BATTERY LEAKAGE....HEEEELP!!

big beam

Enlightened
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Jan 14, 2006
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521
Location
upstate ny
I have one of FM's beautiful 4/5A mag 85's and one of the sanyo batteries leaked.I remember something from science class about dilute...dilute....dilute when it comes to acids is it the same for NI-MH batteries?
DON:thinking:
 
The electrolyte in NiMH is KOH, a strong alkali. I imagine vinegar would be good for neutralizing, then yeah, "rinse liberally". Followed maybe by some DeOxIt
 
If rechargeable cells aren't necessary, lithium AAs won't cause corrosion. Besides, they almost never leak. Do your final rinse with water to neutralize any acid used to neutralize the alkaline. I'd just use water; at this point the alkali is probably already reduced from the reaction with aluminum.
 
It's worth mentioning the general rescue strategy for any electronic item (keyboard?) that gets an unexpected dunking (coffee, juice, sea, etc.). Immediately remove any source of power to the equipment (main batteries, backup memory batteries, etc.) and then wash thoroughly and copiously with deionized water (not tap water). If DI water is not available (e.g. at the beach), start with fresh clean water and follow with DI water as soon after as possible. Don't be scared to completely dunk and vigorously swill, several times. Following this, leave the item to dry completely. Preferably in a warm room for about a week, allowing the air to circulate around it.

After it is dry, reapply power and see if it works. If it does, you have rescued it. If not, well, nothing more was lost than the original damage. Buy a replacement and put it down to experience.

(Note: digital cameras are probably beyond such a simple rescue strategy. To repair those, they would need complete disassembly by an expert technician and each part individually cleaned before reassembly. And even then some parts may be damaged and need replacement.)
 
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