You Gotta Be Wise

[dusty]

no matter how simple the task.

I am so ticked at myself.

A couple years ago my brother gave me a really nice emergency light made by Stanley. I allocated it to the RV and stored it away. We are preparing to take the RV on the road so I have been dragging things out to verify what we might need.

The light does not work. Guess why! It has batteries, duh. You don't store battery powered items away for months and years with the batteries installed. Just don't do it.

I need to say nothing more for you to know what I have done.

Don't be stupid like I have just discovered that I am.

[joedw00]

Dusty
Don't feel too bad I am sure most of us have had that happen to us to. I know I have done the same thing. It is just something we don't think of at the time we put it away.

[JPG]

Geez!! How many times have I done that!!!:eek:

Problem is, I do not realize that I am 'putting it away' for an extended time period ahead of time.

[dforeman]

Yeah. We have all done that. You put something battery operated away (or down someplace), get busy/distrated on doing other things and forget about it. And, sometimes not thinking that battereies do have a tendency to leak and corrode everything they touch.

[maggeorge]

It happens to the best of us ...

[reible]

This is really a timely post for me. I have an old flashlight that I leave hanging in the garage just in case we lose power and I'm out there. Navigation that I don't think a bat could manage makes this situation down right uncomfortable without one.

This past spring I had check the batteries, they were fine.

Then is last week I looked at the flashlight... what was that greenish crud coming out near the switch? And at the bottom? Well yea the batteries were not so alright anymore.

This is a 40+ year old one, all chrome plated, glass lens, spare bulb holder, focus-able and was the first flashlight that the wife and I got when setting up a home. Hated to just toss it.

OK it was on top of the trash and I pulled it back out. Got the old batteries out, took some effort as things were "glued" together pretty well. Got the front lens out, reflector, broke the bulb so it came out with needle nose pliers. Then I got out my shop crockpot and made a batch of washing soda water and cooked the flashlight for about 6 hours.

When it cooled it was covered in the white power but that brushed off. The top focus section was now easy to unscrew and the bulb assembly was also removable at this point. Cleaned up the inside and it looks pretty good. Did a small amount of wire brushing of the contact areas and put it all back together. It looks like a working flashlight but I need to get a bulb to test with.

I'll let you know the final details.

Ed

[dusty]

This is really a timely post for me. I have an old flashlight that I leave hanging in the garage just in case we lose power and I'm out there. Navigation that I don't think a bat could manage makes this situation down right uncomfortable without one.

This past spring I had check the batteries, they were fine.

Then is last week I looked at the flashlight... what was that greenish crud coming out near the switch? And at the bottom? Well yea the batteries were not so alright anymore.

This is a 40+ year old one, all chrome plated, glass lens, spare bulb holder, focus-able and was the first flashlight that the wife and I got when setting up a home. Hated to just toss it.

OK it was on top of the trash and I pulled it back out. Got the old batteries out, took some effort as things were "glued" together pretty well. Got the front lens out, reflector, broke the bulb so it came out with needle nose pliers. Then I got out my shop crockpot and made a batch of washing soda water and cooked the flashlight for about 6 hours.

When it cooled it was covered in the white power but that brushed off. The top focus section was now easy to unscrew and the bulb assembly was also removable at this point. Cleaned up the inside and it looks pretty good. Did a small amount of wire brushing of the contact areas and put it all back together. It looks like a working flashlight but I need to get a bulb to test with.

I'll let you know the final details.

Ed

I got one of those that I don't want to throw away but it too is full of green stuff.

This is a flashlight that I was issued when I went to basic training.

I can't cook it though because it is some sort of plastic. Maybe just a good baking soda bath will neutralize all the acid deposits.

[oldc6]

October is fire prevention month. replace batteries in smoke detectors if so equipped.

a few years back i started replaceing flashlight batteries at the same time.

have five flashlights and a couple coleman battery lanterns for power outage.

watch and buy batteries when on sale at big box store.

pictures of how i store the batteries from the lanterns when not in use. flashlights i leave batteries in all year. the lanterns i take out and put in rack because otherwise forget and the white, and green stuff shows up...[ATTACH]18594[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]18595[/ATTACH]

[easterngray]

Hats off to you Oldc6, that rack is great. I have a place in Maine that is off the grid, so batteries are a big part of life. I will have to make one of those dandy battery holders. Thanks! Alec

[fjimp]

Some 25 years ago I was given a cheap lantern, noise maker, flashing red light, big and heavy lantern. It has been stored in a closet in every house we have lived in. It takes 4 D cell batteries to run. I can only remember replacing batteries twice in all those years. The kids love it for all the noises and red flashing lights. I threaten every year to give it away. NO ONE WANTS IT. The strange thing is when we have a power outage it is the only flashlight on the place that isn't in need of batteries. Go figure. Jim