Alkaline Batteries (I hate them)

[Deplorable Me]

Are alkaline batteries as useless as NY politicians? I check my emergency gear annually, rotate the batteries. Every last set of alkaline batteries was starting to leak. I buy only Duracell, Energizer, allegedly good named brand stuff.

I'm going to keep the alkaline batteries on the shelf and only install as needed.

For gear that needs to be ready to go, replacing with lithium Ion allegedly better batteries. Never seen any lithium ion batteries leak.

 

[MilesTeg]

I'm almost 100% converted over to rechargeable. But I haven't made the switch in my emergency gear yet. If I was to use them for emergency gear I would invest in a solar charger with its own battery storage.

 

[@thewheels]

So far, I've had good luck with the Costco brand alkaline batteries. No leaks and some are a couple years old.
Energizer and Duracell are hit or miss for me. I've had some leak in as little as 6 or 8 months. Others died after years of use intermittent use with no leaks.

 

[Darth]

I switched to NiMh years ago and never looked back.

 

[GOPerfect]

What's The Best Batteries For Preppers

 

[Podmonkey]

I use lithium primary (non rechargeable) cells.
The cost twice as much but last 3x as long. They are also much lighter and have a very long shelf life. The self discharge rate is among the lowest of all battery chemistries.

 

[Robin]

I use Duracell's around the house, keep them in plastic bags and never had a problem. I use in my game camera's, they last longer and aren't as affected by cold temps. But DAMN!!!!! They're expensive!!!!
Robin

 

[kev74]

I've had less battery leakage with the Harbor Freight alkaline batteries than I had with Duracell or Energizer.

I still use the name brand in the smoke detectors, but everything else gets the cheapies.

 

[Podmonkey]

I use Duracell's around the house, keep them in plastic bags and never had a problem. I use View attachment 41278 in my game camera's, they last longer and aren't as affected by cold temps. But DAMN!!!!! They're expensive!!!!
Robin

You will save money buying those over alkalines since they will need replacing much less often.
It depends on the application but lithium primaries will last 3 or more times as long as an alkaline battery ofnthe same type.

 

[Acer-m14]

alkaline batteries are liberals .. old school batts had carbon rod .. rip them out and now you can carbon arc weld

 

[Doc8404]

You will save money buying those over alkalines since they will need replacing much less often.
It depends on the application but lithium primaries will last 3 or more times as long as an alkaline battery ofnthe same type.

https://www.amazon.com/Energizer-Ultimate-Lithium-Batteries-Pack/dp/B071D87WPV

 

[Doc8404]

I’ve had pretty good luck with these standards

Amazon.com: AmazonBasics AA Performance Alkaline Batteries (48 Count) - Packaging May Vary: Health & Personal Care

 

[Bustedknees]

the good news is that smoke detectors must now come with a 10 year battery life..
the bad news is that the lithium battery's are the same ones that blow up phones and start fires on planes..

 

[Deplorable Me]

the good news is that smoke detectors must now come with a 10 year battery life..
the bad news is that the lithium battery's are the same ones that blow up phones and start fires on planes..

Good, we can put the in Andy's vibrator.

 

[CaseHardened]

Are alkaline batteries as useless as NY politicians? I check my emergency gear annually, rotate the batteries. Every last set of alkaline batteries was starting to leak. I buy only Duracell, Energizer, allegedly good named brand stuff.

I'm going to keep the alkaline batteries on the shelf and only install as needed.

For gear that needs to be ready to go, replacing with lithium Ion allegedly better batteries. Never seen any lithium ion batteries leak.

So true.

I stocked on some Alkalines a couple of years back.

I never even opened the package, but what a mess now.

And that's in a cool, dark basement !

 

[Marine Cpl]

I'm a cheapskate and buy Rayovac AA batteries in bulk and never had that problem.

 

[Uninformed and Compliant]

For daily use - NOT Prep store - If you are willing to front the cash, you can get Lipo batteries in a 9V, AA or AAA form. They'll run about $10 ea. They're good for several things, and probably less good for others.

These are not Lion. These are rechargable, the AA/AAA internally are the typical 3.7v of a Lipo, with an internal cutoff at 2.whatever, which is then stepped down to 1.5.
What that means? 1.5V at full current for the entire discharge cycle, then shutoff. And none of the trash behavior of NiCad or NiMH.

4 Energizer AAs will run my scope for about 30 minutes.
The 3000mah AA Lipos will run it for a bit over two hours; they'll run a LabRadar for an entire season.

They'll typically lose about 20% of their charge per year if stored on a shelf, so it'll take about three years for them to reach half charge, and in five years of sitting they'll be at 30%. Pretty much that means recharge them every two or three years.

The 9Vs I've not used much; I bought some for a guitar, but their guts induce noise in the pickups. I've used the AAs and AAAs in other audio gear / amps without issue, as well as shooting earpro - Razor, MSA, whatever.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=kentli

 

[av8r]

Take photos of the damage and call Duracell and Energizer. They will at a minimum give you tons of free batteries and often will give you a prepaid Visa card for the value of the item if it's damaged. I do this at least twice a year. Haven't bought a battery in 4-5 years now.

 

[Robin]

Damn!!!! Thats cool av8r, I'm typing out a letter to Ford Motor Company right now!!!
Robin

 

[subsonic]

I've had less battery leakage with the Harbor Freight alkaline batteries than I had with Duracell or Energizer.

I still use the name brand in the smoke detectors, but everything else gets the cheapies.

Buy a new smoke detector. They come with lifetime batteries now. You replace the whole unit. If you have a smoke detector more than 10 years old it's not effective anyway.

 

[kev74]

Buy a new smoke detector. They come with lifetime batteries now. You replace the whole unit. If you have a smoke detector more than 10 years old it's not effective anyway.

They still work. My wife is pretty good at testing the one closest to the kitchen.

 

[subsonic]

They still work. My wife is pretty good at testing the one closest to the kitchen.

Your call; long as you keep the batteries fresh. There's nothing trashier than living with a beeping smoke detector.

The old school smoke detectors don't warn about expiring like the newer ones do; you have to check the date on them. I changed a smoke detector out for my gram that was probably from the '70s or '80s. They may still beep when you push the test button but when there's a real fire it may be extra minutes (if at all) when it does go off. They have a radioactive element that decays over time and reduces their sensitivity. I don't economize on fire safety, roasting to death is not fun at all.

 

[MothMan]

alkaline batteries are liberals .. old school batts had carbon rod .. rip them out and now you can carbon arc weld

Once watched an old time farmer take a D cell battery remove the carbon post whittle it done to size to replace the carbon button inside the top of a distributor cap on a McCormick tractor. Cranked right over literally.

 

[Saltwater60]

I’m going to buy some lithium batteries as fire starters. You get lithium wet and it lights on fire good and fast.