Has anyone had issues with Rayovac Alkaline batteries leaking

[sam_sam_sam]

Originally Posted by redwire

I'm now using Panasonic alkaline batteries from Digi-Key and no problems.

Any version of there batteries or a certain type of there batteries I am mostly going use them in electronic devices

I am over buying Rayovac because of there batteries leaking no customer service Energizer costing to much not lasting very long in devices Duracell costing to much not lasting long in devices

So now I going to give Panasonic batteries a try and they are not that expensive for there batteries so let see how much life I can expect from there batteries and see if I have another leaking episode with there batteries

[redwire]

I took Duracells apart as well as Energizer alkalines, and the seal construction is almost identical. A polypropylene piston-cup with bitumen ring. Many patents on the design so it would be hard to monkey with.
Pretty sure the leaking is due to getting rid of the mercury for environmental laws. Maybe the tiny bit of tar was also banned. So now the batteries make gas and burp, seep caustic electrolyte.

I also had the weird hassles with Duracell specific pictures trying to make a claim to customer service. Pic with the battery cover on, then off etc. As if people are scamming them? Wasn't worth it, they expect damage to be at most $20 in a TV remote control kind of thing and it takes $10 worth of my time lol.

Another option is Energizer lithium LiFeS2. Lifetime is the best, almost 2-3X alkaline. But they cost a lot, almost 2-3 times as much.
I'm using them for outdoor weather station because they don't freeze and work to -40°C. They are slightly higher voltage, around 1.8Vpc when new at no load or light load 1mA and then it does drop. But it can be too much for some products.
I noticed there is a 9V L522 that looks really good... but $10 each so 2x the price of alkalines but 3x the life... I would use them in multimeters.
AA lithium L91 Datasheet and app manual.

[sam_sam_sam]

Sam wrote:

Please explain to me how having different expiration date makes a battery prone to leaking because this sounds like crap you are feeding me

Thank you for reaching us back!

Kindly note that if batteries of different expiration dates are used, the difference in electrical capacity will grow during usage which could eventually cause one of the batteries to over discharge and leak.

For any further inquiries, feel free to reply to the same email.

Sincerely,
Rayovac Consumer Services.

This sounds like more crap because I have done this for years and never had this issue so what is different now

This made me decide that I am no longer buying batteries from three major brands no more because I do not know what crap they are selling anymore

[redwire]

It's your fault they leaked:
They were dead.
You put them in backwards.
You mixed old and new cells.
They were past their expiration datecode.
You bought our cheap shit batteries in the first place.

~!@#$^&@ battery manufacturer's customer service is filled with lazy jerks. They must be on a quota for number of dollars doled out.
I bought some canned tomatoes and inside was just thin soup. I complained and got coupons for new cans, zero hassles. Completely different attitude.

[sam_sam_sam]

Originally Posted by redwire

It's your fault they leaked:They were dead.
You put them in backwards.
You mixed old and new cells.
They were past their expiration datecode.
You bought our cheap shit batteries in the first place.<This is a mouthful but so very true >

No that not all of it mixing different expiration dates that they were not expired this is what the real crap is and they all have voltages above 1.50 this why I say this is biggest bunch of crap that I have ever heard I have mixed different expiration dates for many years in the past and never had this problem before

Originally Posted by redwire

~!@#$^&@ battery manufacturer's customer service is filled with lazy jerks. They must be on a quota for number of dollars doled out.

I think you could be completely right about this crap

Originally Posted by redwire

I bought some canned tomatoes and inside was just thin soup. I complained and got coupons for new cans, zero hassles.

You are completely correct about this I complain about some yogurt that the container lid did not get put on the container correctly and leaking product out of it I sent them an email and told them that there machine was not having a very good day and explain what the issue was and they send me some coupons for more of there product

Originally Posted by redwire

Completely different attitude.

You are completely right about this what a completely difference in attitude between the two different company’s

All they would have had to do is send me a check to cover the cost of battery terminals for the meter and the cost was $18.00 for the set of terminals how difficult would this have been but no give you as much hassle as possible and then tell you it your fault that they leaked

[eccerr0r]

A faulty food can that's contaminated with clostridium botulinum may result in s different outcome when consumed?

[sam_sam_sam]

Originally Posted by eccerr0r

A faulty food can that's contaminated with clostridium botulinum may result in s different outcome when consumed?

You are absolutely correct about this when ever this with this type of food I just take the information of the container and after the company respond to the request about the issue has been received then I would throw out the product


*****************

I work at a ****** production company that we have a lot of things that we have to comply with the USDA and FDA and they are very strict about a lot of thing but I will give you some information that you might want to know if a product tells you heat it to a certain temperature please follow these instructions carefully I will not go into why this is very important to follow I just asking you to follow them

( it has to do with what could happen even with all of the strict regulations that we have to follow and they test for cleanliness every day before the production starts for the day )

[ I can tell you before I started to work for this company I never really follow the heating instructions very closely before but after work here I understand why these instructions are put on certain products ]

One other thing if a product box does not seal correctly we have to pull it and re-box it again or if the plastic product bag does not seal correctly it also has to be redone you are not allowed to let it leave the facility in these conditions

One other thing to note is that what the product weight ( says ) it can not be under weight by no more than 3% and can not be over weight by more than 5% and this is because of the nutritional information on the product in question we are very strict about this to only allow 2% either way ( regulators are very strict about this as well ) this is only for example purpose only I will not give you the exact percentage values

So even with this when the machine is started up for the day there a lot of reworks that are done until the product weight is correct and the shape of the product is also very important as well it can only be a certain diameter and thickness are spot checked every few minutes through out the day

********************

But I have also had snack cookies and cracker that were not sealed correctly either or severely under weight or not the correct count amount and got coupons because of this issues as well but in case it was that they were just not fresh tasting

[sam_sam_sam]

Update
I got a response back from the BBB parts of this response was edited by me the name was changed and the on the one that has ( picture ) had a website link which was removed
***********
Mr.Sam reached out to the consumer support team regarding an incident involving Rayovac High Energy AA Batteries that leaked in four different devices. Mr.Sam provided us with images of the Fluke FC 300, Kitchen Faucet and Cable Box Remote. Mr.Sam also alleged damage to a soap dispenser but that one was discarded. Based on the images that we initially received on the Fluke FC300 Mr.Samhad mixed different expiration dates which can result in leakage ( picture ) The initial images of the kitchen faucet battery compartment are extremely blurry, and the consumer support team was unable to review, so they requested additional images, but Mr.Sam explains that he no longer has the batteries and has discarded them. After the consumer support team denies the case due to not having clear images of the expiration date Mr.Sam comes back and shares an image of the 3 devices showing the batteries and expiration dates, but the last image received does not match with the initial image received for the Fluke FC300 since it has a different set of batteries. Additionally, the cable box remote has a set of batteries with different expiration dates which can result in leakage. As an accommodation only, we will only be able to proceed with compensation for the kitchen faucet ($***.00USD).

************************

The offer that the company made is better than nothing now I also add that I disagree with there take on the use of batteries that have different expiration dates on them for the public record and I might accept that if you put batteries with very different voltages and some of have very low voltage and other have the normal voltage for new batteries I might expect this explanation for possibly causing the batteries to leak but you noticed how I wrote this

[eccerr0r]

Not clear, but you shouldn't mix batteries in series that have different expiration dates either - they came from different lots/packages and may have lot to lot variance.

Clearly should not mix used and new batteries (i.e., different voltages, even a 10th of a volt is not good), this is a recipe for leakage.

[sam_sam_sam]

I have never heard this before I knew about mixing new and old batteries as far back as I can remember but never heard anything about mixing batteries from different expiration dates this is a new one for me but I still do not understand this because neither battery pack had expired so this does not make any sense to me I wish some could explain this nonsense

[sam_sam_sam]

Originally Posted by eccerr0r

Not clear, but you shouldn't mix batteries in series that have different expiration dates either - they came from different lots/packages and may have lot to lot variance.

Is there quality control issues with batteries —> with battery voltages all over the place and variances are also all over the place as well that does not give very much confidence about there product

Have we come to a point where we have to check the battery voltages of each and every battery cell coming from a battery pack and have to make sure that the battery voltage does not vary more than a 10th of a volt really

Originally Posted by eccerr0r

Clearly should not mix used and new batteries (i.e., different voltages, even a 10th of a volt is not good), this is a recipe for leakage.

Now that seems to be odd because I have tested batteries from a battery pack and all batteries came from the same lot number and you can see a variance sometimes more than a 10th of a volt this is the part I do not understand what the company is trying convince you that this is a reason for batteries to leak really

[eccerr0r]

it's not assembly issues, it's capacity that could change from lot to lot depending on what was in the batch of metal that was used to make the batteries.

I don't think new batteries are outside of 0.1V, they tend to be invariably be around 1.6V, there are none at 1.7V and none at 1.5V (though that would be a 0.2V difference if that were true). In all the new pack I've seen, all cells tend to be at the same voltage within 0.005V or better.

When mixing cells, this makes one wish there were BMS for alkaline batteries, though this would negate the reason why alkalines are still being used...

[sam_sam_sam]

Originally Posted by eccerr0r

I don't think new batteries are outside of 0.1V, they tend to be invariably be around 1.6V, there are none at 1.7V and none at 1.5V (though that would be a 0.2V difference if that were true). In all the new pack I've seen, all cells tend to be at the same voltage within 0.005V or better.

I would agree with you but in the batteries in question the battery voltage range from 1.5something to 1.6something so if what they are saying is true then is an issue with manufacturing of these batteries if what they are claiming is true

And like I said earlier this does not give me confidence in buying there batteries anymore if it has to be that you have to worry about weather or not the battery voltage of each battery cell has to have the exact same battery voltage for them to supposedly not leaking this to much work to use there product

[eccerr0r]

Well, if you're using from different lots, then there's no guarantee. New cells from the same pack should be nearly identical - but if you use different lots, there's no guarantee, plus self-discharge, however low, needs to be accounted, and cells in an older lot will have more self discharge time.

Also expiration date is not a hard and fast date of when the battery will fail, it's a statistical number.

I don't think you can get guarantees from any battery manufacturer that their cells will match from lot to lot, and even less likely with older cells versus newer cells (not used versus new cells.)

Still think if you're worried, remove batteries when not in use. Also some devices use batteries funny, I'm always worried about a FETVM I have that seems to center tap the 4xAAs in the holder (3V+3V) which makes it harder to guarantee all batteries discharge the same...

[sam_sam_sam]

The question I still have what has changed in the batteries were made 4 years ago compared to the batteries made in the last couple of years this is what I do not understand
Because like I said earlier I have mixed different lot number before and it seems to not matter because the battery did not leak unless they were totally discharged now it does even have to totally discharge 1.3 to 1.4 and have already started leaking or they have full voltage but the positive side of the battery starts to show signs of leaking or the negative side of battery starts leaking and it might still have full voltage or somewhat lower but not totally dead right in the pack of batteries that have not even been used yet

[eccerr0r]

Think of it this way, why bother measuring capacities of your lithium ion cells... they all should be made the same and wear the same and all the cells in the pack should be the same even after years of use since they all were under the same stress...

Then apply that knowledge to alkaline batteries. Too bad you can't do the same testing with alkaline cells - LOL.

[sam_sam_sam]

Originally Posted by eccerr0r

Think of it this way, why bother measuring capacities of your lithium ion cells... they all should be made the same and wear the same and all the cells in the pack should be the same even after years of use since they all were under the same stress...

Yea but the funny thing is that they all do not test exactly the the same you might have a different of maybe 1 amp hour or more between each battery cell

Originally Posted by eccerr0r

Then apply that knowledge to alkaline batteries. Too bad you can't do the same testing with alkaline cells - LOL.

Yes this is LOL but I still think something has changed the way these batteries are made because I very seldom had batteries leak and if they did it not like now it is basically pouring out of them

But this brings to what type of batteries should I use in my Fluke FC 3000 meter because I do not need for this meter to be ruined because of leaking battery damage this meter cost over 300 dollars I do not use it every day but when I need to use I need it to work right when I turn it on

Lucky I caught it before it could do any real damage to the meter however I might not be that lucky the next time

I actually have two of these meters one I use at work and one I keep at home this one I took the batteries out of it the other one I use at work has Energizer batteries in it and I now check it every couple of weeks to make sure it has not started leaking but even with this brand of batteries I might just take them out as well and put batteries in it when I need to use it

When I worked at the other company I would need to use the Bluetooth function of this meter to troubleshoot electrical issues with the overhead cranes and hard to reach electrical controller boxes at the new company I work for now my role is a little different but I might still have to use this meter and it Bluetooth function to monitor something that might be malfunction on a piece of equipment that why I still take this meter to work with me just in case I need to use it for this

I thought about using nicad metal hydrate batteries but there is an issue with doing this and it has to do with the low battery indicator on the meter when this is on the Bluetooth function is a little bit more unpredictable in its functionality in other words it drops the connection or it freezes

I thought about using 4 cells and using two diodes to drop the voltage down to close to 3.75 volts which would be very close to what Alkaline battery cells would have but I wonder if this is the right approach to this issue ( because I bought a bunch of AAA Panasonic metal hydrate batteries surplus and have not used any of them yet they were made for home wireless extension phones ) or using a

I use a less expensive meter for everything else that I do

[Per Hansson]

Originally Posted by sam_sam_sam

But this brings to what type of batteries should I use in my Fluke FC 3000 meter because I do not need for this meter to be ruined because of leaking battery damage this meter cost over 300 dollars I do not use it every day but when I need to use I need it to work right when I turn it on

I would use Energizer lithiums, they do have a higher open circuit voltage but if you want you can discharge them a bit to get a lower OCV.

[stj]

maybe do a test to see how low the battery can go and still power the meter.

[sam_sam_sam]

Originally Posted by stj

maybe do a test to see how low the battery can go and still power the meter.

I did and the voltage needs to be above 3 volt to have at least one bar left on battery indicator if I remember correctly

And you have to have at least one bar left on the battery indicator for the Bluetooth function to work correctly

I also ran the voltage up to 4 volts for a short time and it seems to work ok but I do not want to this because I do not know if the circuity can handle this higher voltage or not

I have thought about running it on a li-ion battery with a drop down diode to get to 3.7 volts or very close to it but my issue is what brand of battery has good quality controls for dependability is the question I would use AAA size batteries so it will fit in the battery compartment and put a charging connector on the battery compartment door

I have found some EBL batteries however there quality is variable at best because I have used there 9 volt batteries that have li-ion batteries in them sometimes you get very good quality ones and last for a very long time and other time the running time is not quite there and ( they do not last as long in terms of they do not charge up to 8.4 volts like they are suppose to )

I use one in my ( blue capacitor tester and a volt meter ) and it has work very well but this lot of them have been the better quality ones

I also have bought some of these https://www.ebay.com/itm/27473208659...Cclp%3A2047675

To try them and see what there quality is for this type of battery product

I have also bought some these before and they have the same quality issue with how long the running time you buy one lot and the running time is what you expect it to be and you will buy another lot of them and the running time is a lot shorter than you expect it to be

https://www.ebay.com/itm/16451817986...3ABFBM2Kuf0p5f