Eneloops safe in a headlamp?

[airwolf41]

I've started using Eneloop Pros in my flashlights I take camping and have read mixed opinions on using Eneloops in "water tight containers"

What concerns me even more is I have started running Eneloop Pro AAA's in my headlamps. With a headlamp being obviously on my head and close to my face, I am reconsidering the use of Eneloops.

Would the fact that most of my headlamps battery compartments snap together vs a much stronger aluminum flashlight with a threaded tailcap make a headlamp safer or less safe even though my headlamps have a ipx submersible rating.

I'm thinking the headlamp battery compartment would possibly pop open to vent if the unlikely happened, opposed to a flashlight?

 

[chillinn]

I would think Eneloops are safe to shred and sprinkle on your breakfast cereal. They are considered inherently safe.

NiMH is a nontoxic cell to human beings but harmful to other living things such as plants. However, the main problem is electrolytes. When exposing to extreme temperatures, electrolytes react with materials to create gas.

Hydrogen gas is what can be released, usually in overcharging situations, and though it is flammable, it also is nontoxic.

 

[airwolf41]

I would think Eneloops are safe to shred and sprinkle on your breakfast cereal. They are considered inherently safe.



Hydrogen gas is what can be released, usually in overcharging situations, and though it is flammable, it also is nontoxic.

Well I'm using the headlamp camping so Im often in front of a camp fire.

I'm concerned because years ago, I had the tailcap boot expand on a flashlight with eneloops and I'm trying to decide how dangerous this would be if it occured in a headlamp and near a fire.

 

[hsa]

I have used them extensively with no incidents for years in all conditions. That of course doesn't mean anything but I can't think of anything that is any safer than an eneloop.
Maybe read through this for clues.

Overview: All eneloop batteries; 2005-2021

Eneloop overview 2005-2023 In February 2017 I started building a website about eneloop batteries called eneloop101.com to get all the information about eneloop batteries , an eneloop charger list and in 1 spot. There is lots of information including pdf product sheets, pdf eneloop catalogs...

www.candlepowerforums.com

 

[chillinn]

I'm trying to decide how dangerous this would be if it occured in a headlamp and near a fire.

It could only be a tiny volume of hydrogen gas. Lighting a gas grill would be exponentially more dangerous.

 

[airwolf41]

It could only be a tiny volume of hydrogen gas. Lighting a gas grill would be exponentially more dangerous.

I don't forsee myself being around a gas grill with a headlamp, but just curious why a gas grill would be more dangerous than a camp fire, I know a gas grill is propane, but not drawing the connection.

 

[Hooked on Fenix]

Get a waterproof headlight with platinum catalyst pellets to absorb the hydrogen and you don't need to worry about pressure build up. Princeton Tec makes several lights like this. The Eos and Quad headlights are a couple examples. I'm sure several other plastic lights made by dive light companies do the same. Metal lights rarely have that feature.

 

[chillinn]

I don't forsee myself being around a gas grill with a headlamp, but just curious why a gas grill would be more dangerous than a camp fire, I know a gas grill is propane, but not drawing the connection.

I was unclear. Before every gas grill had its own convenient electric starter, you had to manually light the gas. You turn on the gas, but you have to wait for the right moment for there be enough gas to light. There was a little hole under the grill to insert a match. Lighting too soon, you just wasted matches. If you waited too long, an explosion would shoot out of the underside of the grill and give you a new singed hairstyle. Happened all the time to people. Lighting a gas grill in the 1980s was more art than technique. In that probably tens of millions of gas grills were used over time, there must have been lots of explosions, but very few serious injuries, and, I seriously doubt, any fatalities. But my point is you need a good volume of flammable gas before it's a problem, and a lot more before it's a serious problem. It takes an awful lot of gas to blow up a home, but that does happen. A gas will expand rapidly to fill any container, but outside, there is no container, so the gas quickly dissipates.

If you could force an NiMH cell to release all the hydrogen gas it possibly could and ignited it on your face, it would startle you, but little else.

 

[DaveTheDude]

My neighbor's scout troop provides 1xAA and 2xAA headlamps to their scouts for night hikes and overnight camping events. The use Eneloop cells because of the lower lifetime per-cell cost (being rechargeable), and because of the inherent safety (they do not leak). The troop has used the Eneloop cells for at least four years that I'm aware of, without accident or incident. (No Scouts were harmed during use of these batteries.)

If Eneloop cells can survive several years of Scouting use, they'll work for you too.

Happy trails.

 

[airwolf41]

Get a waterproof headlight with platinum catalyst pellets to absorb the hydrogen and you don't need to worry about pressure build up. Princeton Tec makes several lights like this. The Eos and Quad headlights are a couple examples. I'm sure several other plastic lights made by dive light companies do the same. Metal lights rarely have that feature.

I actuallty own several princeton tec lights, but none that have the cataylst pellets. I looked on their website and can't find any spec mentioning the pellets.

Edit: I see it mentioned now in the online manuals on Princeton Tec's website.

This is odd to me, why would they only put catalyst pellets in a couple headlamp models and not all models?

The headlamps that have the pellets are no more waterproof that other models that do not. None of the headlamps are rated for anymore than 1m submersion.

 

[airwolf41]

I was unclear. Before every gas grill had its own convenient electric starter, you had to manually light the gas. You turn on the gas, but you have to wait for the right moment for there be enough gas to light. There was a little hole under the grill to insert a match. Lighting too soon, you just wasted matches. If you waited too long, an explosion would shoot out of the underside of the grill and give you a new singed hairstyle. Happened all the time to people. Lighting a gas grill in the 1980s was more art than technique. In that probably tens of millions of gas grills were used over time, there must have been lots of explosions, but very few serious injuries, and, I seriously doubt, any fatalities. But my point is you need a good volume of flammable gas before it's a problem, and a lot more before it's a serious problem. It takes an awful lot of gas to blow up a home, but that does happen. A gas will expand rapidly to fill any container, but outside, there is no container, so the gas quickly dissipates.

If you could force an NiMH cell to release all the hydrogen gas it possibly could and ignited it on your face, it would startle you, but little else.

Gotcha, thanks.

I'm assuming that Eneloops warning about not using in watertight devices, is more lawyer speak, as it's been said.

One other question, I also run eneloops in several (2) AA flashlights, one being a lumintop and a Thrunite.

Both lights being multi cell, running two AA batteries in a row, is a multi cell light with Eneloops less of an issue that other types of batteries?

 

[Hooked on Fenix]

I actuallty own several princeton tec lights, but none that have the cataylst pellets. I looked on their website and can't find any spec mentioning the pellets.

Edit: I see it mentioned now in the online manuals on Princeton Tec's website.

This is odd to me, why would they only put catalyst pellets in a couple headlamp models and not all models?

The headlamps that have the pellets are no more waterproof that other models that do not. None of the headlamps are rated for anymore than 1m submersion.

Princeton Tec started out as a dive light company. Some of their earlier lights were rated waterproof to 2000 feet. This was before IPX standards existed for testing. Now many of their lights compete with Black Diamond and Petzl for backpacking and climbing lights. A lot of their newer lights don't have as much waterproofing and don't have the platinum pellets. They compromised to save weight. If they are IPX4 rated, odds are gas will leak out and not build up because they aren't that waterproof. IPX6 and higher, they'll be decently sealed and you'll want platinum pellets. The IPX rating system really only tests to a little over 1 meter submerged for 30 minutes. IPX8 means they tested it to a degree beyond 1 meter. If you want a light with the platinum pellets, stick with their older models that they have kept around (EOS, Quad) or one of their dive rated lights.

 

[airwolf41]

Princeton Tec started out as a dive light company. Some of their earlier lights were rated waterproof to 2000 feet. This was before IPX standards existed for testing. Now many of their lights compete with Black Diamond and Petzl for backpacking and climbing lights. A lot of their newer lights don't have as much waterproofing and don't have the platinum pellets. They compromised to save weight. If they are IPX4 rated, odds are gas will leak out and not build up because they aren't that waterproof. IPX6 and higher, they'll be decently sealed and you'll want platinum pellets. The IPX rating system really only tests to a little over 1 meter submerged for 30 minutes. IPX8 means they tested it to a degree beyond 1 meter. If you want a light with the platinum pellets, stick with their older models that they have kept around (EOS, Quad) or one of their dive rated lights.

Im looking at multiple headlights on their website that are rated at IPX7 and mention nothing in the manual about the pellets.

I find it very odd that they indicate the pellets as a safety feature on older headlamps and then omit this feature on newer lights of the same waterproof rating.

 

[chillinn]

Both lights being multi cell, running two AA batteries in a row, is a multi cell light with Eneloops less of an issue that other types of batteries?

A cell reversing polarity and shorting is less of an issue than with other chemistries, yes, because while it could happen with NiMH, it just isn't dangerous when it does. But best practice is to dedicate cell groups and don't split them up, swapping position for each use for even wear. It's helpful to label the cells by group and group number, 1a & 2a, 1b & 2b, 1c & 2c, and so on and so forth. I used a fine point black Sharpie, but recently just got the same thing in silver, which works better for colored and black cells, as it's easier to see. Some print label stickers, but I find it problematic as it increases the cell diameter.

 

[Hooked on Fenix]

Eos, Quad, and Apex headlights have the platinum catalyst pellets. These lights have been around since as early as 2006 (Quad). Many of the other lights haven't been through as many improvements and may not last as long. The only IPX7 rated light I see other than these three is the Vizz, and I don't think it was always rated that high for waterproofing for past versions.

 

[chillinn]

Eos, Quad, and Apex headlights have the platinum catalyst pellets.

You can get your own, less than $4/g. Hard to believe platinum used to be more valuable than gold, now it's only half as much.

 

[airwolf41]

A cell reversing polarity and shorting is less of an issue than with other chemistries, yes, because while it could happen with NiMH, it just isn't dangerous when it does. But best practice is to dedicate cell groups and don't split them up, swapping position for each use for even wear. It's helpful to label the cells by group and group number, 1a & 2a, 1b & 2b, 1c & 2c, and so on and so forth. I used a fine point black Sharpie, but recently just got the same thing in silver, which works better for colored and black cells, as it's easier to see. Some print label stickers, but I find it problematic as it increases the cell diameter.

Interesting, I did not know about dedicating cells. So, if I'm understanding correctly, I would want put 1a into the light and then 2a. Then next time using the cells, I would alternate by putting 2a in first and then 1a.

If I don't do this, exactly what would happen if something went wrong with the eneloops in a multicell light, how dangerous could it get?

 

[airwolf41]

Eos, Quad, and Apex headlights have the platinum catalyst pellets. These lights have been around since as early as 2006 (Quad). Many of the other lights haven't been through as many improvements and may not last as long. The only IPX7 rated light I see other than these three is the Vizz, and I don't think it was always rated that high for waterproofing for past versions.

Yeah the Vizz is what threw me off, I actually own that headlamp. Wondering if I should avoid the eneloops in it?

 

[chillinn]

Interesting, I did not know about dedicating cells. So, if I'm understanding correctly, I would want put 1a into the light and then 2a. Then next time using the cells, I would alternate by putting 2a in first and then 1a.

If I don't do this, exactly what would happen if something went wrong with the eneloops in a multicell light, how dangerous could it get?

Yes, you got it. Lettered groups, numbered cells in each group. I don't believe anything would actually happen if an Eneloop reversed polarity other than the light not working until you swapped cells, and there could be no danger, but one of the cells, the one that reversed polarity, won't hold charge anymore.

 

[The Hawk]

I feel safe using Eneloops in several of my lights. I do see your point, but the amount that would leak is extremely small. I say go for it.