I once had a Canon 199A Speedlite ruined by battery corrosion, which ate up the chrome connectors in the flash; I certainly don't want this to happen with my new flash. Do any of y'all use an anti-corrosive gel on your battery terminals? If so, what kind? or do you just take the batteries out if you aren't using the flash for an extended period?
Thanks
Below is a list of some of the things that cause battery leakage and what you can do to prevent it.
1. Use quality batteries from respected manufacturers. Use others "at your own risk."
2. Check the contacts of both batteries and equipment for cleanliness. If necessary clean contacts with a damp cloth and dry.
3. Immediately remove exhausted batteries from the equipment and dispose of the exhausted batteries. Discharged batteries are more prone to leaking.
4. Store your equipment in a cool dry place of moderate temperature. Do not store your equipment in humid areas like basements or garages in summer. Do not store devices with batteries in hot areas like garages in summer.
5. Don't mix battery types or old and new batteries. This can lead to battery leakage.
6. I know it is a pain, but as dirb9 and Mike say remove the batteries if you are not going to use the equipment for more than a month or so.
7. I agree with Mike about Detoxit Gold. I use it to help with better electrical contact between surfaces - BUT the real solution is to prevent the batteries from leaking in the first place. I am not too sure that Detox or any other substance will have much an impact to prevent the corrosion once the corrosive fluid starts leaking out of the battery.
8. Make sure the batteries are inserted properly (I am sure most people do this). Batteries inserted backwards can quickly overheat, resulting in venting, leakage and/or explosion.
don't store any alkaline batteries in equipment that you care about. AAs from the major brands used to be much better quality, but since they've been challenged by all the major electronics going to built-in rechargeable batteries as of say ten years ago, they've cut costs to the bone. Modern AAs leak like crazy. I've had several flashes and radios ruined by leaks from duracells, energizer, etc. I made the switch to 100% rechargable AAs because I can't take the risk anymore.
it's safe to have a backup build on good practice.