Word of warning

paul o'

Well-Known Member
As above I was recharging a 123a lith rechargeable battery at a stalkers let and the naffing battery exploded it flew into the air in a white hot fire ball of fire it was ni-on imposable to put out so I FOR ONE will Never leave one on charge unattended again thankfully it only cost us a new carpet and the stalker was understanding it could have been far worse if we were not in at the time .
:eek::doh:
 
Hi, I never charge when i'm not able to keep an eye on things, even larger ones for my lightforce I charge in a bucket just in case.
Jim
 
? you turn everything off as you leave the room :D every thing ps we were sitting in the same room not four feet away :scared:
 
Get a proper intelligent charger & batteries with protection circuitry in them. This is no absolute guarantee of course, but it goes a long way.
 
I left one on charge in the kitchen when i got home the kitchen was covered in black soot and bits of battery, i was very lucky it exploded and never set on fire otherwise it would have burnt the house down.
 
TRACER & tracer charger , i would not buy cheap anything mty even my pants are British made :british: buy once buy cheap buy twice on the intro web it could have been down to old and being overcharge even though the battery was not fully charged so the overcharge is out as the charger is controlled by an inbuilt L.C.M , Just bad luck , just glade it did't land on my pal ? but if it had came my way I would have had no choice but to pull him on top of me :rofl:
tested the charger and it is tested all good , PAT and Load drop test were all good . just that battery went south no north then south :rolleyes: sorry !


entirely down to battery and charger choice

its not as simple as getting one that fits

what were yours?

very common problem with cheap chinese tech

http://www.torchythebatteryboy.com/p/dangers-of-ultrafire-18650-batteries.html
 
Yup, Lithium Ion and especially Lithium Polymer batteries can be a touch tempramental. I had a 16S battery pack get punctured when I crashed my model helicopter a few years ago, and the flames were probably 20ft high and burned for a good 5 minutes. Helicopter was a write off.

Things to bear in mind based on my experiences and recieved wisdom of those I have talked with.
1. BUY A GOOD CHARGER. The cheap online ones and those provided with some devices are really not up to spec.
2. Check the battery for swelling or excess heat throughout the charging process. Either are an indicator of imminent failure. If you notice either, dispose of the battery.
3. Check for punctures. Even superficial looking dents can expose the interior of the cell to the atmosphere and when it is put under load...
4. Never leave them unattended whilst charging
5. Try and charge and store them in a non flammable box. If you use metal, make sure that it is lined with an electrical insulator
6. The batteries are usually specced for a certain number of cycles and will degrade over time. If its more than 3 or so years old, or has had heavy use, I'd seriously consider a replacement.
7. Check the leads off the pack. They often get nicked when inserting the battery, and if both get exposed they can short.

I should add that you shouldn't necessarily be put off using them, especially as nothing else can store nearly as much juice, but they are worth treating with a bit more respect than the average duracell.
 
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