Just putting it out there, I know this is a sample size of one. But for the first time I recall I've had a NiMH leak and it an OzBargain favorite Ladda battery. Couple of years old. Close to fully charged- I tested one of the remaining two cells and it was at 750mAh at 300mW discharge rate.
I'm about 50/50 Ladda/Eneloop, with the Eneloops being anything from 5-10 years old.
Quick look at the image provided shows the website paladone.com, which seems to be branded LED lighting. Looks mainly indoor use, but could have been outdoors as well…
It was in a night light. Used indoors. Minimal temperature changes.
Was the night light in a bathroom?
Or was the night light receiving full sun during the day, particularly in summer?
@forrester: Nope to both questions. It was stored in a dry closet.
I do have other night lights in bathrooms. Looking at the construction of a cell, it would be hard to imagine that humidity would be a contributing factor anyway.
Keep in mind this is a sample size of one. We might be reading too much into it. Though I've yet to have an Eneloop fail in a decade.
Just putting it out there, I know this is a sample size of one
Sometimes you get a bad one.
I had a leak Eneloop once, case closed!
Keep watching Dave from Eevblog, he made endless videos on leaky batteries.
I notice that as I get older I also tend to leak more. Shit happens.
Shit happens.
guess we know where the leak is coming from
I also tend to leak more. Shit happens.
Not literally, one hopes.
They make artificial sphincters to combat anal leakage and excessive flatulence.
This looks like wayyy too much liquid to have come from one NiMH battery.
OP this wouldn't happen to have been powering a plastic, water-filled lava lamp that has a bunch of 1 star customer reviews due to having a propensity to break or suddenly start leaking, would it?
Because it would be a bit sus if you didn't mention that, and instead just referred to it as a "night light".
Do you really think that a water filled lava lamp would result in brown electrolyte leaking from the end of single dead cell?
Sheesh, what is it with people nitpicking a dead battery. Are people emotionally invested in Laddas over Eneloops for some sad reason? This is Ozbargain, so maybe that's not so far fetched.
So i'll take it as a yes then that this battery has come from a water-filled lava lamp model that's prone to leaking.
Water + iron + air (O2 specifically) = iron oxide (brown) + hydrogen (invisible gas). Add an electic charge, or heat from a shorting battery = brown even faster as the reaction is being catalysed.
That looks exactly like a water leak that's started rusting metal components.
NiMH batteries contain potassium hydroxide (KOH) as an electrolyte, which is colourless. So what's this brown electrolyte you're referring to?
You came here asking for feedback on a brand of battery and if others have had leaking issues, but when people said its uncommon and asked what device the batteries were being used in to assist diagnose the cause - notably asking if there was any moisture or water in the area of the lamp enclosure - you were intentionally obtuse and said it was just 'a nightlight' in a 'dry cupboard inside'. Just misleading people that were trying to help you, so yeah - SHEESH indeed.
Yep, that's what I would call a nightlight. It's not leaked at all, and was stored in a cupboard for over a year.
But hey, maybe I am wrong.
I will give it another look when I dig it up again though.
Your image does pretty much match the bottom of the Minecraft Flow lamp. Someone reviewed it on Amazon.com.
Edit: Even clearer here with this 1 star review.
Amazing detective work from ozbs25 and @mellow
You've helped me feel reassured to buy these batteries now!
Maybe the thread title should be amended to "warning about leaking water-filled lamps"? No battery brand would have survived.
I stopped using LADDA AAAs after a few leaks (but they were the older white coloured batch)
I don't like the LADDA because they have more a a brittle paper-like wrapping around them, it flakes off pretty easily when it's being scraped against metal prongs over and over. The Eneloop is strong but soft enough plastic, it's thick and won't peel easily.
Why does it look like there's moisture in there? The bottom battery looks wet.
Battery leak. The electrolyte is wet when it leaks. The white crystals you often find are a result of the electrolyte drying out.
Yes, I've had leaks from the ALDI NiMH batteries as well as a RAM NiMH (Sold by Woolies, years ago). Probably about 10 batteries (mix of AA and AAA), out of a pool of maybe 80 batteries over a span of circa 20 years. And of course a huge number of leaky alkalines.
So far no issues with Eneloops. The LADAs are only around two years old, so probably too early to in their life time to make a call.
I had a few leaks from some Sanyo Cadnica NiCd but this is because there wasn't a deltaV terminate charger at that time. Year 1990s? Thevtimer based dummy charger cooked them good. Then I had only one NiMH leak from a GP AA nimh cell. From then onwards none of the NiMH I used leaked, regardless of brand.
Then plenty of alkaline leaks but none of them leak like OPs lavalamp. There's too much liquid to expel from a AAA cell.
Where have you used it?
I’ve had one leak like this, though nowhere near as bad as your photo, and it was one we’d used in something outside. Hasn’t happened to any others.