Cleaning white powder left behind by leaking batteries
 

Nikon F5

Batteries or battery (AA) leaked, and now a residue of white powder
left behind in the battery holder and the battery compartment.

What is the best way to clean this up?

Any permanent damage caused by the leak that I should be aware of at
all?

Any other precautions?

As usual, thanks in advance for all replies.

Cleaning white powder left behind by leaking batteries
 

On Sun, 21 Oct 2012 00:50:46 -0700 (PDT), DanP
wrote:

On Sunday, October 21, 2012 5:54:53 AM UTC+1, Polly the Parrott wrote:
Nikon F5



Batteries or battery (AA) leaked, and now a residue of white powder

left behind in the battery holder and the battery compartment.



What is the best way to clean this up?



Any permanent damage caused by the leak that I should be aware of at

all?



Any other precautions?



As usual, thanks in advance for all replies.

A good quantity of damp cotton earbuds.


Water, or anything else?
DanP

Cleaning white powder left behind by leaking batteries
 

On Sun, 21 Oct 2012 00:50:46 -0700 (PDT), DanP wrote:
: On Sunday, October 21, 2012 5:54:53 AM UTC+1, Polly the Parrott wrote:
: Nikon F5
:
:
:
: Batteries or battery (AA) leaked, and now a residue of white powder
:
: left behind in the battery holder and the battery compartment.
:
:
:
: What is the best way to clean this up?
:
:
:
: Any permanent damage caused by the leak that I should be aware of at
:
: all?
:
:
:
: Any other precautions?
:
:
:
: As usual, thanks in advance for all replies.
:
: A good quantity of damp cotton earbuds.

Dampened with a solution of baking soda in water. I'm pretty sure the powder
is acidic, and therefore corrosive, and the baking soda will neutralize it.
Try to keep the water from leaking deeper into the camera, and dry it off
immediately.

Bob

Cleaning white powder left behind by leaking batteries
 

On 2012.10.21 00:54 , Polly the Parrott wrote:
Nikon F5

Batteries or battery (AA) leaked, and now a residue of white powder
left behind in the battery holder and the battery compartment.

What is the best way to clean this up?

Any permanent damage caused by the leak that I should be aware of at
all?

Any other precautions?

As usual, thanks in advance for all replies.

Wear protective glasses.

Get an old toothbrush and dust/break away as much residue as you can
while making sure it falls out of the compartment.

Wash off the brush in water.

Clean the contacts with the brush dipped in white vinegar or another
dilute acid. (Mildly acid counteracts the alkaline product from the
battery).

Let dry and inspect before putting in fresh batts.

Generally (and you now know this), never leave alkaline batteries in a
device that's not being used. They will eventually leak. However it's
rare that there's any functional damage.

--
"There were, unfortunately, no great principles on which parties
were divided – politics became a mere struggle for office."
-Sir John A. Macdonald

Cleaning white powder left behind by leaking batteries
 

On 2012.10.21 08:30 , Robert Coe wrote:

Dampened with a solution of baking soda in water. I'm pretty sure the powder
is acidic, and therefore corrosive, and the baking soda will neutralize it.
Try to keep the water from leaking deeper into the camera, and dry it off
immediately.


BZZZT!


The leakage is alkaline, and therefore baking soda (alkaline) will just
increase the corrosion.

Use vinegar (acidic).



You do use baking soda with automobile battery terminals when they show
a buildup. That is acidic, so you use the alkaline baking soda for cleanup.





--
"There were, unfortunately, no great principles on which parties
were divided – politics became a mere struggle for office."
-Sir John A. Macdonald

Cleaning white powder left behind by leaking batteries
 

In article ,
Alan Browne wrote:

Generally (and you now know this), never leave alkaline batteries in a
device that's not being used. They will eventually leak. However it's
rare that there's any functional damage.

A salesman told me that Lithium batteries would NOT leak! Is that true?

He was trying to sell me Lithium batteries that cost two or three times
what Alkaline batteries cost. But if they never leak, it could be worth
it.

Fred

Cleaning white powder left behind by leaking batteries
 

On 2012.10.21 12:16 , Fred McKenzie wrote:
In article ,
Alan Browne wrote:

Generally (and you now know this), never leave alkaline batteries in a
device that's not being used. They will eventually leak. However it's
rare that there's any functional damage.

A salesman told me that Lithium batteries would NOT leak! Is that true?

He was trying to sell me Lithium batteries that cost two or three times
what Alkaline batteries cost. But if they never leak, it could be worth
it.

I don't know but it's plausible.

One of the claims about Energizer Lithium is that they last 8x longer.
So for 3x the price it would appear to be a very good deal. Maybe I'll
look for some for my GPS recorders which go about 12 hours on 3 AAA's.

--
"There were, unfortunately, no great principles on which parties
were divided – politics became a mere struggle for office."
-Sir John A. Macdonald

Cleaning white powder left behind by leaking batteries
 

On Sun, 21 Oct 2012 15:54:52 +1100, Polly the Parrott
wrote:

Nikon F5

Batteries or battery (AA) leaked, and now a residue of white powder
left behind in the battery holder and the battery compartment.

What is the best way to clean this up?

Any permanent damage caused by the leak that I should be aware of at
all?

Any other precautions?

As usual, thanks in advance for all replies.

You didn't say what kind of battery's they were, but common battery's like
alkaline and ni-cad can leave behind a white powder, it is base, not acid. (The
old zinc-carbon batts were acid.)

DON'T use any liquid cleaner to clean up! You'll only spread the crap into the
camera! Use a brush and vacuum cleaner to remove the crap. Get an artists oil
type (stiff) paintbrush and cut the bristles to about 1/2 inch and use that. Run
the vacuum as you clean. Also you can use a dental pick or similar.

Don't breath the stuff or get it in your eyes!

The worse thing you can have is that the surface of the battery contact will be
ruined, and you might not get good contact with the next battery's you use...
you'll need a replacement. (What I used to do was solder a nickel plated washer
on top... do you know any tech's?)

I spent 20 years cleaning battery crap out of 2-way radios... it's fun eh?!

Cleaning white powder left behind by leaking batteries
 

On 2012.10.21 22:21 , wrote:
On Sun, 21 Oct 2012 15:54:52 +1100, Polly the Parrott
wrote:

Nikon F5

Batteries or battery (AA) leaked, and now a residue of white powder
left behind in the battery holder and the battery compartment.

What is the best way to clean this up?

Any permanent damage caused by the leak that I should be aware of at
all?

Any other precautions?

As usual, thanks in advance for all replies.

You didn't say what kind of battery's they were, but common battery's like
alkaline and ni-cad can leave behind a white powder, it is base, not acid. (The
old zinc-carbon batts were acid.)

DON'T use any liquid cleaner to clean up!

BZZT: use vinegar to neutralize the alkaline once most of the crud has
been removed.


You'll only spread the crap into the
camera! Use a brush and vacuum cleaner to remove the crap. Get an artists oil
type (stiff) paintbrush and cut the bristles to about 1/2 inch and use that. Run
the vacuum as you clean. Also you can use a dental pick or similar.

Don't breath the stuff or get it in your eyes!

The worse thing you can have is that the surface of the battery contact will be
ruined, and you might not get good contact with the next battery's you use...
you'll need a replacement. (What I used to do was solder a nickel plated washer
on top... do you know any tech's?)

I spent 20 years cleaning battery crap out of 2-way radios... it's fun eh?!



--
"There were, unfortunately, no great principles on which parties
were divided – politics became a mere struggle for office."
-Sir John A. Macdonald

Cleaning white powder left behind by leaking batteries
 

On Mon, 22 Oct 2012 16:59:20 -0400, Alan Browne
wrote:

On 2012.10.21 22:21 , wrote:
On Sun, 21 Oct 2012 15:54:52 +1100, Polly the Parrott
wrote:

Nikon F5

Batteries or battery (AA) leaked, and now a residue of white powder
left behind in the battery holder and the battery compartment.

What is the best way to clean this up?

Any permanent damage caused by the leak that I should be aware of at
all?

Any other precautions?

As usual, thanks in advance for all replies.

You didn't say what kind of battery's they were, but common battery's like
alkaline and ni-cad can leave behind a white powder, it is base, not acid. (The
old zinc-carbon batts were acid.)

DON'T use any liquid cleaner to clean up!

BZZT: use vinegar to neutralize the alkaline once most of the crud has
been removed.

It's very dangerous to use liquids on electronics if you aren't prepared to
totally open the device if you spill liquid inside. If you can remove all the
powder using dry techniques, there is no reason to neutralize what isn't there!
Remember, the acid cleaner is just as dangerous as the original chemical spill,
even the fumes can corrode. Since I don't know the OP's skill level, but suspect
it isn't technician level, I would suggest caution.


You'll only spread the crap into the
camera! Use a brush and vacuum cleaner to remove the crap. Get an artists oil
type (stiff) paintbrush and cut the bristles to about 1/2 inch and use that. Run
the vacuum as you clean. Also you can use a dental pick or similar.

Don't breath the stuff or get it in your eyes!

The worse thing you can have is that the surface of the battery contact will be
ruined, and you might not get good contact with the next battery's you use...
you'll need a replacement. (What I used to do was solder a nickel plated washer
on top... do you know any tech's?)

I spent 20 years cleaning battery crap out of 2-way radios... it's fun eh?!