A loose aa eneloop went through the wash, is it safe to use once dry? A quick google search says I should throw it out as water would have gone in the vent hole. Another search result says dry it and if it charges its fine…
Surely I’m not the first one on here to do this, any thoughts? I don’t want to damage any of my lights for the cost of a new battery.
I wouldn't use the cell in a good flashlight, or any other device that I care about.
The chance of a NiMH leaking is very low, but it can definitely increase after going through a wash cycle :)
The vent hole should only open when the internal pressure inside the battery gets so high that the cell needs to vent gas. It shouldn’t allow water into the light.
I’d run it though a couple of full charge/discharge cycles, and measure its capacity to make sure that it hasn’t been damaged. Then leave it for a couple of weeks, and make sure it doesn’t self-discharge much, or show signs of any leaks. If it checks out okay, go ahead and use it.
I’d never toss something that I could learn from - I’d be letting it dry thoroughly for a few days (the rice method is fine, but the humidity here right now is 20%) and then putting it on the charger. Sure, Eneloops are cheap but science comes first!
It should be noted that while getting water out of electronics is well and good, if corrosion has already happened, drying them out may not help. And corrosion can happen FAST, especially if the device is on when it gets wet. I’m talking within seconds of getting wet for certain components.
Perhaps he should look up “electrolysis” when he talks about “corrosion”.
Coke has phosphoric acid. Perhaps he should look up “naval jelly”. It’s used to clean crapped-up objects down to the base metal, dissolving nasties along the way. It also has phosphoric acid.
Also, he’s running 18V through that board, vs just dropping it in a deenergised board. Back to “electrolysis”.
Last, I’ve heard of people dropping phones, etc., into puddles, toilets, etc., but not into buckets of coke. Back to phosphoric acid (vs plain water).
It’s like he’s complaining how badly oven-mitts can get burned on a stovetop, but then turning on all the burners and dumping gasoline all over the stove. “Wow! Lookit all that damage to the mitts in just a few seconds!”
Wow!! . . Very interesting video kuzuna, thanks for sharing it.
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I’ll say it again Lightbringer, you have a great way with words!! . Your cracking me up with your analysis. An accurate analysis too I might add.
When people accidentally drip Coke into their computer, it probably IS powered on. And it sounds like the damage can occur in just seconds with an energized board.