JapanExposures Posted April 7, 2013 Share #1 Posted April 7, 2013 Advertisement (gone after registration) Hi, I was given a Leica battery that went through the washing machine. It has not been used once for fear of complications. Since the battery is a sealed container I thought I should give it a try. Any advice or anyone with similar experience? Thanks PS: yes, I know high ISO shots might look cleaner, if I'm lucky Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted April 7, 2013 Posted April 7, 2013 Hi JapanExposures, Take a look here Leica Battery gone through the washing machine . I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
DigitalHeMan Posted April 7, 2013 Share #2 Posted April 7, 2013 I would be cautious about charging it in case of any residual moisture inside the battery that might cause a short circuit in the charger. For the cost of a new battery, I wouldn't risk it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JapanExposures Posted April 7, 2013 Author Share #3 Posted April 7, 2013 Yes, but what exactly is the risk? An explosion, fire or just a fuse or breaker going off? Of course I would attend the charging process to be safe. Also the "washing incident" happened three months ago, apparently. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DigitalHeMan Posted April 7, 2013 Share #4 Posted April 7, 2013 It's your camera, you need to evaluate whether the potential risk is worth the return. Only you can do that. Personally I wouldn't take the risk. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
edwardkaraa Posted April 7, 2013 Share #5 Posted April 7, 2013 I have had SD cards accidentally machine washed, but never a battery. I don't see why it shouldn't be usable. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
marknorton Posted April 7, 2013 Share #6 Posted April 7, 2013 I think the risk is small. Place it somewhere warm to dry out for a couple of days, such as on top of a hot water cylinder. Then charge it and keep an eye on it. In fact the internal heat of charging it may help it dry out some more. The danger is more that the charge monitoring chip in the battery pack will give incorrect results than the risk of the battery pack overheating. So, if you are able to charge the battery fully and in the camera it then says the battery is charged, you should be fine. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MPerson Posted April 7, 2013 Share #7 Posted April 7, 2013 Advertisement (gone after registration) I have done it with a Digilux 2 battery (twice!). I put them on top of the immersion heater/hot water tank for a few days, they charged up as normal and have worked fine since. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hookeye Posted April 7, 2013 Share #8 Posted April 7, 2013 I have done it with a Digilux 2 battery (twice!). A good thing the Digilux itself does not fit in your trouser pockets Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JapanExposures Posted April 7, 2013 Author Share #9 Posted April 7, 2013 Hi, thanks for the advice! I will run it through the recharge procedure tomorrow and report back. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Posted April 7, 2013 Share #10 Posted April 7, 2013 If, it still works you should have clean power. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
algrove Posted April 7, 2013 Share #11 Posted April 7, 2013 If, it still works you should have clean power. Exactly, no UPS needed in this case. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
algrove Posted April 7, 2013 Share #12 Posted April 7, 2013 It's your camera, you need to evaluate whether the potential risk is worth the return. Only you can do that. Personally I wouldn't take the risk. Simon- I see your avatar is the precursor of the new M, i.e., holding the camera out in front of you with LV activated. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
brill64 Posted April 8, 2013 Share #13 Posted April 8, 2013 *holding breath* .. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DigitalHeMan Posted April 8, 2013 Share #14 Posted April 8, 2013 Simon- I see your avatar is the precursor of the new M, i.e., holding the camera out in front of you with LV activated. M6 and some good old film, so not quite Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Thompson Posted April 8, 2013 Share #15 Posted April 8, 2013 I keep an SD card and spare M9 battery in my pants cargo pocket. Both have been washed without harm. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JapanExposures Posted April 9, 2013 Author Share #16 Posted April 9, 2013 Hi, sorry for delay, had to clear up the damage from the battery fire Seriously, battery charged normally today and camera operates normally at least on casual inspection. Hope this means that all is working as it should and battery seems usable. A friend commented that circuit boards are washed during production anyway and it should not do any harm. Thanks for all advice and comments. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Thompson Posted April 9, 2013 Share #17 Posted April 9, 2013 Hi, sorry for delay, had to clear up the damage from the battery fire Seriously, battery charged normally today and camera operates normally at least on casual inspection. Hope this means that all is working as it should and battery seems usable. A friend commented that circuit boards are washed during production anyway and it should not do any harm. Thanks for all advice and comments. Hi Dirk - I didn't notice your were the OP. Glad to help. - Regards, Colin Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomv Posted April 9, 2013 Share #18 Posted April 9, 2013 I keep an SD card and spare M9 battery in my pants cargo pocket. Both have been washed without harm. Clean power supply then? And a spotless memory card?:D The key issue is probably that no detergent deposits are left, they cause corrosion. I would not trust the card nor the battery on the long run. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
haroldp Posted April 9, 2013 Share #19 Posted April 9, 2013 Yes, but what exactly is the risk? An explosion, fire or just a fuse or breaker going off? Of course I would attend the charging process to be safe. Also the "washing incident" happened three months ago, apparently. Lithium Ion batteries are funny and need a built in circuit to regulate the charge. If the wash (or dry) overheated and destroyed the internal pcb it could be dangerous. Before this was figured out, laptop computers were catching fire regularly. The biggest danger is when charging and discharging concurrently which is unlikely in a camera unless an AC adapter is hooked up. ... H Otherwise you could emulate a Boeing 787 test flight (the batteries caught fire). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avatar Posted April 10, 2013 Share #20 Posted April 10, 2013 I tend to wash my batteries, lens caps, memory cards and wallet every so often. I'll bet it's fine. Good luck! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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