March 8, 2009

TIP: Use "Dead" AA Batteries in Wall Clocks

When your AA powered gadget runs out of power, do you toss the batteries without thinking?

Many times those batteries still have plenty of power, just not for the device they were removed from. Wall clocks that use a single AA battery can run off a "dead" battery for 6 months or more.

The time will depend on how much voltage the battery can still provide. Which in turn is dependent upon how sensitive the original device was to voltage. The lower the voltage the device accepts, the more run down the batteries will be, and the shorter the time they will power the clock.

Even though I use mostly rechargeable batteries, there are still several applications where good old alkalines make the most sense. As a result, I have a stockpile of half used AA's in an old peanut butter jar just waiting to be used up in a clock.

So give those AA's a second life. It'll mean a few more battery changes, but you'll get the full life out of your AA's.

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