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I hope this post is OK here since it pertains to anything in model railroading using batteries.  Please don’t delete or move.

Yesterday I went to run my trains.  I use the Lionel CAB-1L.  As I was running the trains I noticed a white powder around the battery cover.  I stopped running and opened the battery cover on the remote and two of the RayOVac High Energy double A batteries had leaked.  I opened up my other remote and found that those RayOVac batteries had failed as well.  They were only in the remotes for a couple of months.

I contacted RayOVac and they told me that their batteries cannot be left in devices for more than thirty days.  They asked me for the expiration dates and they are 10/2026.  I am supposed to be getting some form to fill out to send them additional information.  I told the woman on the phone that I cleaned the battery compartments but did take a photo prior to doing so.

This is very disappointing and wanted to warn the rest of the model railroad community.  I have used Duracell and Energizer batteries in the past and have not had any issues.  I plan to go back to those other brands.

This problem goes beyond our model railroad remotes wether with Lionel, MTH or other remotes.  It also extends to TV remotes and other devices that use batteries like flashlights and even HVAC thermostats and smoke detectors.

Think of all the devices that you put batteries into.  How often do they stay in these devices for more than thirty days.  Are they safe?

Last edited by OGR CEO-PUBLISHER
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@WaynePa posted:
This is very disappointing and wanted to warn the rest of the model railroad community.  I have used Duracell and Energizer batteries in the past and have not had any issues.  I plan to go back to those other brands.

I have had TERRIBLE luck with Duracell (and their Costco clone), and I will never use those again.  I currently use Energizer batteries as I have yet to have one of those leak and destroy something.

I've had a multitude of Kirkland batteries of both sizes leak and destroy flashlights, TV remotes, etc.  I have gotten good at cleaning the alkaline residue from leaking batteries from anything expensive, but I'll never use them again!  Many of these batteries leaked when the batteries were still measuring 1.5V or more, so it's not a case of leaving a discharged battery in the device.

There are several of us in the Cincinnati area who have had AA and AAA battery leaks with the Duracell brand.  One of the Duracell AAA failures was of the spectacular nature.  During an operating session, there was a definite "pop" sound from one of the NCE handheld controllers which then went dead.  When the battery compartment was opened, one of the 3 Duracell AAA batteries had split wide open and dribbled some goo all over the compartment.

There have been fewer (but not zero) leaks with Kirkland from Costco.  Lately I've been trying the Energizer brand but it's too soon to tell if they work better for me.

@aussteve posted:

I don't remember ever using ray-o-vac bstteries in years. Nut Duracell is what I avoid.  That brand is 99% of any leaking problems I have had.  I lean heavily towards the home depot batteries,  eveready and the kirkland batteries.   Cleaning and repairing the damage is very irritating and time consuming.

Yeah, I'm with you. I haven't used, or even seen, a Ray-O-Vac battery in forever.

Maybe my old bicycle horn?

Last edited by johnstrains

I bought a very large package of Energizer AA batteries from Costco, and, even before use, a few had residue on them, indicating that at least one had leaked.  I threw away the contaminated ones, and since using the others, several have leaked immediately upon their having been discharged.  So I threw out the whole lot and am replacing with Duracell.  Costco is 125 miles from my home, and it's not worth the round trip, to exchange these dud batteries.

Personally, I believe that every manufacturer occasionally turns out a batch of poor batteries, but I have never, ever, heard of a complaint about Costco's Kirkland brand.

Last edited by Number 90
@RadioRon posted:

Home Depot has their own battery brand?  They must be made for them by Energizer, Duracell or Ray-O-Vac, I bet.

Yes, I buy Home Depot batteries (HDX brand I think)  in bricks (I think 60 to a brick) around black Friday time.  They are white, orange and gray.  If I remember correctly the cost was less than 0.20 each and they seem to last a long time.

Last edited by aussteve

Okay, so thus far in this still relatively short thread, we have had concerns expressed about Ray-O-Vac, Duracell, Energizer. and Kirkland batteries. Are there ANY 100% (or close) brands one should look at?

Probably not from what I'm reading here!

I've not had issues with NiMh rechargeable batteries leaking, so I'm using those in all my remotes for now.

If we're talking about storing alkaline batteries in devices, virtually all battery manufacturers recommend that they be removed if they are going to be there long term. Although their recommended time frame may be shorter, Rayovac is not alone in this regard.

From the Duracell site,

"SHOULD I REMOVE BATTERIES FROM MY DEVICE IF I’M NOT GOING TO BE USING IT FOR A WHILE?

Yes. Remove batteries from a device when it is not expected to be in use for several months."


I'm not sure how you define "several ", but Duracell's warning/recommendation is not substantially different than Rayovac's.

Last edited by Richie C.

Joe, that looks like a mighty old Ray-O-Vac.  I get mine from Amazon and they don't look like that, ever. I've had the best luck with Ray-O-Vac and Energizer (esp. the Lithium batteries). I avoid Duracell and Kirkland like the plague.

The true story might be that every manufacturer produces their bad batch of batteries from time to time. I do believe Duracells are more prone to leakage. Having said that, there's probably Duracell batteries that never leak. 

Dale

I found many posts about batteries on YouTube about a year ago.  Most posters agreed that Duracell and Costco batteries eventually leak.  Since Duracell makes Costco batteries, that makes sense.  I have had a lot of leaks from Costco (Kirkland brand) batteries in flashlights and in my hand held controllers.   This is the reason I searched YouTube to find a different brand.  

The YouTube folks seemed to have a consensus that Energizer batteries seldom leaked.  I switched to Energizer about a year ago.  So far, so good.  The downside to Energizer is that they are more expensive than Costco.   My local Costco doesn't carry Energizer.  NH Joe

Of late I've had fresh Duracell and Ray-O-Vac start leaking while in the packages less than a month after purchase. My preferred batteries are Energizer. Had them in my 3 CAB1 remotes for almost 2 years just sitting and they all were fine and tested good on my voltmeter. I do use the Ultimate Lithium in my Mac cordless mouse with good results as far as longevity is concerned. I've also used batteries from Harbor Freight (very cheap) with no problems except they don't last very long, but are 1/3 the price of Ultimate Lithium.

I am no doubt jinxing myself, but I have used Duracell and Energizer and a few oddballs thrown in for many years in TV remotes, CAB-1's, BP monitor, small LED flashlights, and so on - and I have never had leakage problems with any of them.  Some - as in my CAB-1's - tend to stay in there a long time.

The store brands that I happen to have used do tend to not last as long as the name brands, it seems to me. Can't prove it. Don't remember the "stores", though.

Okay, so thus far in this still relatively short thread, we have had concerns expressed about Ray-O-Vac, Duracell, Energizer. and Kirkland batteries. Are there ANY 100% (or close) brands one should look at?

No they all leak.          The only batteries I own which have never leaked and perhaps I am just lucky are the MTH 8.4v rechargeable used in PS2-5v locos.   For the last five years or so the last thing I do before I set a MTH or Lionel remote down is to pull the batteries out.  I have purchased several remotes both MTH and Lionel CHEAP because of battery damage.           j

Okay, so thus far in this still relatively short thread, we have had concerns expressed about Ray-O-Vac, Duracell, Energizer. and Kirkland batteries. Are there ANY 100% (or close) brands one should look at?

Like Gun Runner John

I'm using NiMh rechargeable batteries in all my train remotes and been replacing them in our TV remotes, Fire Sticks, Roku etc with rechargeable's. In the clocks I only use Energizers and replace all the them  January 1st. 

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