Batteries and Fire

Julian,

Try this little experiment:

1. Wrap a 1' long piece of wire in newsprint, leaving 2" exposed at each end.
2. Attach the two ends to the electrodes of a 12V 7AH gel cell.
3. Run for fire extinguisher.
4. Post apology.

true but only a moron or a diy'er or an RLB trainee would throw a 12V 7 Ah battery in the trash, tape or no tape over the terminals..

Did you ever put a 9V battery in your pocket with a bunch of change?

The graveyard shift operator looked up and saw flames flowing past the c/s windows. A few seconds later the operations room went dark, and the phones went dead. A fire, caused by and fueled by the hundreds of "dead" gell-cell batteries carelessly tossed into the garbage area one floor below Motion Detection Systems Inc UL-listed monitoring station (S-1546) at 1221 Madison, Oakland CA, had burned thru the AC power lines and the 200-pair telco cable serving the station. It took over 6 weeks, in 1985, to put the station back into service. True facts.

Julian wrote:

Better yet put a 3.5 lithium with change in your pocket

I always cut both terminals off as close as possible before tossing them in my truck...nothing more annoying than a smoldering smell as you're driving in traffic and can't stop.

carelessly tossed into the garbage area one floor below

Madison, Oakland CA, had burned thru the AC power lines

Yep. And yet Julian still insists there's no danger at all.

carelessly tossed into the garbage area one floor below

Madison, Oakland CA, had burned thru the AC power lines

Nice little omissi "Is fire possible if you toss the battery in the garbage without taping the terminals...... yes, but not PROBABLE'

If you're stupid enough to store hundreds of "dead" gel cell batteries in an unsafe manner, then the answer is - according to the story - probable.

Do I really have to go through all the unsafe things to do with batteries?

I guess not, since bASS is such experienced professionial that he tosses his batteries in the garbage. Oh, and don't forget the tape, you know it'll never come off the terminals and will protect them forever.

And just how does a one foot long piece of newsprint wrap itself around battery terminals and then attach to the battery?

Only in bASS's twisted world I guess.

Julian.

Note 1: I never said one *ought* to toss a used battery in the garbage. However, it is often done.

It is also not probable that you will wreck your car during any given drive to the market. Nevertheless, it is considered prudent to wear seat belts. Safety precautions are for what might happen -- not just what is most likely to happen.

Actually, all it takes is one battery.

Obviously not.

That was a suggested experiment to illustrate that the battery can indeed start a fire. Certain famous tests of fires involved placing an electric heating element used to light a charcoal fire unmder the cushion of a sofa. That doesn't mean that the testers expected even Julian to place his charcoal starter under his living room sofa. Perhaps they don't know him. :^)