Arc AAA disaster...

[Shaney Jon]

I was looking through my car survival kit the other day and to my utter horror I found that the battery in my Arc AAA premium had started leaking all sorts of goodies all over the inside of the light.

I gave it a good wiping and popped in a few different batteries and no light was to be seen. Anyone have this happen? and if so were you able to resurrect the light?

I am hoping its fixable because this was my first real light purchase like 5 or 6 years ago. before the surefires and weaponlights and all that other jazz.


as always thanks for you time.






I love that damn little light.

 

[Shaney Jon]

ARC aaa meltdown

Hi all,
I just pulled my ARC AAA out of my car kit and found battery juices all over the inside and the light is not functioning. I wiped it down and tried a few other batteries with no luck.

Am I pretty much screwed or is there a solution for this problem. Thanks as always for your time.

 

[Size15's]

Please do not start more than one thread on the same topic.
It wastes bandwidth and clutters the forums (which is why it is against our rules)

 

[Shaney Jon]

Sorry browser crashed and I didn't know first thread had posted.

 

[Owen]

Clean the contacts. You might have to remove the foam doughnut around the positive contact to get it good.
I've had a couple of CR123 batteries leak in lights, and plenty of alkalines in stuff from lights, remotes, and other electronics that were all fine after a cleaning.

 

[Haz]

That's bad, did you use alkaline batteries in them?, in future it's better to use Lithium in them, especially keeping the light unused for long period in the car. Alternatively keep the battery outside the light and hold them in a zip lock bag together!.

 

[greenLED]

:welcome: Shany

No biggie, just clean the contacts. Check the Arc forum section for more information - there's several threads on this topic there.

 

[Crenshaw]

given its chemkoted, it should clean up fine.

do post back on how it goes.

Crenshaw

 

[Braddah_Bill]

Alternatively keep the battery outside the light and hold them in a zip lock bag together!.

^^^^That is the best tip. ^^^^ :twothumbs

In my truck I have 2 lights with batteries and 2 that are kept empty, the batteries for those are in the original packaging. The same goes for in the house, most of my lights are empty till I need them.

 

[LED Cool]

the battery liquid may have solidify at the bottom of the tube. thus preventing the negative voltage from reaching the lip of the tube.

if you have a DMM, check the voltage at the battery positive button and the lip of the tube. if no voltage, use a sharp tweezer to scrape those white powder off the bottom of the tube until you see bare aluminium.

khoo

 

[sparkysko]

Can try cleaning it with vinegar also to neutralize the goo. If the crud sat in there a long time, it could have eaten off copper traces. Could always bridge them with solder I guess.

 

[paulr]

Maybe a mod can move this thread to the Arc forum, where Peter (of Arcflashlight.com) is more likely to see it and respond. Simplest approach may be to send the light to Arc.

 

[fyrstormer]

CAIG DeOxIt + a Q-Tip = a clean negative terminal.

 

[RAGE CAGE]

CAIG DeOxIt + a Q-Tip = a clean negative terminal.

+1 for the DeOxit contact cleaner (Radiosh*ck.com).

 

[Gransee]

This is the most common reason people send their lights in for service. Even though battery corrosion is not a manufacturer defect, we can take a look at it, clean it and/or replace parts if necessary for no charge. Our address is:

MTD LLC
Service
3101 N. 33rd Ave
Phoenix, AZ. 85017

In our faq we recommend a battery be stored outside the light for long periods or replaced every 6 mos if used in the light. AAA models made after 2005 have a SS rivet and are a little easier to clean of battery gunk.

One of the number one things I tell people is to replace their battery every 6 months. No reason to have a 30 cent cell take out a $50 light.

peter

 

[Archie Cruz]

It's an unfortunate and nearly unstoppable predicament. When I have no work to do I'll put out an Innocentive Challenge to solve it (in batteries). Otherwise, Peter's advice should be taught to all school kids so that their adult experiences with batteries in lights is event-less. I check all 10 of my flashlights every three months to air them out and replace batteries. I learned a hard lesson some years ago with Lithium AA's (first generation). so I NEVER keep any lithiums other than in my one edc for longer than a week at a time in dry/warm weather and I've very leery of winter storage.:shakehead

This is the most common reason people send their lights in for service. Even though battery corrosion is not a manufacturer defect, we can take a look at it, clean it and/or replace parts if necessary for no charge. Our address is:

MTD LLC
Service
3101 N. 33rd Ave
Phoenix, AZ. 85017

In our faq we recommend a battery be stored outside the light for long periods or replaced every 6 mos if used in the light. AAA models made after 2005 have a SS rivet and are a little easier to clean of battery gunk.

One of the number one things I tell people is to replace their battery every 6 months. No reason to have a 30 cent cell take out a $50 light.

peter

 

[fyrstormer]

I just take turns fiddling with my flashlights so they get opened and closed several times a week.

 

[Haz]

No reason to have a 30 cent cell take out a $50 light.

peter

This reminds me of my friend who has this luxury car that he washes and polishes every weekend. His radiator corroded and started leaking. I thought it was strange because i have a car much older than his and I never even bother washing or cleaning the car. I then asked him what coolant he has been using... to my surprise he said he's been using water from his garden hose for a few years!!!.. I was shocked!, he said he was using water because he wanted to save some money and didn't think there would be any different to coolant!.

 

[Shaney Jon]

Thank you for all the responses. I will try the above tips and if doesn't work I will send the light in if it doesn't start working.


I will be sure to leave the batteries out of it in the future for extended periods of storage.

 

[fyrstormer]

To a certain extent I think it's the luck of the draw, but I think also some people don't always make sure their flashlight is turned OFF far enough -- since it is a twisty switch, and the distance traveled by the head when unscrewed a fraction of a turn can be measured in the tenths of a millimeter, heat expansion becomes a factor. I have more than once turned one of my twisties off on a cold day and then put it in my pocket, only to wonder a while later why my leg is warm -- lo and behold, the battery had expanded enough (or the casing had expanded enough, depending on design) to make just enough contact to run the LED at a very low level, sometimes low enough that I could look straight at the die with no discomfort. One time I even completely drained a CR123 by not unscrewing the head of the light enough, and then leaving it in a hot car. Over enough time, that can drain the battery completely, and then it will start leaking -- especially if it's a cheap battery.

I only use lithium AAs and AAAs now, partly because of their power capacity and partly because I've never seen one leak. Doesn't mean they can't, but it's a lot less likely.