Still Usable?

[ohmygahitscoby]

So I took out my battery pack from my starter box to charge, and this is how it looked:

What's happened? Can I still use it? Can't I just rip off the casing and scrub off what's in there?

 

[MrClean]

Can't tell really well, but that looks like corrosion, like if you leave a normal battery in something for a really long time. I know once an alkaline battery does that it's time to get rid of it. If it is corrosion I'd assume you'd want to change it out also cause recharging it might be a little dicey. I think what happens to cause the corrosion is a small leak has formed on the cell and what's inside causes the discoloring and deterioration on the packaging and exterior of the cell. I'm not a battery expert but I believe that's what happens.

 

[ohmygahitscoby]

Oh okay. I haven't charged it because I was on vacation and I never noticed it today. It's a good thing I had a spare.

 

[CharliesTheMan]

It looks like you have a cell leaking. I would take it apart, look the cells over real good, and keep any cells that appear to be in prefect condition (if any are like that) and get rid of the rest. I'mno expert, but I wouldn't take the chance like that over a $10 battery.