this cause damage to the light or will only just drain power from the batteries?

Click to expand...

Flashlights with electronic switches on them have to have some current flowing through the switch so when they're pressed, they activate the light.

Some lights have more parasitic drain and some have less (20 years to deplete a cell.)

Since you don't list your light, I can't say. What you can do is unscrew the head of the light, or the tail and cut that 'flow' off so that the light cannot turn on with the switch.

You can store the battery in a light and not damage the light, but why waste your batteries if you don't have to?

Just tighten the head/tailcap when you need to use it and you're 'in like Flynn.'

Chris

Mechanical clicky and twisty lights have no parasitic drain - their circuits are fully broken. There are a few exceptions, but as a general rule, most tail clickies are mechanical and most side switches are electronic.

There should be no reason for an electronic switch to "wear out" from being energized - remote controls seem to last forever. That said, just anecdotally from my small sample/collection, most of my flashlight "issues" happen be with my electronic clicky lights .

The Sure Fire 6p touts the "lock out" feature which is just a thing where you twist the tail cap about 3/4 of a turn and it won't turn on.

Now I will say some of my lights have to be twisted until the cap is really wobbly and not far from coming off.
My Streamlight Scorpion for example doesn't lock out at all..until the head is loosened to a point where a half turn further the head comes off.

But like said before..parasitic drain is very mimimal.
According to the Subwoofer review of the Coast HP7R for example it would take 8 years to deplete the cells.

If it's a light you have set aside for lights out situations maybe a non-electronic light would be in order...like a Mag Solitaire or a purely mechanical 1 setting type that is cheap and will put out enough light to get you what you need.
If it's one you store for use as a non emergency light removing a battery would ensure the parasitic drain is not an issue.

My oldest son's emergency edc is a bic lighter.
He says "dad, unless it's windy that thing puts out enough light to find my lights"...

As the drain on most lights is hardly anything imo it should be no concern,just bang another battery in if needed simples really.

I use a flashlight every day and all but two of my lights have the ability to either 'lock out' or have no 'parasitic drain'. The two lights that do have a parasitic drain one is in every day use and the other is in stand-by with batteries at the ready but not in the light. This is really a minor problem for me; I know which of lights need for me to compensate in how they are used.

I have the Streamlight Sidewinder. Is this prone to having parasitic drain?
Please don't make responses too technical.
I just want to know if I store the batteries in the light will my light be damaged?

My lights with electronic switches vary widely in parasitic drain. From as low as 2 uA, to as high as 60 uA. It's not much of a concern, even at the high end. It would take about 5 years to drain a lithium battery at 60 uA of current. Still, I'd loosen the tail cap to cut off all current, just to be sure.

Generally, anything less than 20 uA (which is the vast majority of lights), I wouldn't even bother loosening the tail cap.

Please bare with me, I am not electronically inclined :mecry:

Anyways, I am in the market for a different light.

But in the mean time, I would like to just know if I can keep the AA Lithium batteries in the light without damage to the light itself?

And many thanks to all for your support.

In a word....
Yes!

Sorry about all the technical jargon before.
We get excited easily.

itsonlyme said:

Please bare with me, I am not electronically inclined :mecry:

Anyways, I am in the market for a different light.

But in the mean time, I would like to just know if I can keep the AA Lithium batteries in the light without damage to the light itself?

And many thanks to all for your support.

Click to expand...

Subwoofer reviewed the Sidewinder HERE, and although it is an electronic clicky, his sample's parasitic drain was extremely low.

Being a soft click button, there is parasitic drain to be considered as the internal circuit is kept powered. The Sidewinder has an unprecedented 0.2 μA (yes, zero point 2 micro amps). This is the lowest I have ever come across, and would take 1140 years to drain the two eneloops!

Click to expand...

Just keep you cells in the light and don't worry about it.

Old thread I know but we picked up some of those 3C leds from costco and the parasitic drains seems pretty substantial. Light is dead after a few months of sitting around, all batteries dead. This has happened with more then one light.