My wall clocks require monthly battery change?!! V.Expensive.. Help

savedmoney

Hi

I have two Acctim clocks
One of them is the

Acctim Orion Sweep Clock



The other is

Acctim Oceana Weather Resistant Clock




For the purposes of my query nothing particularly special, out of the ordinary about them so just regarding them as
Analogue Wall Clocks

My query is:
Why is it that after placing
Brand New Premium Brand AA batteries
in both, they will relatively quickly lose time and need to be corrected eg 2-5 mins, in general if I want them to keep accurate time, they need batteries replaced every couple of months!
Which is not cheap and certainly not Money Saving

This can't be right?? right?
I moved out of home a couple of years ago and purchased both these clocks one for my bedroom one for my bathroom, they are my first personal experience of
Analouge wall clocks

Surely analouge wall clocks do not need batteries changing every two months?! Or have I just been unlucky with both my clocks?
When I lived with my parents my mum used to deal with such minor matters in life... but I always thought clocks like this would keep going for around one year on one battery?!

Would appreciate any input and experiences.

Farway

I've got an Acctim radio controlled one, analogue, do not know model type but looks a bit like your second example

I use Duracell AA batts, the clock is in my conservatory so is subject o quite high and low temperatures [40F at moment for instance]

I find once a year or so the battery needs replacing, and of course being radio controlled the time is always automatically corrected anyway so unable to say regarding time keeping as mine is always 100% accurate to GMT

I have another non Acctim, not RC analogue clock, keeps good time with battery changes about annually

I normally wait until clocks stop before changing batts

I did have one analogue clock that just gobbled batteries, I chucked it in the end

To summarise, IME seems to depend upon the clock, 2/3 of mine were fine

If replacing one I suggest you get a RC one next time, I find them ideal

savedmoney

Thanks for the info Farway,

In my case both clocks are indeed battery gobblers.

Not sure what to do since I specficially purchased both clocks for a reason

Orion Sweep - For Bedroom since it has a continuous second hand movement rather then tick tock which disturbs my sleep.

Oceana Weather Resistant - For Bathroom to protect it from the humidity of shower etc

I like the idea of radio controlled but not sure if I could get radio controlled and both of these features (Sweep & Bathroom proof) as well.
Though being a train commuter for me the key issue is having accurate clocks as 1 min out in the morning could mean missing the train and waiting 30mins on the platform for the next one!

Would welcome any further info, experiences and solutions.

Pink.

Hi savedmoney,

As your thread has dropped down the Old Style board I've moved it over to the In My Home board to see if you can get more advice.

Pink


Hi, Martin’s asked me to post this in these circumstances: I’ve asked Board Guides to move threads if they’ll receive a better response elsewhere(please see this rule) so this post/thread has been moved to another board, where it should get more replies. If you have any questions about this policy please email [EMAIL="abuse@moneysavingexpert.com"]abuse@moneysavingexpert.com[/EMAIL].

savedmoney

Thanks for that Pink-winged.

Any advice from DIYers would be greatly appreciated. :beer:

elsien

Rechargeable batteries?

Frank_E

Even with 2700mAh NiMH batteries (whiich generally have high self-discharge) I only change batteries once a year.
I've turned into my Dad and write the battery change date on a label on the back of the clock.

Frank_E

elsien wrote: »

Rechargeable batteries?

Most have high self-discharge so are generally unsuitable for applications such as wall clocks, remote controls, memory savers.

savedmoney

elsien wrote: »

Rechargeable batteries?

Frank_E wrote: »

Most have high self-discharge so are generally unsuitable for applications such as wall clocks, remote controls, memory savers.

Thanks elsien and Frank E,
I had considered rechargeable batteries, but as Frank E mentions the 'accepted wisdom' is that due to self-discharge they are not suitable for wall clocks.

So much for accepted wisdom, I think I will give rechargable batteries a try can't be much worse then the current 1-2 months with my one use Energizer/Duracell Alkaline batteries.

A few questions before I try it out
Frank E and any other helpful MSE DIYers,

- Is there a particular type of rechargeable battery brand which you might recommend from experience for clock usage?
If you know of an online retailer a link would be appreciated

-2700mAh was mentioned, is it the case that a particular mAh rating would be better (eg last longer between recharge), is it higher or lower for this type of use?

-You mentioned NiMH, I know the basics about rechargeable batteries but would a particular type of battery (eg chemistry type) be more suitable for wall clock use?

Thanks much appreciated

paddyrg

There are some rechargeables with very low self discharge (retaining North of 85% charge after an unused year), pop into Maplins and see the range. As for why your clocks are *so* hungry, well I've no idea. Nor why they're so inaccurate. Just as an example, I only use OLD batteries in my wall clock - ones that have partial discharge from being used in radio microphones (where you always use fresh to avoid running out mid-show!), and it still runs for a year within a minute or so from a single AA, so yours sound defective!

I've been looking at radio control clocks myself recently to use as accurate studio clocks, and analogue (tick tick, not sweep, sorry) ones start at just £20, which is cheaper than the LCD ones! So I think I may treat myself to a few :-)

savedmoney

Thanks paddyrg

This is the Maplin range online
http://www.maplin.co.uk/Search.aspx?MenuNo=77825&page=1
perhaps they may have more instore, but out of interest which of these do you think might be better for trial.
Thanks