Clean Battery Corrosion and Build Up
Corrosion and build up on battery terminals can keep your car from starting, or cause your digital camera to fail when you want to take a shot of a special moment. No matter what kind of battery you have, your terminals can become corroded and poor conductors of electricity. Read on for tips on how to clean them up.
Contents
Steps
Cleaning Corrosion and Build Up in Car Batteries
- Remove the battery cables from the battery terminals. Loosen the nut on each cable clamp. Remove the cable clamp from the negative terminal, marked with a "-", followed by the clamp from the positive terminal, marked with a "+". Reverse the procedure when replacing them.
- Cables can be difficult to remove. You may have to wiggle and lift it upward until the clamp comes off the terminal post. If there is excess corrosion, you may also need a pair of locking pliers.
- Examine the cables and clamps for excess wear or corrosion. If you find this to be the case, you should replace them.
- Check the battery case for cracks and the terminals for damage. If you find either, replace the battery.
- Secure the loose cables so that they don't accidentally flop on to the terminals.
- Pour baking soda directly onto the posts.
- Use a damp or wet toothbrush to scrub the baking soda into the terminal posts and cable clamps.
- If this isn't doing much, use a battery terminal cleaner brush. You can also use a plain wool pad to shine up the insides as well.
- Dry everything off with a clean rag.
- Apply grease or petroleum jelly onto the posts. This will slow down the formation of corrosive deposits.
- Replace the positive clamp and then the negative clamp. Use a proper sized wrench to tighten them down.
- Replace the rubber boot or plastic shield that covers the plastic terminal. If you don't have one, any local auto parts store should carry it.
Alkaline Batteries
- Check for the corrosion and follow the corresponding directions.
- Mild corrosion: On the traditional shiny terminals, this usually shows up as a dark dull spot.
- Build up: In extreme cases, you may see a crusty build-up. If the build-up is significant, the solution is a bit more tricky.
Mild Corrosion in Alkaline Batteries
- Gather the required materials: vinegar, an applicator, and fine grit sandpaper.
- Lightly soak your applicator in Clean Filters With Vinegar.
- Gently swab at the terminal. Don't be alarmed if there's a fizzing reaction. That's perfectly natural.
- Rub with a bit more vinegar if the corrosion doesn't seem to be going away. If that still doesn't remove the corrosion, you can gently rub the area with fine sandpaper to remove the corroded bits before trying the vinegar again.
- Enjoy the return of life to your batteries. And remember to remove them before putting your camera away next time.
Build Up in Alkaline Batteries
- Gather the required materials: distilled water, baking soda, rubber gloves and lint-free cloths.
- Do not touch the white crusty build-up with your bare skin! That's battery acid which has leaked from the battery and it can burn your skin.
- If you do touch it, rinse your hands off thoroughly with warm soapy water before getting them close to your eyes or any mucous membranes. Let the water run vigorously because the acid will likely become active as it's hydrated. Fast-running water will help rinse it off before it starts to burn you.
- Try removing the battery case and soaking it in water or a diluted solution of baking soda. This would be used in the best case scenario.
- Gently scrub the build-up off with a moistened towel while wearing Remove Rubber Gloves Easily. Remove as much as you can in this manner.
- Use a dilute solution of baking soda on a towel to remove the rest. You will almost definitely get hissing and fizzing, as well as the creation of salt and water. If the battery casing is not waterproof (it generally isn't), you may want to perform this step over a sink with the battery case facing down so that any generated water or salt will drip out.
- Swab the inside with a dampened lint-free cloth. Distilled water is better in the long run to prevent build-up, but tap water won't cause significant problems in this situation.
- Gently dry the terminals with another lint-free cloth. Ensure that everything is dry before putting the batteries in. If necessary, leave the battery sitting out overnight to let any remaining water get out.
Tips
- While it may seem like a bright idea to use a base such as baking soda to remove the acid (the build-up from the battery leakage), acid-base reactions are exothermic and can generate significant amounts of heat. These are mild acids and bases here, but it's still best to play it safe by proceeding slowly. So apply these materials precisely and sparingly to prevent heat build-up.
- If the battery has been unused for a long period of time, carefully inspect the surface for any leakage.
Warnings
- As with anything involving monkeying around with delicate circuitry using water, acids, and bases, this can cause damage to the device. But with careful cleaning and proper caution, the risks of such are fairly low.
- Battery acid is caustic! Any discoloration or powdery build-up should be treated as crystallized acid and cleaned only with proper care. This includes hand and eye protection, although wearing gloves and not cleaning too vigorously will get you through fine in most situations.
- If any acid gets into your eyes or on your mucous membranes, including your nose, immediately wash the affected body part under a water faucet. Flush it continuously under warm water for at least 15 minutes.
- Using the baking soda will create water and salt. Either of those two by- products can cause a short circuit if left in the battery compartment or on any of the electronics. Be sure to wipe and dry all affected areas thoroughly afterwards. Do not immerse the device in the solution unless you can detach the battery holder entirely from the rest of the device to do so. This may include marking and desoldering/re-soldering leads and removing some screws.
- If any of the baking soda/vinegar mixture gets into the electronics compartment, you're probably best off opening up the case and cleaning off its traces and leads, or else reassembling the device and taking it to a professional.
Things You'll Need
- For mild corrosion:
- A small amount of vinegar (white vinegar is the cheapest)
- An applicator (You don't need anything fancy. A lint-free cloth will work fine if the terminals are easy to get to. A Q-tip works nicely for ones that are harder to reach.)
- Fine sandpaper and/or baking soda (for more extreme cases)
- For build up:
- Distilled water
- Rubber gloves
- Lint-free cloth(s)
- Baking soda
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