Battery leaked badly on brand new flashlight!

sakurazaka · Mar 20, 2013

I just put in some Energizer batteries on a brand new Jetbeam BA20 that I received yesterday. Tested it for awhile and then store it for a couple of hours. During the night I opened the flashlight to have a thorough look and noted that one of the battery was practically sizzling inside and oozing with acid! I did what i could but the damage is as you see below. The flashlight still works but it pains me to see the extent of damage on something new.

I tried the baking soda method but it didn't do a thing. Should I leave it as it is? It shouldn't have any bearing on its lifespan right since it's still working? Or do you think it's possible that I could claim a new flashlight from Energizer?

Random Dan · Mar 20, 2013

Alkaleaks?

jabe1 · Mar 20, 2013

Baking soda is also alkaline, you need to use a vinegar solution to neutralize it.

reppans · Mar 20, 2013

Curious what the story is behind the batteries... were they new or a mismatched used pair. To get a leak that bad, and that quickly, it almost sounds like the light was either shorting the batteries at rest, or light was left on. Then the weaker cell went into reverse charge and then blew.

Shooter21 · Mar 20, 2013

Every flashlight should come with a warning not to leave alks inside while not in use.

Frijid · Mar 20, 2013

reppans said:
Curious what the story is behind the batteries... were they new or a mismatched used pair. To get a leak that bad, and that quickly, it almost sounds like the light was either shorting the batteries at rest, or light was left on. Then the weaker cell went into reverse charge and then blew.

my thought was a short

HotWire · Mar 20, 2013

I had a similar problem with a beard trimmer. I used a brush dipped in calcium remover (CLR) and then wiped the parts I could not rinse. "Clean as a whistle!" Alkaline batteries are known for leaking. Try eneloops (rechargeable).

sakurazaka · Mar 20, 2013

Tried some white vinegar but it didn't worked. Well it was the same brand and type of batteries so I'm not sure what happened there. Batteries is about 1-2 years old since store bought but was unused until yesterday and the expiry date is in 2016. Will definitely use lithium or rechargeable batteries from now on. I never had an Energizer leaked before so I guess there's a first time for everything.

May try some commercial calcium remover but is it safe to use on the flashlight itself?

LEDAdd1ct · Mar 21, 2013

Shooter21 said:
Every flashlight should come with a warning not to leave alks inside while not in use.

Every flashlight should come with a warning not to use alkalines!

jorn · Mar 21, 2013

Every alkaleak should come with a warning: not for use in high drain flashlights

MatthewSB · Mar 21, 2013

OP - sucks that that happened. I learned my lesson with a $2 flashlight so it wasn't a big deal when it was ruined by the batteries leaking. They were good batteries, and it wasn't loaded wrong or left on, they just blew for whatever reason.

jorn said:
Every alkaleak should come with a warning: not for use in high drain flashlights

Or how about "Not for use in anything you don't want to ruin"

I pay the extra for lithiums in everything I care about (flashlights, gaming computer mouse, etc.).

joelbnyc · Mar 21, 2013

Wow bummer.

So NiMh and lithium ion cells don't have this problem?

Do they make non-alkaline aaaa's? I saw an old post mentioning nimh aaaa's but no links

Edit, found these, primary NiMH? They say it replaces an 8 cell Li-Ion laptop battery though, so it must be rechargeable... I wonder if they are sold as individual cells, or wrapped 8pks, if it replaces an 8 cell...

AAAA-300NMWT, Gold Peak, NiMh, AAAA, 1.2 Volt, 300 mAh, Tabs, 1 Pk
http://www.batterygiant.com/Product/AAAA-300NMWT

This is actually version with tabs, so I would think this would work in a klarus mix5...

fresh eddie fresh · Mar 21, 2013

I used to have about a dozen MiniMaglites and every one of them got ruined by leaking Duracells (ironically the ones that came with them in most cases.)

JohnnyBravo · Mar 21, 2013

I'd contact Energizer and supply photos too. I had an issue w/ a new light that I bought from them. And they mailed a check to me to get a new one. Didn't even have to send photos or the bad product back, WOW! PS. I no longer use alkalines in my lights. Just Eneloop AAs...

sakurazaka said:
I just put in some Energizer batteries on a brand new Jetbeam BA20 that I received yesterday. Tested it for awhile and then store it for a couple of hours. During the night I opened the flashlight to have a thorough look and noted that one of the battery was practically sizzling inside and oozing with acid! I did what i could but the damage is as you see below. The flashlight still works but it pains me to see the extent of damage on something new.

I tried the baking soda method but it didn't do a thing. Should I leave it as it is? It shouldn't have any bearing on its lifespan right since it's still working? Or do you think it's possible that I could claim a new flashlight from Energizer?

TIMEBNDIT · Mar 21, 2013

new ignorant guy here, what is the best choice for battery if one does not want rechargeable?

ragweed · Mar 21, 2013

I use the carbon zinc batterys & if they do leak they are much easier to clean with baking soda. I do not leave them in the light for extended periods though. I find they are less prone to leakage than the alkalines.

fresh eddie fresh · Mar 21, 2013

I use Energizer Ultimate Lithium AAs.

roadkill1109 · Mar 21, 2013

time and time again...do not use alkalines on flashlights esp those that get stored over long periods of time! well, lesson learned the hard way.

if you must use primary, use ultimate lithium AA's or go Eneloops.

Patriot · Mar 21, 2013

TIMEBNDIT said:
new ignorant guy here, what is the best choice for battery if one does not want rechargeable?

Energize L91 Lithium AAs.

nathan225 · Mar 21, 2013

I feel your pain I had a preon 2 that I was using alkaline and one day it did not work and when I opened it the battery was leaking all over the tail cap area and I tried to get it cleaned up but have never been able to get it going again . so now I always pay the extra money for the lithium batteries .

Battery leaked badly on brand new flashlight!

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