We had a dewalt charger pop a battery in our service truck. The truck is powered by a 3K inverter with a load sense circuit. When the charger went into float mode the inverter cycled power and started the charge cycle over again... Luckily we were standing next to the truck when it started smoking.
Battery maintainer fire
- Thread starter kjsifer
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We had a dewalt charger pop a battery in our service truck. The truck is powered by a 3K inverter with a load sense circuit. When the charger went into float mode the inverter cycled power and started the charge cycle over again... Luckily we were standing next to the truck when it started smoking.
A friend of mine had the exact model of battery maintainer plugged into his camper to keep the batteries charged. This weekend he was walking by and smelled something like electronics getting too hot. The smell was coming from the battery minder. It was so hot, he could hardly touch it. Do not use these things near a flammable surface guys. They are not trustworthy.
Kevin
Kevin
Present day Dewalt chargers may not have this issue, but I seem to recall that some of the older ones were not rated for inverter use - meaning the factory documentation advised against using inverters as an AC source with certain models of their chargers.
Rgds, D.
Industrial Toys
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This is why I keep trying to warn people about the huge amount of energy stored in a lead acid battery. There should be a very low amperage fuse right at the battery clamp, just enough to allow the maintainer to do it's thing. Otherwise if you have a semiconductor failure in the device, you now have a thousand amps going through that typical low gauge, cheap thermoplastic insulated wire!
I have friends in the business of battery powered systems for utility vehicles and trucks. Every now and then some brand new service vehicle or million dollar bucket truck gets burned down to the water line on account of some failure in the DC wiring connected to all those huge batteries!!
I have friends in the business of battery powered systems for utility vehicles and trucks. Every now and then some brand new service vehicle or million dollar bucket truck gets burned down to the water line on account of some failure in the DC wiring connected to all those huge batteries!!
Paystar
Elite Member
Wow, that's scary. I'm going to think differently about mine now. My atv's are parked and plugged in right next to our bedroom wall.
I've already replaced one maintainer when I noticed the insulation pulled away from the wire right at the unit where the cord moves and bends.
I've already replaced one maintainer when I noticed the insulation pulled away from the wire right at the unit where the cord moves and bends.
They should be used only by persons who can understand the dangers and potential for disaster brought up here!
This past weekend, my FIL got a call from the folks house-sitting at his son's. The electric fence seemed to not be working. He went and got the battery. Without a thought or a care, or checking the battery electrolyte or voltage, he hooked it up to his fine-quality Harbor Freight float charger. The one with WARNINGS all over it and the box to "NOT USE ON A DISCHARGED BATTERY". This was despite having TWO regular 2/10/50 amp battery chargers on-hand.
The battery was a little group 51 salvaged out of an old Bronco II, over 6 years old. It took over a QUART of distilled water to fill it back up to normal level. To my astonishment, it took a slow charge OK and didn't blow up either the battery or the charger.
- Jay
This past weekend, my FIL got a call from the folks house-sitting at his son's. The electric fence seemed to not be working. He went and got the battery. Without a thought or a care, or checking the battery electrolyte or voltage, he hooked it up to his fine-quality Harbor Freight float charger. The one with WARNINGS all over it and the box to "NOT USE ON A DISCHARGED BATTERY". This was despite having TWO regular 2/10/50 amp battery chargers on-hand.
The battery was a little group 51 salvaged out of an old Bronco II, over 6 years old. It took over a QUART of distilled water to fill it back up to normal level. To my astonishment, it took a slow charge OK and didn't blow up either the battery or the charger.
- Jay
drizler
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Good to know. I have one of those running continuously for years now one one unused battery or another. I'm going to make sure to locate that charger in a steel open top box and locate it on something that won't burn. Thanks for the heads up
