Pluggers by Rick McKee for May 02, 2023

Or maybe you believe in magic?

I’ve done that.

I’ve also measured batteries to find the ones with the most charge to make them last a bit longer.

It works – why knock it?

I lick the batteries and put them back in. It works!

Nah, it’s just they get a bit loose in there and you just make sure that they’re back in there right, problem fixed. – Or is that just me?

Just rubbing off any possible corrosion on the contacts. Been there, done that.

The practice is not completely erroneous, very often batteries that are overdue for replacement will “salt” (emit gases that cause a white corrosion to appear on the contacts). When you replace the cells, the corrosion remains and degrades the performance of the new cells.

Rotating the cells may scrape off some of the salting, resulting in better performance. It is much better to simply scrape off the salting, usually perfectly good contacts are still hiding under the white powder. Or it can be cleaned with a damp Q-tip, taking care not to get any water into the remote proper.

Other times, the salting has actually corroded the contacts and the remote is trash. Very common when something has not been used for years with the original batteries still installed. If you are going to store something battery-powered for years unused, take out the batteries!

Date the batteries when you put them in anything . Depending on usage you now know what to expect … Time wise ;-)

I don’t understand why the spinning batteries works, but it does.

I plead GUILTY

I’ve done something similar. Just removing and reinserting AA batteries in a mouse make it work a little bit longer – maybe just long enough to find new batteries!

Buy rechargeable… cost more than regular, but last a LONG time.

There’s also the “battery bounce” test- Drop an alkaline battery a few inches above a countertop. If it bounces, it’s dead.

Source- trust me on this.

I bought 16 AA rechargeables. Turns out they are very slightly larger in diameter than a standard AA and therefor do not fit in most of our controls. Annoying.

Well, it frequently works if they have quit working…

Most pluggers are frugal, they know how to squeeze out a few more electrons from batteries.. drops of milk from a can.. toothpaste from a tube. We live by the motto… waste not want not.

Been there, done that, bought the T-shirt.

Sometimes that works.

Been there. Done that. Several times.

I do that ! I thought I was the only one who knew that trick.

Why do they make anything that uses the far more expensive triple A battery?

People wouldn’t do it if it didn’t work. It is usually a battery contact surface oxidation problem.

You can also remove the batteries and let them rest a day or so. Then they are as good as new for a bit longer. I have a box of “used but usable” batteries that I use for replacements. This is because battery chemicals tend to cluster at one end or the the other. While “resting” the chemicals dissipate through the battery.

I’d never heard of that trick, but I can see the logic of scraping off any corrosion buildup if the batteries have been in the device for a long time. Not sure how well it would actually work, but there’s logic behind it! Wonder if it’s a holdover from the pre-alkaline days…

It also works to take the eraser end of a pencil and rub the contacts on both the device and the batteries. It removes a thin layer of corrosion; it’s basic physics. You remember things like this when you are miles out on a trail with your camera. You can only get a few more shots but you never know which ones are going to be Pulitzer Prize material. :)

His TV is too old to have a remote:)

If you take batteries out of a flash light (torch for you Brits) when it starts getting dim and put them in a battery operated clock, you’re a plugger.

done this a few times

I never heard this one before!

Spin the batteries? Never. Now, take the batteries out, then change their positions and put them back in, on the other hand…and you would be surprised how well that works.

Yes … I have done this! :D

I’ve been a spinner for many a year.

I kind of got a charge out of this one.