Outdoor rust prevention
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Very often the battery contacts on an outdoor node (or even solar garden lights) will corrode and fail. Short of using epoxy, which is an expensive option, I noticed a couple of alternatives that look intriguing:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ULSW6FS/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A19NVE4G6SOT2C&psc=1https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009H1AMG/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1
Anyone have experience with either one, or know of anything that might be even better?
The other, perhaps better, way to do it would be to use tabbed batteries, though I'm not sure whether or not they are entirely immune to corrosion. Anyone know?
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@neverdie Never heard of either but at a guess the can is a WD40 equivalent, which is a classic corrosion inhibitor/protector, even if handling anything it touches gets a bit messy...
A spray to an open frame battery holder with the battery/ies in place will give a thin coat protection, but ensure that the wire joints (crimp/solder) are also treated. So long as it does not insulate the battery's physical contact it will extend life against corrosion very effectively..
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What about just putting a small bead of caulk over it. That should keep out moisture and corrosion. And caulk is fairly cheap too.
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On my battery powered bicycle light I use petroleum jelly on the battery terminals. It makes changing batteries a little bit more messy than usual, but it seems to do the trick for over two years now.
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anything greasy or oily that makes a barrier for moisture on a metal would help
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@gohan Right, but it would seem that they're not all equal. This guy did an exhaustive comparison of 46 different products, and some seemed to perform/last much better than others:
http://www.dayattherange.com/?page_id=3667
Seems like Frog Lube and/or WD 40 Specialist Long Term Corrosion Inhibitor might be worth considering.
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did he left those exposed to the rain? If so it is not a fair comparison as the battery contacts need only some protection against moisture
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@gohan Right. He did 3 shootouts, and one was an indoor shootout. I supplied the link above. Same winners, pretty much.
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Recently I had to change batteries in the outdoor Netatmo wind sensor
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B016OHME1A/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_ivx.AbS3R1HDF
The lower battery compartment was completely flooded and guess what - battery contacts were corroded. This is my solution
There was a small water ingress from the top. I have used hot glue to prevent it in the future. Cleaned the battery contacts with a contact cleaner (it also puts a anticorrorion protective layer on the metal) and that’s it
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@neverdie I am expecting that a prodict named " Long Term Corrosion Inhibitor" would work better than a normal lubricant oil/grease, the idea would be to find a good enough solution with what you may have at home without the need to buy something specific (and quite easily expensive) just to keep contacts clean
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@gohan said in Outdoor rust prevention:
the idea would be to find a good enough solution with what you may have at home without the need to buy something specific (and quite easily expensive) just to keep contacts clean
That may be the perfect example for a definition of "easier said than done."
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@alexsh1 I hope it lasts long term. I tried the same sort of thing using hot glue on a chinese led garden light (which almost seem designed to quickly rust), but it failed in less than 3 months anyway.
On the plus side, hot glue is much easier to apply than epoxy, and it's very inexpensive too.
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hot glue can be removed with heat, but epoxy would not be that easy
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For contacts like batteries I use a silicone lubricant I found at the local pool store. It is used for lubricating O-rings and fittings on pool filters and plumbing.
Its benefits are:-
Very thick and stays put (for the most part)
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Displaces moisture and air, reducing corrosion
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Does not harden so the contacts can "move" and still retain contact.
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Most of all, does not attack plastics or cause them to swell (as a petroleum based product would)
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