Lithium battery fire!

[m_c]

you dont seem to hear about many mobile phone with their lipo / li-ion batteries catching fire / exploding these days, which may suggest that the technology is viable, but its the application that is causing the issues.

That's because the risks are well understood, and all reputable manufacturers implement multiple failsafes to ensure risks are minimised.
The issue is non-reputable manufacturers who will cut corners to reduce costs.

 

[sparkysy]

The issue is non-reputable manufacturers who will cut corners to reduce costs.

Not always my incident was all genuine Makita!
I have seen a Dewalt one do the same about 6 years ago, on site with plenty of people around fortunately!
But you would like to hope that well known manufacturers have put the best protection on their batteries and chargers to minimize the risk of things going badly wrong!

 

[ukracer]

There's a market there for someone; battery charging boxes. Could be quite thin steel, some means of letting the cable in and a smoke alarm.

I tend to charge my Li batteries for garden tools in the kitchen, but maybe that needs re-thinking?

There are already charging bags..

 

[rich_c]

10 cells in most power tool batteries, so that's 10 times the chances of fire than the single cell in a phone. And that single cell phone arrangement also removes the risk of unbalanced cells during charge or discharge.

Some site batteries probably have a hard life - drain fast to empty, throw immediately on the charger while still warm, rinse and repeat. I'm not surprised that the genuine ones light up too.

 

[ukracer]

I can’t believe people still buy fake chargers or batteries, it’s pure stupidity.

Honestly you would be better off with Parkside etc rather than fake higher priced brands.

Problem is how do you know what you are buying. The fake sellers realise price is a giveaway so keep their prices high.

 

[Ross365]

There are already charging bags..

Didn't know that! Seems like the RC guys have been using them for ages.
Even with branded name Li batteries, the high power density is one of the factors that makes them intrinsically much more risky than previous batteries.
As for fake products, even professional fake detectives can struggle to identify them.

 

[ukracer]

Didn't know that! Seems like the RC guys have been using them for ages.
Even with branded name Li batteries, the high power density is one of the factors that makes them intrinsically much more risky than previous batteries.
As for fake products, even professional fake detectives can struggle to identify them.

A lot of clubs don't let you run if you don't have charging bags.

 

[T0rnado69]

A reminder to us all to be careful with these things, I normally leave batteries on charge in the shed overnight, won't be doing that again.

i often do this, but in the garage.. though i think all mine are original batteries. but a few makita ones that got re-celled.
but from now on i think il bring them up and put them where i can keep a eye on them while charging. if im not going to be in the garage.

cheers for heads up and glad all is ok........

 

[Turbo]

I have 4 fakita batteries & 2 genuine makitas, I've had nothing but trouble with the fakita ones, over-discharging, cells not holding a charge, etc. I always seem to have one on the repair table.

Needless to say that I always keep a close eye on the fakitas when charging them!

 

[Morrisman]

My Wickes charger is screwed to the wall of my wooden shed, with a spare battery sat in it permanently. I just swap batteries whenever one goes flat and leave it in there.
Been up there two years now......

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

you dont seem to hear about many mobile phone with their lipo / li-ion batteries catching fire / exploding these days, which may suggest that the technology is viable, but its the application that is causing the issues.

They still happen.
Just not news worthy.

E scooter, e bikes, e cigs and the like are news worthy.

It will increase during the Christmas season, not the amount of fires. But how much they get reported.

 

[J1nx]

Problem is how do you know what you are buying. The fake sellers realise price is a giveaway so keep their prices high.

Yep, that is an issue. The batteries in particular can be so accurately copied that dealers need to put them on a tester to see if they are legit inside.

The best way is to use a reputable, authorised dealer. I won’t buy batteries from Amazon or random eBay sellers but tend to stick with FastFix, FFX, Buyaparcel.
I tend to wait for the eBay 15 or 20% discount codes and then use one of the tool stores above eBay store. Sometimes grab legit gear cheaper than the knockoff stuff!

For battery tech the Makita stuff is probably industry leading with quite advanced protection (sometimes seemingly over zealous).
The reports of Milwaulkee battery failures concern me, I think they let the cells push a bit harder to achieve more powerful tools against the competition but it results in higher failure rates but actual figures are very hard to come by. Trustpilot reviews from general public give an idea but it’s unlikely very accurate.

 

[optima21]

as we're talking about getting branded genuine products, for LI-Ion cells I only buy a handful, but I get them from these companies

Nu Battery - The UK’s Best Lithium Ion Battery Retailer

All Lithium ion batteries 18650, 21700 and 26650 sizes. Flat Top, Button Top, Tab's. Reliable source for all your 18650 battery needs. UK stock, Fast Shipping!

www.nubattery.co.uk

https://www.fogstar.co.uk

Best 18650 16650 18500 18350 14500 16340 3.7V Batteries

Ampsplus: Buy Genuine 18650 3.7V Battery 26650 21700 16650 14500 10440 18500 18350 16340 Lithium Li-ion Rechargeable Batteries. Free shipping for orders over £45. Professional Customer Service.

www.ampsplus.co.uk

for 18650 cells my preferred option is a Sinowatt SP30

Sinowatt 30SP - 18650 Battery - 3000mAh - 15A

3000mAh - 15A Continuous Discharge - Flat Top/Button Top/TabsOrder by 3pm (Monday to Friday) for same day dispatch!Brand: SinowattModel: 30SPSize: 18650Chemistry: Li-ionNominal Capacity: 3000mAhNominal Voltage: 3.6VDischarge: 15A Max ContinuousPositive: Flat/Button Top/Tabs (please...

www.nubattery.co.uk

for 21700 cells my preferred option is a Samsung 50s

Samsung 50S - 21700 Battery - 5000mAh - 35A

5000mAh - 35A Continuous Discharge - Flat Top/Button Top/TabsOrder by 3pm (Monday to Friday) for same day dispatch!Brand: SamsungModel: 50SSize: 21700Chemistry: INRNominal Capacity: 5000mAhNominal Voltage: 3.6VDischarge: 35A Max ContinuousPositive: Flat/Button Top/Tabs (please select)Protected...

www.nubattery.co.uk

and I think they offer the best compromise between cost, capacity and max discharge currents

 

[dobbslc]

Some interesting disclaimers and warnings on these cells!
Looks like Samsung are a bit pizzed off with people selling individual cells to the public!

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

Call out last night, lucky limited damage and no one was hurt.

The alarm went off, the fire brigade arrived. Etc. ETC.

The issue was a multi bank of power tools batteries being charged, 3 out of the four cooked off.
The main smoke was made by a 2 Vape units being over heated.

 

[AVI_8]

My Wickes charger is screwed to the wall of my wooden shed, with a spare battery sat in it permanently. I just swap batteries whenever one goes flat and leave it in there.
Been up there two years now......

I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you

 

[jmp49]

There's a market there for someone; battery charging boxes. Could be quite thin steel, some means of letting the cable in and a smoke alarm.

I tend to charge my Li batteries for garden tools in the kitchen, but maybe that needs re-thinking?

Like this you mean? Not that I am into branded gear but I was gifted one as a birthday present. Thin steel, grommeted hole in the side that lets the ryobi charger plug through, some ventilation that double as square peg hangers on the side , hangy bits underneath to hang the tools themselves from and I tend to put the batteries on charge inside and lock the door of a night. The only trick they missed was making the lock secure the hanging section.

 

[Hotstuff]

Quite a concern these days where so much is powered by rechargeable batteries.

It’s made me think about my time as an apprentice electrician back in the late 70’s. Although we had 240v power tools, on building sites where power wasn’t available, I had to use augers or brace & bit to drill holes through all of the joists. Holes in masonry for fixings would have been made with a rawl plug jumper or wheel brace.

Although they were all slow and tedious to use, I can’t recall any of them bursting into flames without warning.

 

[slim_boy_fat]

^^ And, you have a very apt user-name....

 

[Hopefuldave]

you dont seem to hear about many mobile phone with their lipo / li-ion batteries catching fire / exploding these days, which may suggest that the technology is viable, but its the application that is causing the issues.

Nope, the risk's been moved to little LiPo "power banks" to charge them from, and I had one go up disconnected from phone off charge - luckily I was in a hire car, as it blew a hole into the seat foam before I grabbed it by the cable and flung it into the M25 central reservation...
One of my little neices gave it to me as a present, so I couldn't exactly sue...