Another One Lost to Dura-leaks

[ghostguy6]

Well it finally happened. I went to use my Acebeam M10 today and when I picked it up I noticed the tell tale white powdery build up near the pocket clip. I knew there was a Dura-leak in there, but I had put a fresh one in approximately 1 month ago during a power outage. One of the maintenance personnel from our building was my office when the lights went out. He commented on how his flashlight was downstairs in his work area. He is a nice guy so I let him borrow mine. Normally I keep a 14500 in the light but took it out and put in the AA alkaline because the light can get quite hot running on high with the 14500. Anyways I get to go home for the day and find the light on my desk the following morning. I return the light to my backpack forgetting to put the 14500 back into the light. Fast forward to today and the lights start flickering so I decide I want the light in my pocket rather than my backpack. Ok I admit I was planning a trip to the bathroom when the lights started to flicker. As we all know if I had not taken a light the power would have cut out completely.

What really surprised me was the leaking cell had eaten right through the battery tube of the light and in so little time. In one month after the install? The cell itself still measured in at 1.52 volts. I cant make out the expiry date on that particular cell due to the corrosion but the rest of the cells I believe are from the same package show a date of Dec 2029.

Now I think back to all that light has survived. It got sucked in to a snowblower and left outside until I found it 3 months later. I zip tied it to a caving helmet where it was bashed around and still worked but one cheap battery killed it. I was able to get the cell out and to its credit the light itself will still function but it has a 5mm x 2 mm hole in the side now.

Anyways I will upload the pictures for your viewing pleasure or displeasure.

 

[Monocrom]

That poor light. I'm so sorry. That battery must've leaked the day after you tossed it in there.

 

[ABTOMAT]

I've never seen one go that fast, that's wild. I have found a couple lights that were eaten through but they had OLD batteries in them. On the bright side Duracell will cover the light's cost and give you new batteries.

 

[Jean-Luc Descarte]

On the one hand, there are non-incidents such as the 2xAAA Minimag I gave away to be the emergency light of my workplace*, that's had the same Panasonic alkaleaks loaded for 5+ years with no sign of corrosion**. On the other, there are sights like these.

If I'm ever forced to put an alkaleak in a torch of mine, it's only gonna stay in the tube for however long I'm using the torch. Once it's off, out it goes. Alkaleak durability is a gamble, and I do not trust my rotten luck in the slightest.

*: because like hell I'm lending away any of my EDCs in a power outage
**: I check it constantly since it stays by my workstation, might as well

 

[Monocrom]

Forget No-Name alkalines from China, Duracells are worse than rotted out pipes in a historical home; when it comes to leaks.

 

[ghostguy6]

Just a bit of an update. I cleaned the light out with some vinegar last night and the hole is much bigger than I had previously thought. It actually measured out to 9.8mm x 3.1mm with my calipers once all the crud was removed. I have never seen a light corrode so fast from a leaking cell. I did put in a warranty request from Duracell but I wont hold my breath. There have been a few emails back and forth asking for things like to date code on the original packaging ( which I no longer have). The last one simply read " Does the light still work? " Yes but there is a massive hole in it now." I also went on about how it will no longer be safe to use since its IP rating is now IP00. We will see what they say and how long they will drag this out.

Normally I don't use alkalines in my devices unless its used every day where the cell will generally die before they leak. C and D sized cells are an exception just because I do not have any rechargeable's in that size yet. I never buy Duracell for my personal use. It's just the only brand beside the dollar store brand that is sold within walking distance of where I work so that what we have on hand.

 

[bluflaam777]

I have a 5D m@glite that's about 25yrs old. I had forgotten about after nearly 20yrs after putting it away in a bin without batts.
Came across it about a month ago and had new D cells still in the package in a drawer (dura-leaks) that still had 5 or 6 years on the date. (I don't have anything else that runs D cells)
Put them in and within a couple of weeks I needed the light to chase off a skunk from the backyard before the dogs tried to.

It turned on but flicked a bit when I moved the light around. Took a look inside and one of the batts had spoaded and leaked. The light still worked but the battery was obviously toast. I was able to get the batts out and cleaned up the body pretty easily.

I now have an LED upgrade on the way with rechargeable batteries so that I won't have to deal with this again.

Stupid durahellz

 

[SCEMan]

Whew. Thanks for this thread. Just to be safe, made me swap my AA Alkaline for a 14500 in my "resting" EagleTac D3.

 

[ghostguy6]

Another update, I just received an email saying they are sending me a cheque to cover the cost of the light. It is nice to know that Duracell did stand behind their warranty so I must give them credit for that. Amazon just happened to have a sale on the Acebeam TAC AA so I ordered one in grey. With the sale and the cheque on its way I should be ahead by $0.83 for my troubles.

I would like to know why the light corroded away so fast. Is the Duralock designation on this cell somehow mean it is a different and more acidic chemistry than the standard cells? If anyone has a theory on this I would love to hear it

With the C and D sized cell I have found it does help to coat the contacts with di-electric grease. I have never had one leak when in storage inside a light. Perhaps the corrosion starts due to oxidation? Im not even sure if the grease does anything or if its just dumb luck that I haven't had one leak.

I really need to buy some C and D sized rechargeable.

 

[bluflaam777]

Another update, I just received an email saying they are sending me a cheque to cover the cost of the light. It is nice to know that Duracell did stand behind their warranty so I must give them credit for that. Amazon just happened to have a sale on the Acebeam TAC AA so I ordered one in grey. With the sale and the cheque on its way I should be ahead by $0.83 for my troubles.

I would like to know why the light corroded away so fast. Is the Duralock designation on this cell somehow mean it is a different and more acidic chemistry than the standard cells? If anyone has a theory on this I would love to hear it

With the C and D sized cell I have found it does help to coat the contacts with di-electric grease. I have never had one leak when in storage inside a light. Perhaps the corrosion starts due to oxidation? Im not even sure if the grease does anything or if its just dumb luck that I haven't had one leak.

I really need to buy some C and D sized rechargeable.

It's good to hear they covered it. An option might be to use some pvc pipe as a sleeve for smaller rechargeables in C or D lights. Smidge more work, but cheaper. *measure twice, cut once LOL

 

[knucklegary]

I've never heard of Aluminum get eaten up that fast. Is the inside tube walls anodized?
Possibly, it's not Al and made from amalgam?
Can't hurt to lightly coat inside with dielectric grease. I like to take a tooth brush and sweep interior parts, springs, threads, o-rings, etc with Nyogel

 

[ghostguy6]

I've thought of that and done it in some C celled lights. The problem is it comes with a reduced capacity. When Im using a C or D light Im usually after the long run time.

The inside of the tube was anodized. Acebeam claims the light was made with 6061 aluminum. Acebeam seems to be a reputable manufacturer so I dont see them lying about that.

 

[aznsx]

I've never heard of Aluminum get eaten up that fast.

In the absence of further info / explanation which could account for that rate of deg, I have to seriously question the 'aluminum' that light is constructed from. 6061 is not a complete description of an alloy's constituents (which can vary by type and %), nor even more importantly, its processing [heat treat, age, anneal, etc.] (which is highly critical w/AL), nor of course its fundamental quality. There are many variables within the '6061' designation. It can be anything from aerospace grade, to landfill grade. As always, I remain open to any further possible explanation(s) beyond the aluminum itself.

@ghostguy6 : I'm sorry for your misfortune.

 

[PhotonWrangler]

Dang those pics are sad. I'm sorry that your light bit the dust.

 

[ghostguy6]

Well there may be some light at the end of the tunnel. I liberally applied some E 6000 glue to the hole and pocket clip to glue the clip over the hole. While its not pretty it might be possible to give this light a second chance. Once the glue cures I will give it a dunk test.

Im going to take a regular duracell and the one that leaked to see if the battery chemistry is different by letting them both leak on a piece of utility grade 6061. Maybe that might give me some information.

 

[BillBond]

That is why I quit using alkaline batteries many years ago.
I always laugh to myself when people say they can't afford Energizer lithiums, but they can afford to have their devices ruined ?

 

[MidnightDistortions]

That is why I quit using alkaline batteries many years ago.
I always laugh to myself when people say they can't afford Energizer lithiums, but they can afford to have their devices ruined ?

Yep, I had a alkaleak ruin a Maglite Solitaire. Killed the circuit board, so bad it swollen up in the light and drilling it out didn't help. It all disintegrated into the light. Don't know what battery it was the damage was so severe. Never seen it so bad that the battery crumpled up and by the time I got most of it out, it killed the emitter.

I have alkaleaks from buying lights or other devices that run AA or AAA. Alkaleaks will only go into cheap lights from Walmart and will only be in there when in use and won't use them in cylindrical tubes where it's a chore to remove the battery. Everything else will get Eneloops or other NIMH batteries. I got so many of them there's no reason to use alkaleaks anymore.

 

[snakebite]

Duralock technology ensures the tailcap will never come off again!

 

[Dave_H]

The ongoing message is, if you're going to use alkalines in flashlights of any expense, keep an eye on them, check regularly. Avoid where possible, alternatives exist.

I've had lots of small leaks with my free-alkaline-use-up activities but all in cheaper devices, and mostly I've managed to recover; if not it's no big loss. One was in a plastic 2AAA holder, connected to a $1 solar garden light.

Hot ambient often seems to hasten leakage especially with partly-discharged cells. Last week was +30C for several days and I noticed a few leaks more than otherwise expected.

Dave