Is it possible to hear battery leaking? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: jtu
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 04, 2021, 10:44:45 am
content: Hi,I was home alone today which happens very rarely lately, pandemic and consequences. So, iIt was very quiet. I heard noise like (but not exactly) beer bottle opening or something other bubbly leaking form the bottle or opening water faucet a little for a very short time. I started to look around. I found out it was wall clock making the funny noise. The liquid on the battery negative seem very fresh. Is it possible I heard battery leaking? Or, more probable is clock made dying sounds? Clock has stopped few days ago already. Battery was 0.7 volts.Veiksmi,Jānis

author: Brumby
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 04, 2021, 12:54:40 pm
content: Quote from: jtu on July 04, 2021, 10:44:45 amThis tells me you might be right.These batteries are sealed, so when a seal ruptures, it is quite possible that it may make a noise - but I wouldn't expect it to be audible in anything but in a very quiet environment - and it was close by. The fact you say the liquid seems very fresh indicates the leak is recent. As I understand it, this liquid readily reacts with CO2in the atmosphere, producing the crystalline mess we are all familiar with.

author: Ian.M
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 04, 2021, 01:24:15 pm
content: While it *possible* you could hear gas bubbles popping as they force electrolyte past the seal if you were close enough, its far more likely you were hearing the solenoid that drives the mechanical mechanism operating erratically and ineffectively due to undervoltage.

author: ealex
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 04, 2021, 02:49:39 pm
content: it is possible.i had one discharged cell that slowly started fizzing (not a native English speaker, can't find a better word) one night.i did not get up to check what's going on, as i though it was something from he neighboring apartments.i realized what it was the next day, when i saw the mess it made on my desk.

author: amyk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 04, 2021, 07:55:35 pm
content: Yes, I've heard alkaline batteries leak too. In my case it was after doing a very high current discharge, when the device had already been turned off --- and it startled me slightly since it was a subtle "pop!" of the seal giving way, followed by the fizzing/bubbling you described. I thought an electrolytic cap had vented and was looking all over the board at them, before I discovered the leaking cell.

author: jtu
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 05, 2021, 06:20:10 am
content: Quote from: Brumby on July 04, 2021, 12:54:40 pmThe distance was ~2.5m.

author: Brumby
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 05, 2021, 12:01:10 pm
content: Quote from: jtu on July 05, 2021, 06:20:10 amThe ambient noise level would have been very low, then.

author: Ranayna
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 05, 2021, 08:34:02 pm
content: On a side note: Bottled sparling water is very common germany. Sometimes, when i have a bottle on my desk where the lid is *just* not tight enough, some bottles start to make an almost unnoticable fizzing noise. Keyword here is: almost :pI have had instances where i hear this noise over a meter and more.I imagine that a freshly "popped" alkaline can be louder.

author: jtu
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 06, 2021, 09:52:11 pm
content: Quote from: Ranayna on July 05, 2021, 08:34:02 pmJust on a side of the side note: there were no bottles aroud 😀

author: Ranayna
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 06, 2021, 10:20:19 pm
content: I was not saying that you heard a water bottleI just wanted to mention that hearing such small noises is not impossible, and while i have never heard a battery leaking, i assume it would sound a little bit like a fizzing water bottle.

author: Cyberdragon
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 07, 2021, 02:39:38 am
content: It's more of a spurting sound, like a blown gasket or leaking hydraulics. It can sound like a fizzing bottle if you shake it and leave the lid cracked a bit and liquid comes out under pressure.Had some batts spurt on me as a kid from an electronics kit. They must have really not liked that circuit it started malfunctioning and I noticed a mysterious white substance on the table. I found it oozing from the battery holder and heard a strange bubbling noise and realized the batteries had burst. So I pulled them out with pliers into a napkin as they were still going "PFFFT PFFFT" and squirting caustic crap.Other times they just go silently into the night. My childhood projector clock started malfunctioning in the middle of the night. I picked it up and it was dripping, and of course I didn't want to get up and noisily get tools to extract the probably 15 year out of expired batteries in the middle of the night so I unplugged the aux supply (it was still running from the leaking batteries after being unplugged!), and pulled them out by hand with a tissue and threw them in the bedside trash. Of course it still got on my hands and I had to run to the bathroom to wash them off. No, I didn't put new ones in, most of the projector segments are burnt out now and the radio auto-set still works so it doesn't matter if the time is lost initially.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 07, 2021, 03:17:42 am
content: It's certainly possible. Was it fairly hot in the room? That would increase the pressure somewhat. I've heard them leak when they were heavily loaded, I see no reason why it couldn't happen at light load under the right circumstances. Perhaps the safety vent stuck and then fairly suddenly popped.

author: Berni
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 07, 2021, 05:29:05 am
content: Yep i heard a leaking battery before too.It's a fizzling sound much like Cyberdragon described.I even seen a 9V battery literally explode with a sudden bang and blowing off the cap, showing the cylindrical guts.

author: Cyberdragon
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 07, 2021, 05:50:41 am
content: I had a dead coin cell explode in half once. Had it sitting on the coffee table and I heard a weird little "pop"/"tick" and just the shell and some of the guts were left on the table. I later found the cathode assembly behind the couch.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 07, 2021, 06:05:53 am
content: Quote from: Berni on July 07, 2021, 05:29:05 amI've done that too, when I tried to recharge a 9V alkaline battery just to see what it would do.

author: BBBbbb
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 07, 2021, 06:21:27 am
content: Yup, heard it once, like described - fizzling. The alkaline AA (maybe AAA not sure now) was less than a meter from me, pretty silent in the apartment when it started and the sound persisted for at least 5 seconds, enough to get my ear close to make sure it was coming from the battery.I was quite puzzled when it happened and was looking at the battery for the next minute or so wondering basically WTF...

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 08, 2021, 07:14:18 am
content: On a related note, I've heard at least two different F32T8 fluorescent tubes fail in a similar manner. When one of the cathodes wears out the arc will start to wander and often strike from one of the cathode support leads instead of the tungsten coil. This heats it up and at some point it can expand to the point where it cracks the glass to metal seal and you get a soft *tink* pssssssssssssssssssssst and the light goes out. In those particular cases I just happened to be in the room at the moment that the lamp failed.

author: jtu
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 12, 2021, 06:31:04 am
content: Quote from: Cyberdragon on July 07, 2021, 02:39:38 amExactly like that. English is my 3rd language, I was trying to find the right words and you nailed it, thanks!

author: jtu
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 12, 2021, 06:34:48 am
content: Quote from: james_s on July 07, 2021, 03:17:42 amGood point! It has been unusually hot lately here where I live, ~30*C during the day outside. Close to that level inside around the clock.

author: jtu
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 12, 2021, 06:40:21 am
content: Btw, the process continues. I haven't heard the noise anymore, but there are visuals 🙂PS Normally, a person would throw the battery out for recycling, but it sits on my desk. Says something 😂

author: Berni
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 12, 2021, 07:44:25 am
content: Dang that is one heavily leaking battery. Sure wouldn't want this to happen inside a product.

author: rsjsouza
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 12, 2021, 01:06:00 pm
content: It is pretty cool that you were able to get it while "in the action".I have experienced a number of scenarios: leaking inside the battery plastic housing (parts of the battery start to become dark), slow leaking on the negative terminal (still liquid and transparent), the white salts of the dried chemical (the most common), and also what it seemed high pressure ejection of chemicals (white marks on the battery compartment that are congruent with sprayed liquid)If you haven't already done so, perhaps take a photo every day (or hour, depending on the rate of the reaction) and then create a stop motion video with the evolution of the leak.