even reputable chargers and batteries can cause problems. i have a calumet (big camera dealer) own brand fast AA charger that i have used overnight on numerous occassions but last week i charged 4 AA’s (also calumet branded) and noticed a funny smell, looked at the charger and the plastic coating on the batteries had melted and i presume the charging cut off had failed and the batteries were getting hotter and hotter. i guess they would have eventually caught fire or exploded if i hadn’t turned it off.
Sounds like leaving them unattended is a good idea! Don't want to be sitting staring at it when it blows.
I charge my batteries with an [url= http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2050601.m570.l1311.R-1.TR4.TRC0.A0.H1.Xaccucel&_nkw=accucel+6&_sacat=0 ]Accucel 6[/url]. This is a decent hobby charger which can do all the battery types at what ever charge rate you like - up to 5 amps and gives you a charge/discharge capacity so you can check the life remaining in your cells.
If I do let them charge overnight - I set the charge current low that they are just about to finish charging by the time I leave for work.
Or if I am in the garage I can set them at 1C so they are done in an hour or so.
After seeing one blow up first hand from about 6ft away there is no way I would buy any cheap Chinese crap. It’s not worth the risk to save a few £. I have an exposure enduro and a glowworm x2 which are so much better than any of the cheap tat that a few friends use. Funny that everyone I know with Chinese lights I know thinks they are great until they see the glowworm.
The one I watched blow up was plugged in at work and It was quite a spectacle to watch. A massive bang followed by fire and showers of sparks plus loads of vile smelling smoke.
I have no idea how anyone thinks it’s acceptable to buy a product that needs charging in the garden in a saucepan to stop their house burning down.
Same one that I got a direct sample of a couple of years ago, said it was a POS in another thread.This was the light ..
The whole Chinese kit thing is a topic on here that doesn't need raking over and I know there's good stuff made there but re cheap lights, the CE marks if there are simply that in some cases, it doesn't mean they meet any actual standards. Of all the cheap stuff they make this may be the area to be avoided over all others.
(and OP, sorry to hear this happened, of course)
scary stuff. Touch wood mine have never gone but it doesnt mean they wont.
Im curious as to why this had happened. my packs are dripping wet after a ride and i pop them on charge (one in the garage and one in the house) straight away overnight.
sometimes i leave them on charge for days! Would a biscuit tin really offer anything at all if they went up, wouldnt it just make it like a bomb?
Exact same thing happened to my mate a few weeks ago! Started a small fire and ruined walls/carpet/doors in his hallway. His blew just as he was going to bed, had the fire brigade out and got a stern lecture.
I charge mine under a sturdy bucket on the slabs outside my garage, fed via an rcd socket.
Totally trust my gloworm battery, wouldn't trust my solarstorm one as far as I could throw it!
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CREE-XM-L-XML-T6-LED-1800-Lm-Bicycle-bike-Head-Light-Headlamp-Rechargeable-Head-/370906784398?pt=UK_SportGoods_CyclAcces_RL&hash=item565bc4628eEdit - about 18 months old
I've got two pairs of those sat in the boot of my car that someone loaned me 😯
One was ok but one got fantastically hot very quickly when turned on. Apparently though you need to be moving to keep them cool?
I have an exposure enduro and a glowworm x2 which are so much better than any of the cheap tat that a few friends use.
I have a gloworm X2 and I still wouldn't leave it charging overnight.
With regards to the cheapness of the light, i'm not adverse to spending money. The light on my bars is a Magic Shine MJ-880 costing £160. I just had a cheap one for my helmet which seemed to make sense.
I don't have a garage and my shed hasn't got a power supply. I have never had an issue before and although i have heard that they can set on fire, I havent had any experience of reading or hearing first hand stories.
The description of the incident above is spot on...
The one I watched blow up was plugged in at work and It was quite a spectacle to watch. A massive bang followed by fire and showers of sparks plus loads of vile smelling smoke.
I do need to have a rethink about the whole recharging issue but do i extend this to everything such as my magic shine light, mobile phones, laptops, ipads etc??
How old is it? ie is it a new light or one that you've used for a while?
Nope, just the cheap Chinese stuff. Look up the story about what the CE mark is [i]said to[/i] mean to some Chinese factories .. : )do i extend this to everything such as my magic shine light, mobile phones, laptops, ipads etc??
The one I watched blow up was plugged in at work and It was quite a spectacle to watch. A massive bang followed by fire and showers of sparks plus loads of vile smelling smoke.
someone on Pistonheads said their small business went to the wall/everyone out of a job because a girl at the office used a cheap charger for her phone/left it in and it burnt down the building. Insurance didn't pay out as not PAC(?) H&S tested.
China Export (for those wondering) but it seems to be a myth
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CE_marking#China_Export
I always charge mine in an ovenproof cast iron dish lid. Always whilst we are up in the evening - never whilst asleep.
Look up the story about what the CE mark
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two very different 'standards'
Totally trust my gloworm battery
This is foolhardy. It maybe that the better quality battery/charger combos are less of a risk, they are still a risk. And probably a much higher risk than most things in a house.
Sourcing Lipo's from reputable sources doesn't guarantee you won't have issues
http://www.cnet.com/news/faa-grounds-boeings-787-dreamliner-after-battery-fires/
This is foolhardy. It maybe that the better quality battery/charger combos are less of a risk, they are still a risk. And probably a much higher risk than most things in a house.
+1. As I said earlier- I don't leave my Samsung branded charger alone let alone a cheaper Chinese one.
I bought a cheap iphone charger off a market that exploded - not as dramatically as the OP but still pretty scary. Also had a cheap laptop charger set on fire.
Genuine branded/quality chargers only for me now!
This is true, for perspective.It maybe that the better quality battery/charger combos are less of a risk, they are still a risk. And probably a much higher risk than most things in a house.
It is a myth but it's based on how common a CE mark that means nothing is - ie no testing or standards passed, so very much a gamble on safety or quality. Back to the old 'which Chinese suppliers are OK' Q rather than buying products where quality is assumed.China Export (for those wondering) but it seems to be a myth
Glad youre ok, worktops can be replaced, now go out and buy some SMOKE ALARMS, or phone the local fire brigade who will come out and fit them free all for a few cups of tea.
Insurance didn't pay out as not PAC(?) H&S tested.
Should be PAT (Portable Appliance Test). Compulsory annual test for businesses.
I bought a cheap iphone charger off a market that exploded - not as dramatically as the OP but still pretty scary. Also had a cheap laptop charger set on fire.
Bad call, but at least you learnt your lesson. Also be careful where you buy your branded chargers from - lots of fake ones around too
Some of these lights are a classic combo of crappy battery and crappy charger. Wonder which is most to blame? I've had good use from cheaper lights but I've got a good quality charger (from a higher end magicshine) so all the cheap chargers went straight in the bin.
Glad youre ok, worktops can be replaced, now go out and buy some SMOKE ALARMS
Yep, amazes me how many people still don't have them.
This is why I charge my lights at DeadlyDarcy's house.
Edit: OP didn't have smoke alarms? 😯
For USB chargers if in doubt just go to an Apple store and buy a genuine apple one. They don't cost much.
Other branded ones should be good but buying any on-line opens you up to the risk of a fake.
What kind of chargers do these lights need? (voltage, current)
same experience for me two years ago...
the charger of my magicshine melted and batteries went red hot,
it was just luck that it only burnt the floor..
the light itself is still fine until today..
had a lupine light before, an early one from 2001 (nightmare LiOn), halo no led and stupidly expensive but ..
had this unit in use for 11 years charging it two times per week during spring/winter/fall time..and constantly on the charger during the summer months...never had any problems, never thought about..
so meanwhile I think you get what you pay for according to chargers and batteries...but know of course that some forum members here see this different.. 😉
A timer switch is another good idea. Only allow them to charge for a few hours at a time, they are most likely to go bang when hot.
Always charge the dubious origin stuff in a nice big tin.
Is this a hidden benefit of exposure lights with the built in metal case?
Probably not, and probably not from a biscuit tin either.
Batteries are made up cells made up of 2 electrodes, and a chemical. When in normal use the chemical reacts with the electrodes and generate current, when chargeing the opposite happens. A really simple one is the lead-acid battery. Sulphuric acid in the solution splits into H+ and SO4-2 ions at the electrodes, generating the voltage (theres a voltage even with nothing connected to the terminals), the flow of current when you complete the circuit allows the reaction to occour forming the ions.
When you short circuit a cell/battery (which is what happens inside the cell when it fails, the eledctrodes/chemicals are all allowed to react freely) you're releasing all that stored energy nearly instantaneously. LiPo cells have a vent designed to relieve the pressure and contain as much of the battery as possible in the event it blows up.
At best an aluminuum torch body would be burnt through in seconds.
OP didn't have smoke alarms?
I know. ****ing crackers. Especially when you consider you can have a few sherbets, come home from a night out (or long ride) and sleep very soundly.
but buying any on-line opens you up to the risk of a fake.
Nothing wrong with buying online from a reputable source e.g. apple store. It's when you buy from some random fleabayer at a price that is too good to be true.
Interesting that someone mentioned PAT testing earlier.
I took the liberty of having several chargers tested by the chap doing our office a few years back & both the ebay specials were binned there and then. IIRC the readings were a bit 'intermittent' so it was a case of waiting for them to actually decide when they were going to fail.
The ones I have from Smudge & Exposure were fine.
Nothing wrong with buying online from a reputable source e.g. apple store. It's when you buy from some random fleabayer at a price that is too good to be true.
...or a Amazon reseller.
Odd that, all mine passed, phone, battery chargers everything.
This is a great link that explains exactly why eBay chargers are a bad idea (and why genuine chargers are more expensive):I took the liberty of having several chargers tested by the chap doing our office a few years back & both the ebay specials were binned there and then.
[url= http://www.righto.com/2014/05/a-look-inside-ipad-chargers-pricey.html ]http://www.righto.com/2014/05/a-look-inside-ipad-chargers-pricey.html[/url]
The joys of the global marketplace.
Once upon a time you bought stuff from the shop down the road, and if the supplier to that shop wanted to import stuff to sell then they had to make sure it met safety standards.
Nowadays you can skip all that "red tape" and buy untested and dangerously unsafe electronics more or less directly from the sweatshop that assembled it.
I can only see that becoming a bigger problem in the future.
Its not just batteries. The single biggest cause of household fires is TV's being on standby!!according to my local fire fighters. Scary.
Nowadays you can skip all that "red tape" and buy untested and dangerously unsafe electronics more or less directly from the sweatshop that assembled it.
Thinking about it, I'm surprised the government hasn't already clamped down on this. The general online marketplace appears to be totally unregulated. I suppose the old fashioned version of this was the Del boy market trader!
I hate stories like this - they add to my OCD about such things.
http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/aug/08/experience-my-microwave-nearly-killed-me
Better buy another fire extinguisher on the way home !
Fire fighter who lived across from me for a while said he had attended heaps of fires caused by plug-in air freshener thingies.
The single biggest cause of household fires is TV's being on standby!!according to my local fire fighters.
You mean in the category of electrical items in your lounge?
Cooking appliances are the no. 1 cause of accidental household fires and ciggies are no. 1 for fires leading to fatalities.
hels - MemberBetter buy another fire extinguisher on the way home !
One of my brother's fire extinguishers exploded in the van last year. Just thought it worth mentioning 😉
So as long as I don't smoke, cook, watch TV or charge batteries I will be fine ?
Unfair on the cooking appliances and fags. The root cause is probably alcohol, falling asleep when drunk with the chip pan on while cooking toast under the grill and smoking a fag.
