[beholder3]

Just as a reminder to not be cheap and go full risk with your batteries:

An external flash burnt down the house:
https://www.the-sun.com/lifestyle/2556734/family-charger-explode-house-inferno/

Another flash exploding, luckily only a garden fire:

https://www.diyphotography.net/watch-as-this-flashpoint-godox-battery-pack-explodes-on-camera/

Camera battery exploded in the airport:

https://petapixel.com/2017/11/11/camera-battery-explodes-airport-sparking-panic/

DSLR battery fire:

https://petapixel.com/2018/05/30/when-your-camera-battery-bursts-into-flames/



If it's swollen or otherwise damaged: throw it away.

Buy only stuff that has all safety features on board (most cheap 3rd party batteries only fake those).

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Last edited by beholder3; 12-01-2021 at 07:35 AM.

[VictorDA]

If it's swollen or otherwise damaged: throw it away.
Buy only stuff that has all safety features on board (most cheap 3rd party batteries only fake those).

Thanks for that reminder... Genuine D-LI90 are expensive but still less that my house I guess...
Why the post now? any first-hand bad experience?

[Bob 256]

I'm surprised that the industry hasn't moved to Lithium Iron-Phosphate technology since it's much safer than Li-Ion but it might be a matter of energy density since Li-Ion is the champion right now (also the champion at starting fires).

I always worry about leaving my Li-Ion powered equipment laying around although most of these disasters have occurred during the charge cycle. As more and more equipment starts using high energy density Li-Ion cells, more of these events are likely to happen. Unfortunately, a lot of Asian sourced cells are showing up and many of those manufactures don't care one bit about exploding cells because they can't be held liable, so manufacturing standards are relaxed leading to cell defects.

I've learned to stay away from rogue brands, not only because of the hazards but because those brands usually aren't worth a dime in terms of rated capacity or lifespan. When they ship with equipment as OEM batteries, you don't have much choice.

Use caution and stay safe.

[Parallax]

One way to safely charge lithiums is to use a commercially available charging box or bag, or make your own for free:

Put he charger in a metal box or can. A 3lb coffee can is big enough for most chargers.
Put a metal grate, such as a pie cooling rack, on top of the can.
Put enough sand to fill, or nearly fill, the can into a plastic bag and put the bag on top of the grate.

If the charger or battery catches fire the bag will melt and the sand will fall into the can smothering the fire.

[ToddK]

I have a good friend whose brother who lives in the Palm Springs area, built a new house, and bought a nice new golf cart. One day when he was coming out of the grocery store, he saw a pillar of black smoke coming from his neighborhood. It was his house going up in flames caused by a battery fire on his golf cart.

[yucatanPentax]

Never had one actually explode, but over time I've accumulated a 3rd party battery or two, particularly when buying used gear. On occasion one has swollen or been a touch slow to slide out of the camera. I immediately put scotch tape over the contacts and toss it in the battery recycling bag to go to Best Buy on the next trip.

Are there any easier ways of recycling defective or old batteries?

[MossyRocks]

Are there any easier ways of recycling defective or old batteries?

Not that I know of and the other methods I know of are all drop off at some other place that takes them like the local recycling center or when I go into the office which is few and far between now.

At least with car batteries when I change them out the place you buy them also takes the old ones back, and also will install them for free, so it is convenient. Why can't places that sell batteries also take the old ones back or places that you regularly frequent collect them like they do with plastic bags.

[wadge22]

This thread led me to run into this

You Tube

You Tube

that was pretty interesting.

Last year I built a small solar setup with a 170ah LiFePo4 battery that sits inside in the hallway of my little house. After seeing that video, I sure am glad that's the technology I got, because I probably was somewhat underestimating the dangers involved when I built my little system.

[Paul the Sunman]

Just as a reminder to not be cheap and go full risk with your batteries:



If it's swollen or otherwise damaged: throw it away.

Buy only stuff that has all safety features on board (most cheap 3rd party batteries only fake those).

Wow, you must have had a bad day! But sensible advice.