Got a welding helmet with auto darkening and it failed mid job last Tuesday

I was working on a 4 inch pipe repair for a steam line at the old Miller Brewing plant up in Milwaukee. About halfway through a bead, the auto darkening lens on my helmet just started flickering and then went totally clear. I had to stop right there and finish the weld with a hand held shade 10 I borrowed from a guy named Pete on the crew. Turns out the battery compartment had some corrosion from sweat getting in over the years. I cleaned it up with vinegar and a wire brush, put in fresh batteries, and it worked fine on a test run later. But now I'm wondering how often you all replace the batteries in your auto dark hoods. Has anyone else had one fail at a bad time like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

evan_anderson15h ago

You bring up a good point about battery life, but what about the sensor windows? I had a similar failure on a Lincoln hood a couple years back, not from sweat but from grinding dust and spatter that built up on the sensors over like six months. Even after I cleaned the battery contacts, it kept flickering until I realized the little sensor holes were basically clogged with crud. Did you check those on yours too, or did the vinegar trick solve it completely? I'm curious if the corrosion was the only culprit or if there was a grime factor in there.

ivanb419h ago

Man I remember this one time I was working on a buddy's old Ford F-150 and the auto lights just would not shut off no matter what I did. I replaced the battery and the relay and even swapped the headlight switch. Then I noticed the windshield was all hazy from a bad washer fluid mix he used and figured the sensor up near the rearview mirror was probably just as grimy. Rubbed it with some glass cleaner and a microfiber and boom, lights started working perfectly again. So yeah, crud buildup is a real thing, especially if you're doing grinding work or just have a dusty job site.

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