I don't buy a lot in Aldi supermarkets, especially as I buy very little food now, just fruit for myself, and I don't find Aldi's fresh fruit, vegetable and meat as good as our other large supermarkets, although it is generally cheaper.
Where I find Aldi excels is its cleaning products, and quite a lot of its packaged food.
I remember when Ray was with me, we decided a pack of 50 AA batteries in the centre aisle was a bargain, and bought them. I haven't finishing using them yet and annoyingly some have begun to leak acid. Ok, they are probably nearly three years old now. Is this to be expected? Perhaps.
Time for a forensic examination and my magnifying glass will be required.
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I removed six and earlier I'd removed three, with the rest looking ok, for now.
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I could complain to Aldi and perhaps get a refund, but I've no idea what we paid for them and backtracking through bank records is tedious. Although Aldi would see that they are their batteries, that they have failed before their expiry date, and work out a refund itself. Some battles just aren't worth fighting.
To save money, rather than allow the evaporation tray to use its boiling element to steam off water that drips from the aircon, I use a cheap battery powered stirrup pump to drain the water into a bucket. Even though the two Aldi D batteries that power the pump were only a couple of weeks old, they had seen not much more than half an hour of non continuous use. Yet, a couple of days ago, they would not give out enough power to lift the water from the tray. South Melbourne Aldi had run out of batteries last week, but as mine were quite new, I thought no matter that I don't have spare batteries.
Then came Monday, and it was wet, very wet. Quite unusual for here nowadays. I had no way of pumping out the water from the tray so the steam off element did its job, all day. I've never known the aircon to drip so much water. Today I bought new batteries, this time from a major supermarket and I paid twice the price as I would pay at Aldi, and they immediately pumped water. I've been pumping out the tray for years to save the money, sitting next to the unit, being blasted with cold air in the winter, hot air in summer. It hasn't really made much water since June, and yesterday was an exception.
The spike in electricity use was worse than I thought.
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That all sounds quite a faff to be honest. You would think that by now someone would come up with a more efficient method of dealing with aircon drippy stuff.
ReplyDeleteThe apartments in the building with the original central air conditioning had drains to somewhere. It is only an issue with later fitted units that use the evaporating trays, as there is nowhere for the water to drain to.
DeleteElectricity is really expensive here sometimes especially over Winter, and things don't seem to last as long as they use to these days.
ReplyDeleteAmy, I will guess that your electricity costs more than it does here. Everything for you seems to cost more, and I don't really know why.
DeleteBtw, I heard this morning your PM might be rolled.
I have heard that my state SA has the highest electricity costs in the country and possibly the world, maybe it's true and maybe it isn't but I try to avoid using the oven and aircon as much as possible. Washer and dryer too.
DeleteI only ever buy Energizer batteries in all sizes and they last a long time. I have acamping lantern that I use when the power goes out, iy takes 4 D size batteries and is still working on the original 4 that I put in on the day I bought it many years ago, when we had a statewide power outage. I bought three packs of D batteries at the time and they are still in the original packaging in a box in the back porch cabinet along with many C size, AA and AAA packs. None have ever leaked while still in the packets and I check the ones in the lantern reasonably often. No leaking and still working.
ReplyDeleteRiver, they are just so expensive though but maybe cheaper ones are a false economy.
DeleteHmm, after reading this I feel I should check whatever batteries I have on the premise. I kind of forget they leak after a while.
ReplyDeleteYes Kirk, remotes and smoke alarm back up batteries.
DeleteWe usually buy the long lasting batteries and don't seem to have too much of a problem.
ReplyDeleteFor this purpose I wrote of Sandra, I think I will.
DeleteI guess you should get your refund. Good that batteries weren't in any device. If they were, the device too would been spoiled by the leaked acid.
ReplyDeletePradeep, I have found leaking batteries in remotes that still worked fine.
DeleteNot good that those batteries leaked before the use by date. We get out batteries from Bunnings and never had any trouble so far. They are not expensive ones but Bunnings is just down the hill and up another.
ReplyDeleteOk Margaret. I never thought of Bunnings. I will check.
DeleteWe use rechargeable batteries for most things.
ReplyDeleteWe used to JB, but I remember that for one particular item, they would not deliver enough power. The charger has long gone now.
DeleteCold storage, in the freezer will help batteries store for longer.
ReplyDeleteOk TP. I didn't know that.
Delete^^^ Good advice that works.
ReplyDeleteEndorsed by Bob.
DeleteAn Aldi opened here a year or so ago. What a small world! :) Be well!
ReplyDeleteThey are all over the world now Darla.
DeleteI have found that cheap batteries don't last very long, Andrew. It is like cheap paint - don't buy it.
ReplyDeleteYes Pat, I would never buy cheap paint.
DeleteWell, they should last until the expiration date at least. Shoddy!
ReplyDeletePoor indeed, Steve.
DeleteThere must have been water trapped in those battery plastic wrappings. I have very old batteries, and no breakdown in most. Here and there one will be bad. If I plan to store them long, I do it like apples, seperating them with paper towels, to absorb any moisture. Whether that helps in their longevity, I don't know, but I've always done so.
ReplyDeleteStrayer, they were in a cardboard box. The plastic is just to contain the leaking ones until disposed of. Another tip for battery storage.
DeleteI have never shopped in Aldi and I have never had an issue with other brands of batteries..An air conditioning specialist might have an answer to your drainage issue
ReplyDeleteI am afraid there is no other way than to steam the excess water away. That really was an exceptional day.
DeleteThank you for sharing this.
ReplyDeleteI hope you learnt a little, Linda, as I did.
DeleteI don't buy batteries from dollar store, they leak.
ReplyDeletePoint taken, thanks Dora.
DeleteI just bought double A's from Amazon and they should be good through 2034... Store it in a cool dry place of course.
ReplyDeleteCloudia, if you still have the batteries in 2034 and I am still alive, let me know how the batteries are.
DeleteTry to get a refund.
ReplyDeleteIt just isn't worth the effort. The bad batteries went into the battery recycling bin.
DeleteWe have a pack like that from Costco. Be careful of leaky batteries, one of the condos in the building next door caught fire due to batteries rubbing together!!
ReplyDeleteIt's funny Jackie that I got through forty to fifty years of life when batteries were never a problem. Then button batteries appeared and kids started swallowing them, and now it seems like batteries are catching fire left, right and centre.
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