Battery exploded, every one is ok so far

[dragoneggs]

Welcome geek. Thanks for posting. I have always wondered if this wouldn't happen with old design 'unsealed' batteries.

 

[Tractor Seabee]

Welcome geek. Thanks for posting. I have always wondered if this wouldn't happen with old design 'unsealed' batteries.

The posted picture looks like a sealed battery. I always wondered what happened to the "H" generated in a sealed lead/acid-battery. You never have to add water and both the water and acid have H as part of their composition. Anybody have the answer to that?

Ron

 

[BrokeFarmerJohn]

Guy at work had a family member into r/c hobby, they plugged in R/C car batteries in their house, one exploded and started a fire when nobody was home, that was about 3 weeks ago and they still cannot return to the house, cleanup crews are working on the fire/smoke cleanup. The house was saved but it’s a mess.

 

[TractorGuy]

The only time it happened to me was disconnecting a fast charger that WAS unplugged. That old charger had a amp AND volt meter. The volt meter was drawing current and caused a spark. BUT the only reason it blew was because it was just after fast charging so the fumes were fresh and present. The volt meter got disconnected in that charger after that.

I was lucky not to get any injury from the explosion and was near a water hose so I ran to it and washed the acid off fast.

A cold battery should never explode.

 

[ultrarunner]

Supposedly the sealed batteries are built to be low gassing...

Some sealed batteries have the coin tops that can be opened and others are near impossible to open without damaging the case.

 

[Industrial Toys]

I posted my experience on this a while back. Happened at a buddies while he was quick charging a battery used to power a hydraulic lift, had it on "start" and forgot about it.

It certainly made an impression on me, and now I hate to back out my electric gator if it has just been charging, worried there is hydrogen gas around the contacts.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

The only time it happened to me was disconnecting a fast charger that WAS unplugged. That old charger had a amp AND volt meter. The volt meter was drawing current and caused a spark. BUT the only reason it blew was because it was just after fast charging so the fumes were fresh and present. The volt meter got disconnected in that charger after that.

I was lucky not to get any injury from the explosion and was near a water hose so I ran to it and washed the acid off fast.

A cold battery should never explode.

We used Sulfuric acid in the lab all of the time...it is nasty stuff...really nasty. You really don't want to get it on you, especially in your eyes. It burns immediately.

 

[ovrszd]

Hmmmm. Smells like rotten eggs.

 

[Coyote machine]

Some possibly useful safety precautions for the OP. I would for future battery charging, if possible, take the battery outside into an open space, and wash it off with baking soda and water while wearing rubber gloves and full face mask with safety goggles under the mask. Dry the battery with a paper shop towel that can be disposed of safely. Once dry, read the voltage present in the battery. Then hook up hot clamp first, ground clamp last and stand with back to battery when turning the charger on, and or connecting it to power. Set the charger at lowest charging rate to start and then higher if needed. You can't be too safe around batteries.
I also wouldn't put a battery on a metal table without something underneath it, like cardboard, at a minimum. Better to charge it on the floor away from eye level in case of explosion too.
Glad to hear no one was seriously hurt.

 

[radios1]

Hydrogen is about 2X lighter than Helium, so there's no way Hydrogen gas is going to stick around a battery.. it will be up to the ceiling looking to go much higher through any cracks.. if it can't then it will slowly accumulate to a lower level. if a battery is quick charged(Gassing) or a heavy discharge or short, it will gas and make Hydrogen. you could charge a battery, and an internal short inside the battery can make a large amount of Hydrogen gas, though!.. but always plug the charger in FIRST, and unplug it LAST to reduce the chance of a spark..