Removing Alkaline Battery Fluids and Corrosion

Baking soda.

Do a search for acid neutralizers.

The OP did say 'alkaline' battery. Which acids were you thinking of that might be leaking from an alkaline battery?

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Baking soda probably wouldn't do much harm though.

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Wiping away any built up potassium carbonate and then treating any remaining fluid with weak vinegar solution would probably do a reasonable job of neutralizing surfaces.

oops.

Vinegar.

Lemon juice.

I haven't found water to do much for the sticky fluid that leaks from Alkaline Batteries. I think this is because the fluid is generally not very water soluble. I will try vinegar on the next problem child. Thank you for the suggestion.

The blue-colored corrosion is very hard to remove with mechanical methods although scraping will work OK but that is very hard to do with springs and other elements that are somewhat shrouded by their mountings.

The problem with alkaline batteries is that even in matched sets, they still fail and sometimes fairly quickly. I always remove the batteries from my really expensive equipment when it is in storage. But a flashlight, for example, seems to give the batteries a dark quiet place where they can quietly fail and ruin the flashlight.

What I found with at least one battery manufacturer is they will not replace the devices their batteries have destroyed. Maybe a flashlight or so but not the more expensive devices.

The bottom line seems to be that Alkalines are OK if you are going to rapidly use them up but other battery technologies are better for long-term use even if they need frequent charging, etc. Non-rechargable Lithium cells may be a better choice for long-term storage devices that must be instantly ready to work.

I suspect the blue corrosion may be copper carbonate.

If it is, it is not soluble in water (as you noted), but is soluble in acetic acid....AKA vinegar.

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After cleaning things with vinegar, it would be a good idea to rinse with DI water. \

After drying, applying some dielectric grease, or just Vaseline can help to prevent/lessen future corrosion/mess from leaking batteries.

Try Borax. You will be left with a rusty surface which you will also need to seal to prevent further corrosion.

I worked in electronics repair for a few years & leaked batteries were a common issue. We used Methylated Spirits (Denatured Alcohol?). Use the liquid & try to physically remove corrosion with toothbrush (use your wife's not your own!), or a fine brass wire brush.

Thanks for the hints.

I tried alcohol and I tried vinegar with some results in removing the blue-green corrosion.

So I tried a bit stronger chemical batch, Alcohol-based MetalPrep which is a mild acid in alcohol that is used to convert rust on car bodies to a paintable surface.

In all cases, by rubbing with an acid brush, some of the blue-green disappeared but much of it is on 'tight' enough to even resist mild attempts to remove it mechanically

I'll try soaking the bits in MetalPrep tomorrow to see what happens.

I've had to do this so many times I've lost count. I use simple windex and a small brush. It has never hurt any of the components and clears the crusty deposits and goo from the leaky batteries. Recently I aquired a "ruined" optical rpm counter that was packed with dried battery leakage and had been left for a very long time. In 10 minutes, the windex had softened and removed all of it and with some resurfacing of contact surfaces and some VERY careful brushing between some very fine connective wiring it was working perfectly.

Your main problem lies in using Alkaline/Primary batteries in the first place. Forgetting them is the second problem. Then the cleaning problems, that some others here have given good tips for.....

Simply stop buying them, except for emergencies.

Use rechargeable batteries and a good charger that charges each cell individually. Have enough batteries for using when traveling, 2 complete sets at least. You will actually save money in the long run as if looked after, you should get between 500 and 1000 recharges from each battery/set..

Buy all the batteries needed on the same day, from the same make/type/delivery and the same shop if possible, mark sets so that they stay together. Buy a few extras in case any fail early. Do not ever charge the spares until the day you need to replace a failed cell. Keep them in a cool place...

Complete sets can be of different charges or makes (but not mixed in a set itself)....

Buy quality cells with a high capacity.

For example, AA cells should have a minimum of 2400ma rating, which is the current "sweet spot" here anyway, for the best price/capacity.

Higher capacity ones are available, at least to 2850ma, that I just found from Annsman, 2900ma from another company.....see here:-

2900 ma High capacity AA NIMH rechargeable

Alkaline Batteries, good ones, have a bout 2000ma capacity. See here:-

Technical Reference Batteries

So the rechargeable ones will not only save you money in the long run, but will also last longer per use.

When recharged with a good quality charger the charge will be properly equalized and you should get close to 1000 recharges per set.

When charging, the batteries should only get slightly warm, not hot. If they get too hot, they lose water/chemicals and get a shortened life.

Over heated batteries is a sure sign of a poor quality charger.....

Good chargers need not be expensive, mine cost around US$20 and does not get the batteries warm, but it is not a particularly fast charger.

Fast chargers can be a problem with overheating. Mine takes over an hour for 6 x AA cells from empty, each in its own slot, which is not slow either....you will also notice that each cell takes a different, even if only slightly different, time to charge to full.

A good charger will have both a temp sensor and a fast charger a small fan for cooling.

A good charger uses 12 volts, and has a S.M.P.S. 12 Volt "Wall Wart" for the mains (110-240 VAC) and a 12 volt lead for in the car charging.....

Really good chargers can also use 24 volts from a truck.

If buying a 12 volt "Wall Wart" separately to the charger, get one with twice the output current that the charger ever needs, it will last longer.

It would be nice if each battery powered unit that you own had a small bit of electronics on/in it to tell you just before the individual cells get down to 1 volt. That's the point at which the set should be recharged, when the first battery reaches 1 volt......

Don't try to get too much out of a set of rechargeable batteries, it damages them. Not running them completely empty will increase their working life.

Modern batteries do not have a memory problem anymore, but a good charger corrects that anyway.....

Use other battery types only in an emergency situation.....

I hope this helps.