battery life in unused pedals...

[molokaio]

So... in the last year my fuzz madness has brought me to have way more pedals than I actually use.
Now my problem and ignorance is this:

Many pedals, dam included, come with batteries inside. Even a months can pass before i use that pedal again, so it stays in the box with the battery plugged in into my wardrobe.

Is this safe? I mean, I saw batteries make that weird foam after sometime in some old stufff I had forgotten around the apartment. How long does it take for the batteries to leak? is it an humidity problem or something?

Any way to prevent it? What do you guys do?
I know the easiest answer is taking the batteries out, but having to unscrew pedals before use anytime I feel like using it is a pain.

[Bram]

I believe leakage of acid used to be a bigger problem with older batteries. I haven't expirienced that in a while. I don't change batteries in most of my fuzzes for a long time since they last a while. My rule of thumb is: if you need a screwdriver then leave it in. If it has a battery drawer I open it before storing.
If you get a leakage, though, it can easily be a mess to clean up and it can affect the guts. Normally that would take years, though.

[devnulljp]

Get all OCD and put the battery in one of those little ziplock coin collector bags in the pedal, then if it leaks that should minimise the damage.
That's the theory anyway -- I haven't had a battery leak in years.

[molokaio]

Thanks a lot guys...
what are "those little ziplock coin collector bags in the pedal" you are talking about? got a picture?