PREP They sure dont make batteries like they used to!

S

summerthyme

Administrator
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Yesterday, we were in the storage units, looking for a few things. They're 9 foot high, 40 foot shipping containers, and we desperately need to empty them, sort and label everything, and install a bunch of shelves we moved from our cellar. But aside from the massive inconvenience, they've kept stuff remarkably well... they are in heavy shade, and are actually cooler in summer than the ambient temperature!

I spotted the tool box I keep all my nuke preps in..l,dosimeters, chargers, KI, a survey meter, printouts from Shane's great site (KI4U.com)... and the D cell batteries necessary for the meters.

When I saw the batteries (kept separate from everything in a compartment in the lid), I thought "uh, oh! Those are OLD... I hope they didn't make a mess, but I'd better get them out and toss them

They were Energizer D cells, with an expiration date of 2013... I'd bought them in 2009. Oh, boy! I was gratified to find they hadn't leaked. And just for the heck of it, I decided to put them on the battery tester before tossing them, on the off chance they still had some charge.

Boy, was i shocked when every one ( there were 12) tested fully charged! Given that I've had batteries IN DATE leak and go flat multiple times over the past few years (mostly Duracells... inrefuse to buy those, ever again), having 14 year batteries be ready to go was amazing.

So, what have they done to ruin them? More planned obsolescence? Boy, is that infuriating!

Now, I'm torn between putting new batteries back in the kit, or putting these -obviously higher quality- back!

Summerthyme
 
West

West

Senior
Have a deep cycle 12 volt $100 + battery I bought two years ago, today goes weak after a short use. No capacity for the duration. Another one I bought but from different store and brand at the same time, works great and is a asset.
 
Red Baron

Red Baron

Paleo-Conservative
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summerthyme said:
Yesterday, we were in the storage units, looking for a few things. They're 9 foot high, 40 foot shipping containers, and we desperately need to empty them, sort and label everything, and install a bunch of shelves we moved from our cellar. But aside from the massive inconvenience, they've kept stuff remarkably well... they are in heavy shade, and are actually cooler in summer than the ambient temperature!

I spotted the tool box I keep all my nuke preps in..l,dosimeters, chargers, KI, a survey meter, printouts from Shane's great site (KI4U.com)... and the D cell batteries necessary for the meters.

When I saw the batteries (kept separate from everything in a compartment in the lid), I thought "uh, oh! Those are OLD... I hope they didn't make a mess, but I'd better get them out and toss them

They were Energizer D cells, with an expiration date of 2013... I'd bought them in 2009. Oh, boy! I was gratified to find they hadn't leaked. And just for the heck of it, I decided to put them on the battery tester before tossing them, on the off chance they still had some charge.

Boy, was i shocked when every one ( there were 12) tested fully charged! Given that I've had batteries IN DATE leak and go flat multiple times over the past few years (mostly Duracells... inrefuse to buy those, ever again), having 14 year batteries be ready to go was amazing.

So, what have they done to ruin them? More planned obsolescence? Boy, is that infuriating!

Now, I'm torn between putting new batteries back in the kit, or putting these -obviously higher quality- back!

Summerthyme
Click to expand...
I would want to put an actual load on these old batteries for a few minutes to make sure that your tester is not reading only a surface charge.
 
LoupGarou

LoupGarou

Ancient Fuzzball
Agree on the Energizer Lithium for non-rechargeable use. What I use are the Eneloop AA batteries that slide into either C or D adapter tubes that Eneloop also makes. That way you only need a charger that charges the AA and AAA size (smaller and lighter), and you can have whatever size you need.

8 pack of adapters, 4 C, and 4 D:

16 pack (8 of each):

What most people don't know is that most "Over the Counter" D cell (and C cell) rechargeable batteries are actually AA batteries in an adapter. This is why both Energizer and Duracell "D" cell rechargeable batteries are only rated for 1500mAH, not the 8,000 to 14,000 mAH that they REAL "D" cell NiMH rechargeable batteries are good for. The reason they do this is simple, it's cheaper for them, and most of the civilian population would never wait the 10-18 hours that it would take to charge a 8 to 14AH NiMH battery when charging at 1 amp. People want to be able to charge quickly and have their batteries ready to go in less than an hour. The problem is that the button contacts and simple spring holders would never hold the 10-15 amps to get the charge time down to an hour or so, and the manufacturers would never want to risk the hazards of pushing those limits anywhere close to that. So, they simply make all of the batteries in the 800-2500 mAH range and keep the charger simple and safe.

Eneloop makes a white (or colored) AA cell that is good for 2000mAH. They also make a "Pro" Eneloop rechargeable AA that is good for "2500" mAH. I would suggest getting the regular ones if you may use them in "rough duty" as the "Pro" has a thinner battery case ("can") and if dropped, can short internally and become useless. If you need the extra capacity, and you aren't going to be banging them around, dropping them, or putting them in your pocket or backpack without a protective case, then get the "Pro" version, they do work great. Either of them are VERY good at holding their charge for a year or two between charging cycles, so their shelf life is great.

And if you have kids, get the 16 pack of adapters, and a few packs of AAs and AAAs and then get one ISDT 8 bay (or larger) AA/AAA charger (ISDT makes a 24 bay charger that works incredible). The ISDT chargers are simple and foolproof, so even little kids can go up, pull out the batteries that they need, and put back the empty ones. It will not charge an alkaline accidentally put in a charging slot, and it will not start a charge if the cell is in backwards. It even automatically tests the individual batteries and sets the right charging mode (NiMH, NiCd, Lithium, Lithium Ion, LiFePo4, Li-HV, or NiZn).
 
M

Mercury3

Veteran Member
Red Baron said:
I would want to put an actual load on these old batteries for a few minutes to make sure that your tester is not reading only a surface charge.
Click to expand...
Yep that's what I was thinking too. Soon as you put a real load on them I suspect they'll drain quickly.
 
W

WOS

Veteran Member
I have to to agree with the opinion on the Duracell C and D cell batteries, I've had good luck with them. Up until recently my newest ones expired in 2017, and are still in usable shape. Duracell AA and AAA batteries are another story, way to short a lifespan before they start to leak. I'm trying the Rayovac AA and AAA batteries for alkaline batteries. So far, so good, but it's only been about a year.

As a side note, if you also are using rechargeable batteries: you might check to see if your charger has a "refresh" mode for alkaline batteries. I have an older Saitek Eco model charger that will add a refresh charge to an alkaline battery. While it won't recharge a dead alkaline battery, it can add an additional charge that a partially discharged alkaline battery will take. It does seem to work, and I do get more life out of the battery. Anyway, something to tinker with if you've the mind to.
 
P

ParanoidNot

Veteran Member
Energizer Lithium batteries are very long lasting, don’t leak when fully discharged and last about twice as long and still provide reliable power down to zero Fahrenheit. It is the only AA or AAA battery I use any more. IIRC, the reason older alkali batteries didn’t catastrophically leak is because a tiny amount of mercury was in the chemistry. About 10 years ago the EPA required the removal of all mercury, and the corrosive failure of both charged and discharged batteries became a big problem. Duracell IMHO is the worst-
 
Milkweed Host

Milkweed Host

Veteran Member
West said:
Have a deep cycle 12 volt $100 + battery I bought two years ago, today goes weak after a short use. No capacity for the duration. Another one I bought but from different store and brand at the same time, works great and is a asset.
Click to expand...
Which deep cycle are you referring to, like gel, agm?

I have a number of the smaller gel deep cycle that I haven't used in a year or so.
I'll have to take a closer look at them.

Anyway, I've always questioned if some of these battery manufacturers lie about what's
really inside these batteries.
 
subnet

subnet

Boot
West said:
Have a deep cycle 12 volt $100 + battery I bought two years ago, today goes weak after a short use. No capacity for the duration. Another one I bought but from different store and brand at the same time, works great and is a asset.
Click to expand...
Get a trickle charger/desulphator and leave it on that when not in use as a 12 volt battery begins sulphating in a matter of days.
For my daily i have a Power Pulse Battery Maintainer that desulphates constantly using the batteries own power, thus needing to be on a daily driver that is charged regularly...supposedly you can get upwards of 10 years or so out of your battery if you dont fully discharge it/dammage it.
 
Tristan

Tristan

Has No Life - Lives on TB
summerthyme said:
Yesterday, we were in the storage units, looking for a few things. They're 9 foot high, 40 foot shipping containers, and we desperately need to empty them, sort and label everything, and install a bunch of shelves we moved from our cellar. But aside from the massive inconvenience, they've kept stuff remarkably well... they are in heavy shade, and are actually cooler in summer than the ambient temperature!

I spotted the tool box I keep all my nuke preps in..l,dosimeters, chargers, KI, a survey meter, printouts from Shane's great site (KI4U.com)... and the D cell batteries necessary for the meters.

When I saw the batteries (kept separate from everything in a compartment in the lid), I thought "uh, oh! Those are OLD... I hope they didn't make a mess, but I'd better get them out and toss them

They were Energizer D cells, with an expiration date of 2013... I'd bought them in 2009. Oh, boy! I was gratified to find they hadn't leaked. And just for the heck of it, I decided to put them on the battery tester before tossing them, on the off chance they still had some charge.

Boy, was i shocked when every one ( there were 12) tested fully charged! Given that I've had batteries IN DATE leak and go flat multiple times over the past few years (mostly Duracells... inrefuse to buy those, ever again), having 14 year batteries be ready to go was amazing.

So, what have they done to ruin them? More planned obsolescence? Boy, is that infuriating!

Now, I'm torn between putting new batteries back in the kit, or putting these -obviously higher quality- back!

Summerthyme
Click to expand...


They sure as heck don't.

Haven't found a modern battery that won't leak - even Energizers and other 'good' brands - for a number of years now.

Lost count of the number of radios, remotes, flashlights & etc. that have been ruined by bad batteries.

A pox upon the regulators.
 
Doc1

Doc1

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Several points:

* As Loup and others have said, start buying and using rechargeables. Get at least one quality charging station. You can recharge alkalines, even though manufacturers warn against it. In a SHTF scenario that could be very important. Recharged alkies do tend to leak, so you need to check them often and you never get the life out of a recharged alkaline that you do out of a fresh one. I've seen warnings about fires and explosions occurring if you recharge alkalines, but I've never seen that happen. Still...

* Anyone who's ruined equipment due to leaky batteries has only themselves to blame. I'm definitely including myself in that indictment, as I've done the same thing several times. Do not store any equipment with batteries in them. Also, batteries in existing, in-use equipment need to be examined at least monthly, if not more often. This is largely an 'out of sight out of mind' problem in lots of equipment and even with things like wall clocks and smoke detectors - which you do see - we tend to become complacent.

* Read my previous posts on reconditioning old lead-acid automotive and deep cycle batteries. You can save a ton of money doing this and even turn it into a little side hustle. All of our emergency lighting fixtures at the Doc1 Homestead are powered with lead-acid batteries I reconditioned, as well as being used in our tractors.

Best
Doc
 
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