At the end of this blog post, I’m going to tell how to RE-CHARGE batteries using absolutely no modern devices. OK, let’s carry-on with How Long Does An AAA Battery Last?
Yesterday (03 October 2019), I found 02 packs of AAA-size Q-Force Super Extra Heavy Duty Batteries.
Both were 16-pack batteries. I bought them at the Dollar Store years ago. I don’t know if they still sell these batteries.
I’m sure I got more hidden in these boxes and boxes of stuff that I stored away years ago. Guess what the Expiration Date was on both packs of batteries?
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Here’s a quote: “BEST IF USED BY: DEC 2006.”
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That was 12-years and 10 months ago. Most people would throw both packs of batteries away. But one thing I’ve ALWAYS told my subscribers in a survival situation:
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“NEVER throw anything away. It can be used for some to satisfy the 8 Elements of Survival (Fire, Water, Shelter, First-Aid, Signal, Food, Weapons and Navigation).”
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Well I wanted to see if these batteries were still good. Almost 13-years past their expiration, most folks would throw these babies away.
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I got this ‘Pioneer Headlamp’ that takes 03 AAA Batteries. I took out the 03 re-chargeable batteries and replaced them with 03 Q-Force Super Extra Heavy Duty Batteries.
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I turned-on the headset and guess what happened?
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BAAAMMM!!! They worked!!! 12-years and 10 months AFTER THE EXPIRATION DATE, these batteries still worked and the brightness of the LED light is as good or better than my freshly re-charged rechargeable batteries.
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I gotta tell you. I had my doubts. Why? Cause the package on the back stated: “PRODUCT OF CHINA.” I guess I’ll stop hammering on ‘Made In China’ products, uh.
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HEY, these batteries even surpassed DURACELL Batteries Warranty and them DURACELL Batteries are top of the line. DURACELL Battery Packages state: “Guaranteed 10 Years.”
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So bottom line, even them cheap batteries at the Dollar Store are some good batteries, even WAY BEYOND THEIR EXPIRATION DATE!
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By the way, I ALWAYS tell my subscribers to “ALWAYS ALWAYS carry back-up batteries for flashlights and other devices when venturing outdoors.”
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Now those cheap batteries will last like the higher cost batteries. Consider the following uses for LONG-LIFE batteries like the 03 Q-Force Super Extra Heavy Duty Batteries:
- Survival Kits (pocket, backpack, vehicle, home)
- Your own secret wilderness underground emergency Caches
- Home use
- Vehicle use
- ALWAYS have back-up batteries
PLUS, you’re saving money. No doubt you got batteries laying somewhere in your house that you purchased several years ago. Don’t throw them away. As you just read, they still have plenty of juice in them.
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How To RE-CHARGE Batteries!
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Fertig Battery Recharger
Colonel Wendell W. Fertig, his American comrades and their Filipino guerrillas evaded into the jungles of the Phillippines. These outnumbered and outgunned guerillas fighters fought the Japanese occupation of the Philippines during WWII. Even though Col. Fertig’s main overall objective was to execute hit & run tactics to kill Japanese soldiers at every opportunity (attrition), he greatly enhanced the war effort against the Japanese Empire because the Japanese spent so many resources to unsucsessfully neutralize (kill him and all his guerilla fighters) Colonel Fetig’s war efforts.
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Telephone batteries could not be replaced. Amazingly, it was discovered how to recharge the batteries. The telephone batteries were submerged in tuba (coconut beer) overnight. Amazingly, the battery recharged. This Fertig Battery Recharger was so effective it was used by all the resistance forces throughout the Philippines.
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Laydon’s Battery Recharger R&D
I thought the Fertig Battery Recharger was worthy of some R&D (Research & Development) so here it is (092000C February 2007). I took 03 Panasonic AA batteries and ran them in a small RadioShack radio. Once the batteries were run down to nothing, I kept the radio on for another 12 hours. The 03 AA batteries were dead dead – no life to them whatsoever.
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I then took a cold bottle of beer – a 12-fluid ounce of Samuel Adams Cherry Wheat beer and took a good swallow from it (MMmmmmmm) to adjust for the volume for replacement of the 03 batteries. I dropped the 03 dead batteries in the bottle of beer and they hit the bottom of the glass bottle. Immediately beer foam came pouring out of the top of the bottle. Enough foam that I had a little cleaning up to do.
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Foam covered the top of the bottle and I replaced the bottle cap (non twist off). To insure I got a half way decent seal on the bottle I placed a small section of Glad Press’n Seal over the bottle cap and top neck of the glass bottle. I placed the beer bottle in a glass bowl in case it overflowed and placed everything in the fridge. The 03 “dead” batteries remained in the bottle for approximately 16-hours.
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I removed the 03 “dead” AA batteries from the bottle of beer. Drying them off, I then placed the batteries in my small RadioShack radio and turned it on. The radio responded to a LOUD volume. After finding a Country Western channel, I noticed the 03 batteries quickly losing their power. However, even at a low volume, the 03 rejuvenated batteries kept the radio playing for 30 minutes! Not bad from dead dead dead batteries to rejuvenated batteries! WAIT – WAIT!
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After 30-minutes of running the radio, the volume and reception became weak so I turned off the radio to see if the 03 batteries could recover like most batteries do. After 60-minutes of rest, I turned on the radio and sure enough, the 03 batteries re-rejuvenated themselves. I continued to do this and the batteries recovered again and again. Timing these 03 “dead” batteries, I had a total running time (weak) of 01-hour 23-minutes. Not bad uh!
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That may not seem like a long time but in emergency situations, I think the Fertig Battery Recharger survival trick may give your radio (receiving radio signals) or Walkie-Talkie (transmit emergency message(s) just enough power to get you out of trouble and save your life and those comrades under your command Anytime Anywhere!
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1st Note: Holding the radio near the body aids in reception. And knowing the directional source of the signal may help out too.
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2nd Note: I’m not sure if the yeast in beer aids to rejuvenate batteries or what. I also don’t know about how this same application will apply to all sorts of other batteries. It’s beyond my own R&D (time & money).
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Tapping Battery Recharger
–I thought I’d add this re-charging trick in here. Even though I haven’t conducted any R&D on it to prove or disprove it – I thought it be worthy of your attention. An insurance inspector was out here inspecting the roof (March 2008). His flashlight was going dim so to recharge the batteries real quick, he removed the batteries and tapped the negative ends of each battery against each other. Sure enough, the light beam was stronger than before!
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Do your own R&D and let me know what happened.
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WAIT WAIT WAIT!!!! Hold the phone, hold the phone!!!!
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I just did my own R & D (090031C October 2019 – Wednesday) of what you just read about tapping the negative ends of both batteries together. I know I did this R & D back in 2008 but I lost my notes – so here it goes again.
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I have this cheap $1 dollar flashlight that I got at the Dollar Store. I have 02 AA Energizer Recharge batteries that I ran down till the light was very dim. I took out both batteries and tapped the negative ends together 30-times.
I placed both batteries back in the flashlight and turned it on. Guess what happened? Guess? You won’t believe it.
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I don’t why it works, but the flashlight light was brighter. It lasted 34-minutes, 34 whole minutes!! Amazing
It was brighter light than the very dim light before. I used my stopwatch to time it. Enough of a brighter light to signal somebody in an emergency situation, find your way to safety,… So that tapping the negative ends of both batteries together really does work!!!!
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After 34-minutes the light started to get dim. So I let the batteries run down overnight till noon the next day.
I re-tapped the negative ends of the batteries again – 30 taps. Guess what happened?
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You got it. The batteries rejuvenated themselves. Again the light was brighter. I have no idea why this works, I don’t care. It works. Don’t believe me, try it yourself.
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Note: When I was tapping the negative ends of the batteries together, in my right hand, I can feel a tingling sensation with each tap.
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MOST IMPORTANT NOTE: When venturing outdoors, even for just a daylight venture, still take a flashlight with fresh batteries with you cause ‘You Just Never Know.’ And ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS, one more time, ALWAYS have a set of fresh back-up batteries with you. And when both sets of batteries die on you, now you know how to rejuvenate them with some ‘tapping’ or even if you got a cold brewski in your cooler!!!!
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