What to Do When Batteries Leak in Your Remote Control
Now that many folks are wandering back indoors, it’s not unusual for them to pick up the remote control for one device or another and discover that it doesn’t work. Most people quickly think of opening the battery compartment and replacing the batteries when — horror appears. Not only are the batteries dead, they have “exploded,” or more accurately, leaked.
Your next step can depend upon the brand and quality of batteries you use. That’s right, it can make a difference.
Higher-quality batteries, like Duracell, Energizer and a few others, may remain intact for quite some time after going dead. When alkaline batteries do leak, the residue can appear dry and crusty. These are often easier to address, and I will shortly have an upcoming YouTube video showing how to handle it.
The worst offenders, in my experience, have often been some of the discount batteries sold through big-box and discount stores. When these leak, the material may be more fluid-like and highly corrosive. It is not unusual for the leakage to badly damage the contacts in a remote and, in some cases, actually work its way into the remote through openings in the plastic housing.
It’s a good practice, regardless of brand, to remove batteries from remote controls if they are not going to be used for an extended period of time. Otherwise, regular use will usually tell you when the batteries are getting weak. If they are dead, get them out of the remote.
In any event, never start by flooding the battery compartment with a water-based cleaning solution. Remove the batteries first and dispose of or recycle them according to the requirements in your area. Rechargeable and lithium batteries should never simply be thrown in the trash. Many home improvement stores and other retailers have battery recycling programs, so check locally.
If you have the typical dry, crusty residue from an alkaline battery leak, a toothbrush can often be very effective. Take the remote over to a garbage can and brush the contacts while holding the open battery compartment downward so the loose contamination falls away from the remote. If you brush with the battery compartment facing upward, you risk pushing that material farther inside.
Repeated inspection may be necessary.
At that point, a little housecleaning with cotton swabs is in order. They can be dry or only slightly dampened as needed to pick up loose residue. Inspect the contacts carefully. If corrosion remains attached to the metal, it may require gentle mechanical cleaning with a suitable small tool or fine file, depending upon access and the condition of the contact.
Be careful. The goal is to remove the corrosion, not remove what remains of the contact.
Once the loose contamination has been cleared away, the electrical contact surfaces may need additional cleaning. I have used DeoxIT for this purpose. I prefer applying a small amount from a squeeze bottle or applying it to a cotton swab or small modeling brush first. I do not recommend spraying contact cleaner directly into the remote. It creates a mess and can put cleaner where you do not want it.
I also cannot speak for every contact cleaner on the market. Some chemicals may damage or discolor certain plastics, so know what you are using before putting it into an electronic device.
Now, if we have one of the really bad leakers, the first step after removing the batteries is to carefully remove as much of the wet residue as possible with cotton swabs. It may take several of them and multiple passes.
Remember that leakage from common alkaline batteries is not battery acid. It is typically a corrosive alkaline material, commonly involving potassium hydroxide. Regardless of the chemistry, you don’t want it on your skin, clothing, furniture or inside the electronics.
Once the residue is removed, inspect the contacts themselves. I recently encountered a case where the corrosion had eaten away so much of the contacts that there was simply nothing useful left to clean. Dead remote.
I had another case where the leakage badly corroded the contacts and surrounding metal. If usable contacts remain, careful cleaning may still save the remote. Sometimes the process needs to be repeated after the area has dried so you can see exactly what remains.
If the corrosion has traveled deep inside the remote, the unit may need to be disassembled for proper cleaning — or it may simply be time for a new remote.
Again, for those who prefer videos, I have an upcoming YouTube video showing how I deal with the more manageable cases. As for the real “nasties,” that will probably become another video entirely. I’ll need another thoroughly abused remote for the autopsy.
So, if you want to donate one, I’d appreciate it.
Last words: If you are not going to use a remote for a while, remove the batteries!
—Lou