AA battery exploded

gorbas said:

In the last year or so I had serious leaks with brand new Duracell AA and AAA alkaline batteries bought in Canadian Costco. Never had to deal with so many bad fresh batteries.

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It sounds like they were counterfeit batteries. In the 45 years I've been in photography, I never had a single Duracell give problems. I did have batteries that came with a Leica SL2 camera (c. 1975) corrode. Had to send the camera back to Leica for warranty repairs.

Paul Howell said:

This morning I was shooting with my Konica T4 with winder. I had just finished a roll and swapping bodies for a T3 when there was a bang, it took a while to figure out one of the 6 AA batteries had exploded. There some sort of battery fluid all over the batter compartment and the bottom of the drive had been blown open. I was shooting with a monopod so I didnt feel the battery getting hot. I used many motor drives and winders over the years, Nikon, Minolta, Konica, Chinon and never had a battery explode before. Attached is an picture of the damage to the winder. View attachment 231700

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sorry to see your troubles
never heard of batteries exploding, just lighters when richard pryor was using them

shutterfinger said:

If you take a paper clip, unfold it, and place it across the + and - contacts of any battery the paper clip will get so hot it will burn your fingers in a matter of a few seconds.

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yup i keep a battery steel wool nearby and make sure i have a little bellybutton lint on me at all times in case i need to start a fire, much easier than flint and steel.
that making a solar still and a easy snare are some of the first things you are taught when learning how to survive. unfortunately these days one also needs samurai swords, long spears and wooden stakes
seeing a battery-fire to spitfire cook your chipmonk / squirrel with water that tastes like dirt won't t do much during the upcoming zombie apocalypse .. speaking of which paul if i send you my address can you send me some of your batteries they might come in handy during the ZA ...

Paul Howell said:

Will they leak when in use or when left in device? I take all the batteries out of my devices right after use which is why I was surprised when the alkaline exploded. I use Lithium AA with my Sigma SD 9 and 10, Energized Iithum package says guaranteed not to leak for what ever that's worth.

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Honestly? I don't know. It should only leak at the end of its live, given that the wall dissolves more or less uniformly.

Vincent Peri said:

It sounds like they were counterfeit batteries. In the 45 years I've been in photography, I never had a single Duracell give problems. I did have batteries that came with a Leica SL2 camera (c. 1975) corrode. Had to send the camera back to Leica for warranty repairs.

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I have had a Duracell leak recently, but it is the first time for me.

There's a simple rule I thought everybody already knew. Never store away anything with the battery still in it. Never leave a rechargeable battery in the charger longer than necessary, and never leave the charger itself plugged in when not in use. That kind of advice is as basic as telling people not to smoke in bed. Never ever throw loose batteries randomly together, even for sake of disposal, even alkaline - that kind of carelessness is infamous for starting fires. Anybody that thinks this kind of issue is a joke is less than zero informed. Talk to any fire marshall, any hazmat center. I've seen it all.