thisisnotaspoon - Member
I think it's the LiFePO (Lithium Iron Phosphate) you're thinking of, lithium poymer batteries never (as yet) made it to comercialisation (the idea is to replace the electrolyte with a polymer thus making a flexible battery that couldn't short out), if you buy lithium polymer batteries it just means a lithium ion battery in a plastic case/pouch, rather than in a metal shell (phone battery Vs 18650).LiFePO batteris are inherently safer, but slightly lower volages and lower max discharge currents.
Ah, okay.
Well I've got one of these which is described as Lithium Polymer aka Li-Po
http://four4th.co.uk/products/batteries/pouch-battery-3300mah/
and one of these old ones which is described as Lithium Ion (Li-Ion)
http://four4th.co.uk/products/batteries/compact-battery-2600mah/
The pouch one seems to be a resin / moulded plastic shell, and the other I think may be a battery pack inside with regular style batteries, all wrapped up in a rubber container. So what you say makes sense I think.
I wasn't particularly worried about the fire/exploding side of things (especially as I work from home), but the solastorm I bought had such a low quality battery and charger, that I never used them.
Instantly bought reputable protected 18650 cells, a 4x Nitecore charger and a battery box.
Total cost was about £45 I think, but it works on all three of my lights and can also charge the batteries for my head torches.
You need good protection back at the fuse board......or maybe not
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fake MCB
And a not fake MCB
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A hollow concrete block can be used to contain a charging battery** - with a plastic bag filled with kiln dried sand or similar stuck on the top. If a blaze ensues the bag melts and the hollow in the concrete block is filled with the sand to extinguish the pack / cells.
** not ideal for the kitchen / dining room i guess.
I store RC lipo packs in charge sacks which are then inside ammo tins or similar and they only live in the garage on a concrete floor. I understand the metal can cells common to bike lights are more tolerant of abuse than the "soft" lipo's i am referring to. I also think the charger plays a large part in both cell life and risk of over charge etc. The RC stuff often has max time limit and total energy input as a backstop to voltage monitoring. Its hard to see how the small plug in bike light chargers can offer similar backstops - although i think some cells have protection; assuming you trust your supplier.
I feel in house charging for bike stuff on draining boards using pyrex or similar is prudent along with being in the viscinity too. That is the approach i take for my ayups.
Having experimented with an old (small) LIPO using welding gloves and "remote nail knocking in" in the garden i can confirm that a healthy respect for these sources of energy is appropriate!
Looking for Lipo bags I notice the vast majority are on ebay and I have been concerned where they come from and if they are actually going to do the job at all. i.e. are they cheap fake knock offs, like half the stuff on ebay.
Well...
(thanks to dude on SFMB FB group for the link).
It's a fire-containment bag. Making a highly flammable one that can be sold for cheaps suggests a degree of moral turpitude that really makes me feel quite dirty.
😕
Hmmm, I've got a FUBAR'd magicshine battery, time for some testing when my cheap bags arrive methinks!
What's the quickest/easiest way to push them over the edge? Hook it upto an old car battery, or car battery charger?
Hammer a nail through it.
It's one of those magicshine batteries in the metal case and the charge/voltsge indicator, thinking about it, I'll remove it from that first, otherwise it really will explode!
Interesting thread. One which I take very seriously.
One evening I thought I could smell smoke or an electrical burning smell. I wondered round the house for a while checking the kids hadn't left something plugged in. Checked the kitchen. Nothing. Was about to go to bed then something caught my eye out the front door. A flickering light. I thought next door were smoking which would have explained the smell so thought nothing of it. I went to walk upstairs....then suddenly something just made me check outside the front door in case. I walked out and saw next doors out cupboard door fully open. Their tumble dryer was on fire and the whole cupboard too. Had to get my whole family including kids out my house in their PJ's, everyone out my neighbour's house. Fire brigade came. A neighbour contained it by chucking water over it but I didn't stick around for any of that. Out cupboard is where the gas comes in!
They had to use industrial fans to clear the smoke out of both houses for hours before we could go back in. Next door had to have the front of the house rebuilt. If I had "just gone to bed".....
At night, I don't mind smart phones and tablets left on charge, or TV's. But I do walk around locking up and turning most things off.
I only charge my 18650 cells when I'm sat next to them all day at work. I don't even leave them overnight at work.
I would argue it's more the chargers that are the cause. I bought a fairly good charger XTAR WP2, and it charges any 18650 I've reclaimed from old laptop cells no problem. It also cuts off properly when full even on unprotected cells. I still monitor it though beside my desk.
Hammer a nail through it.
Don't do this unless you know it's fully discharged to 0V. Also not with your hands or face anywhere near it, charged LiPOs eject a lot of hot gas when punctured.
i bought my lights from CandBSeen about 2 years ago...i have on several occasions left the charger plugged in overnight without any problems...the charger has a safety cut out once the battery is charged.
the batteries are 18650 Lithium-Ion so not LiPo...but now reading these horror stories of exploding chargers and batteries i'm scared to charge them in the house so they get charged at work.
but obvioulsy if i need the lights over the weekend then i'll need to charge them at home....should i be worried?
it would be interesting to hear what any other CandBSeen light owners think
People leave their laptops plugged in and charging all the time and yet I see no stories about office buildings burning down due to the batteries exploding?
I can understand being careful with cheap Chinese lights (or any knock-off goods) but I'm happy to trust the mainstream branded laptops/ phones / cordless Dyson.....
[i]I see no stories about office buildings burning down due to the batteries exploding?[/i]
There's been an awful lot of laptop battery recalls over the last few years, though, so someone sees it as a possibility.
There are a lot of cases of fires in the home caused by faulty batteries/chargers.
I'm sure there are a few with offices also, but a business is far more likely to source their equipment from a reputable source in the UK, not a £1 knock-off charger on ebay from China 😉
Most offices I've worked in do safety checks on all connected equipment and a certification sticker slapped on each device, with a check made each year at least.
As for stuff burning/exploding in use. Check out the many YouTube videos of RC planes etc burning in the air! 😀
Or, iPhone 6 catching fire in your pocket? ...
Admitted the guy had been tipped out of a rickshaw thing and I guess the phone took a knock. But that's something people don't realise, lithium batteries don't take nicely to being knocked about. Something to consider if you've had a tumble on the bike wearing lights, the battery might get damaged. I was warned about this when I bought mine and told if the battery gets a big knock then to take it back to get it checked out.
In summary though, just because you've been charging away for years with no problem, doesn't mean it can't go pop some day. It happens. Take care and again, don't leave batteries charging unattended.
