Battery leakage...but light ready to use?

[ikendu]

From reading posts and actual experience, it seems like batteries tend to leak from depletion. Also, it seems that sitting in a device, the batteries interact with one another even if the device is off.

Recent example: FRS radio with 4 AAAs left in a drawer off but after a year, one battery leaked.

Seems like I can't ever remember a battery leaking just sitting by itself in a drawer.

So... if I'm using an Infinity in my glove box that I want to be ready to use just by picking it up and giving it a twist, will that protect me from leakage since when it is off, the battery is just sitting there, unengaged, just as though it was sitting in a drawer? Is this a unique value of a single cell flashlight of a twist-on design?

 

[Wingerr]

The FRS radio probably still draws some miniscule amount of current even when off, because they have electronic on/off switching, so it's a slightly different situation than the Infinity, where off is OFF.
The alkaline battery in the Infinity may suffer from heat stroke in the glove box, depending on where you are, so for that kind of duty, you might be best off getting one of the Lithium batteries, since they can better take the hot/cold.

 

[Willmore]

Sometimes rigs like that have a 'tap' off of the battery pack and, thereby, use a subset of the pack to power the 'standby' features of the radio--wait for someone to press the 'on' button, for example.

My old HP48S is that way. One of the cells is used for memory backup and they all power the calc when on. it always seems to die first.

Oh, and alkaline cells do age--especially if they're pretty well discharged already.

Follow the old advice and remove the cells if you're not going to use the device for >3 months. A good application of that is to take the cells out of everything when you move. Label them if you feel like it and pack them seperately (say, in a big plastic bag). Tape the ends so they don't short together. This is also helpful for when you unpack. "Hmm, I have cells leftover, I wonder what I'm missing? Oh, it says 'TV remote', crud!"

 

[Saaby]

Purchase some Rayovac batteries, the 24 packs from Lowes are perfect, and they come in reusable plastic packaging. Perfect!

 

[carbonsparky]

I have found some of those FRS radios will drain good batteries down in just a few months. I try to remove them when ever I am not planning on using them in the next day or so. In your glove box It is best to use a lithium powered flashlight. Lithium batteries have very good heat tolerance and long self life.

 

[Empath]

Moved to our Battery Forum. Follow it here.