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Post by SWMan on Nov 13, 2022 13:19:36 GMT -6
Recently a neighbor had a shop fire and we were talking to them about it. The investigator that came out had made the comment that Lithium Ion batteries keep him very busy! So I got looking and my M18 Milwaukee batteries are Li-Ion and now we have these e-bikes around and who knows what else. Should a guy store these batteries in a steel box or something just in case? Gonna be a real pain as these power tools get scattered everywhere...
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Post by kevlar on Nov 13, 2022 14:21:01 GMT -6
That’s a little concerning. Do you know if the batteries that start the fires were on the charger or just laying around? I try to never leave a charger plugged in when I’m not around, but it does happen.
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Post by meskie on Nov 13, 2022 15:46:28 GMT -6
From what I hear it’s the batteries left on the charger that cause the problems. I know some guys who have their charger on a timer so it only goes for an hour or so then shuts off.
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Post by cptusa on Nov 13, 2022 15:51:43 GMT -6
I've heard of this as well but have not encountered it yet. I generally leave the battery in the charger overnight or during the day as well and remove them when I walk by. I've thought about a steel cabinet to put the chargers/batteries in while charging or not in use and not connected to a tool. Not necessarily a fire proof cabinet but something to control a small fire.
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Post by bob123 on Nov 13, 2022 19:09:17 GMT -6
Weve had one dewalt charger start smoking but caught it in time. I wouldnt want them near flamibles
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Post by SWMan on Nov 13, 2022 22:12:48 GMT -6
I don't have any info about when they typically catch fire, would make sense that if charging and something fails to stop them when full it could trigger problems.
Putting things in a steel box might contain a fire, but also would make it more likely to forget them. Not sure what sort of buffer you would need to prevent a burning battery from igniting something else?
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Post by victory on Nov 13, 2022 22:25:58 GMT -6
I thought my Makita charger quit charging when the batteries are full. The batteries are not warm when I take them off after a few hours.
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Post by northernfarmer on Nov 13, 2022 22:30:30 GMT -6
I wonder if there is any theme as to a brand that is prone to this or if its random across the board. I had done a search and an article popped up from in New York I believe of an apartment fire and they believed it was some sort of battery ignited fire, be it a bike or some other device you stand on and I also gathered its become a bit of a trend as per one of various causes of fires.
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Post by Beerwiser on Nov 13, 2022 23:18:55 GMT -6
Anytime you charge any chemistry of battery is when the risk is highest. Name brand power tools are pretty safe as a rule. The battery management board in there keeps all the cells above 3.2v to prevent battery damage and the chargers are well regulated for both current and battery temperature. If you start using the battery for stuff it's not meant for, like a battery adapter you can start ruining your battery and significantly increase the risk of fire. Stuff like ebikes and the sorts are a bit more worrisome, you really have no idea about the actual quality control.
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Post by northernfarmer on Nov 13, 2022 23:41:20 GMT -6
That also makes me wonder about some of these aftermarket batteries designed to fit brand name tools, what are their safety systems like in their battery pack.
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jaymo
Full Member
Posts: 202 Likes: 89
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Post by jaymo on Nov 14, 2022 9:15:10 GMT -6
That also makes me wonder about some of these aftermarket batteries designed to fit brand name tools, what are their safety systems like in their battery pack. I know for sure the knock-off china makita batteries are a waste of money. I figured they were worth a try as the 5 amp 18v batteries are about half the price on Amazon. They didn't even last a month of use. Bought two of them and they both died. They didnt start on fire thankfully. Just stopped taking charge one day. Good thing Amazon has a very good return policy!
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