Battery corrosion in F100

[jeff glass]

An alkaline battery in my F100 appears to have exploded/ The camera seems to work fine, but when I

replaced the alkalines with lithiums and opened it up last night (to replace the battery carrier) there was

more white powdery corrosion in the battery compartment. The lithium batteries were, however, clean.

 

How do I clean this up inside the compartment without hurting the camera?

 

Is there a danger of this corrosion causing serious damage?

 

Thanks,

 

Jeff Glass

[photo5]

Yes, it can cause serious damage. Best to take it in asap. Bad corrosion like that can travel up the circuit and destroy the camera. Vinegar applied to a Q-tip will neutralize the corrosion on the battery contacts, but I'd take it in just to be safe.

[JAPster]

Hi Jeff.

I thought this might interest you. Nikon is recalling some

battery packs that have melted down while inside the camera..

 

http://www.nikonusa.com/email_images/nikonusa/service_advisory/battery.html

[Michael R Freeman]

That doesn't really apply in this instance, since Jeff's F100 takes disposable alkaline/lithium AA cells, not rechargeable Li-Ion packs.

 

It would be wise to get this looked at ASAP. Do you still have the exploded battery?

 

Were these Duracells? They are supposed to repair/replace any device damaged by defective cells: http://duracell.com/care_disposal/care.asp

 

Energizer offers the same warranty: http://data.energizer.com/PDFs/non-rechargeable_FAQ.pdf

[jeff glass]

Jeez, you guys are scarin' me! I, of course, tossed the bad battery and have no proof it was an Energizer, although it was.

 

Thanks for the responses.

 

Have you guys ever had this problem yourselves?

 

Jeff

[JAPster]

Jeff,

If you go to top right corner of photo.net webpage,

there's a search field. If you key in 'battery corrosion'

there, then click Go, you'll see refs to a lot of entries

that touch upon battery corrosion. You might want to

scan down through these, and read the ones that look

similar to your situation.

AP

[Michael R Freeman]

It's kind of hard to give specific advice, because no one here saw how much "goop" leaked, and exactly where it leaked. If it leaked in the area of the contacts and spring at the bottom end of the battery chamber, then it could very well have wicked inside the camera. If it leaked in the battery clip itself near the end where the locking clasp is, and you cleaned it up, you'll probably be fine.

 

I have successfully rescued a SB-16 flash where the batteries leaked and had expanded enough that I had to literally pry the holder out of the flash. But the corrosion appeared to be contained to the battery clip itself, and I was able to clean it up and neutralize it, and the flash worked fine without further problems.

 

On the other hand, my brother had the very bad habit of using the alkaline cells in his Vivitar flash until they were nearly completely dead. Of course eventually a set leaked. We cleaned it up and the flash worked fine for a while, but eventually it quit altogether.

 

So, unfortunately, it's a bit of a crap shoot. Good luck.

[lex_jenkins]

With older electronics it was feasible to attempt a DIY cleanup after battery corrosion. Battery wires were thicker and other components were somewhat more resistant to corrosion.

 

But miniaturization and use of surface mount components has taken this out of the DIY realm for most of us.

 

Send it into a qualified tech ASAP. It won't take long for the corrosion to cause expensive and either irreparable damage or damage that isn't cost effective to repair.

 

Switch to NiMH or lithiums. The only AA alkalines I've used that were truly resistant to leakage even long after exhaustion were Kodak Photolife (branded, I doubt Kodak actually made them and I haven't seem 'em new on the shelf for awhile) and Radio Shack's. But Rat Shacks are expensive, tho' they may still offer a discount deal for buying in bulk.

 

Despite promises from Duracell, Everready, Ray-O-Vac, et al, I've never seen another brand that consistently resisted leakage and corrosion. This includes longterm installation in flashlights that were never even turned on. A battery is less than useless when it can't even be kept in a simple flashlight for emergencies, but I've begun keeping batteries separate from the empty flashlight in the truck or house.

[wei_who]

I have repaired several cameras that had leaking batteries. The white stuff isn't a problem as long as you clean it. Watch out for LIQUID stuff: if you see any sign of it, remove the battery and send the camera to Nikon right away otherwise, it will cause a lot of damage later.

[walterh]

And keep batteries out of your camera (and all other equipment) during storage!

[jeff glass]

Wei who:

 

How exactly did you clean white stuff out? (this is all I have seen in my F100).

 

If I send it in for repair, do you guys recommend sending it to Nikon only? I have a qualified repair shop in here in Austin, precision camera.

 

Thanks