One of the little things I do each year, before winter comes, is to check my batteries in the remotes and other devices around the house. It seems that whatever brand of battery you use, whether it’s Panasonic, EverReady, or Duracell, or even makita batteries, they’ll all periodically leak corrosive chemicals into the handset if it is unused for a long time. Checking the remotes every six months or so can really help you stop this, but it’s easy to overlook one! And replacing a remote unit can be quite difficult, especially with older equipment.