ARES District 3 Bulletins 2015

TO:    ALL WOOD COUNTY EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS AMATEURS
       ALL NON-WOOD COUNTY EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS AMATEURS
FROM:  KEN HARRIS WA8LLM
       WOOD COUNTY EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS INCORPORATED

WOOD COUNTY BULLETIN NR 15.47            DATE: NOVEMBER 22, 2015
SUBJECT: REMOVE THE BATTERIES

A lot of inexpensive tools and toys which you can buy today come with batteries, or batteries are already installed.  If they are inexpensive enough, you will probably acquire or purchase several of them.  How soon after you have them, do you use them?  Since you may have several of them available, chances are the extra ones will be put away until you need one, if you remember where you stored them.

If you're not going to use these devices for six months or more, the best thing to do is remove the battery or batteries.  Most of the inexpensive batteries that come with the device will begin to leak after awhile.  If they are still installed in the tool or toy you received, you'll see they will have leaked and have the battery contacts corroded, and they may not make contact.  If you're luck enough, you may be able to remove the battery, and clean the contacts, and install a new battery.

The best thing to do is remove the battery or batteries before you store them away.  You might be surprised what else you may be able to do with the batteries you remove.  You may have another device that needs a battery, and you might just have plenty to use.  In any case it's best to remove the batteries and store the device.  It may be years before you will need one of the devices, and it should be as good as new, if you've removed the batteries.  Other wise you may just have to throw the whole thing away, and acquire another one.

Ken Harris WA8LLM
WCEC
Wood County WV

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