ITP A3 Eos EXPLODED!

Gather App
Candle Power Forums

Help Support Candle Power:

Status
Not open for further replies.
Alkalines can leak hydrogen gas, I thought. If turning on the light makes a spark, then bang!!!
 
There must be some possibility of venting. My old UKeLED has a safety valve, and the old PT Attitude some kind of "absorber pellet" in the head. And, I have noticed a gas release opening up the Arc AAA.

Geoff
 
So it can't really be heat build up and the battery apparently showed no signs of damage. So perhaps a moderately slow venting leading to a pressure increase, and the front glass blows out. Maybe a battery whizz will know whether the battery can vent enough H2 to cause a worrying pressure build up. The Energizer information given earlier does seem to suggest that the quantity of H2 vented may be significant. In which case this would apply to any torch using alkaline cells. Could ITP and others be having a Toyota moment?
 
With my (although limited then still quite a bit greater than average) technological knowledge I'd say there's nothing wrong with the ITP light other than being too pressure proof.
Slow leakage of gas from the alkaline cell and/or reaction of leaks with aluminum, batteryspring etc (but not the anodizing as it's non reactive with most substances).

If sealed tight enough the pressure builds up and when threads, glass, whatever can tolerate any more pressure then - :poof:

That's also why MagLite in the AAA and AA lights have not a normal o-ring at the bottom but a special one with a lip which seals it against water but allows a slow pressure build up to escape safely (it won't do wonders with the lithium and LiIon accidents also on CPF). On Mags D and C cell lights the pushbutton provides the pressure escape so no need for a special o-ring on them.
 
bspofford said:
Do NiMH cells vent? Are they safer in a closed space like an AAA or AA light?
Click to expand...

Under normal use - no (otherwise you'd be loosing material and therefore loosing capacity fast). And even under abuse I've never experienced one that did when discharging.
Charging however is another story. If charger is defect or inappropriate for the battery it can vent. When it does that don't consider using it anymore - it's toast or actually it was toast even before it vented. Might have a little capacity remaining but nothing worth bothering about.
 
Last edited:
So it seems that NiMH batteries are safer to use in closed spaces like flashlights without venting capability. Correct?
 
Don't have one of these lights but would it be possible to twist hard enough (if the light had a weak point) to push the electronics and reflector into the glass with enough preassure to cause it to shatter with a great deal of force?
 
EEG said:
Don't have one of these lights but would it be possible to twist hard enough (if the light had a weak point) to push the electronics and reflector into the glass with enough preassure to cause it to shatter with a great deal of force?
Click to expand...

Not really, there is a spring in the base of the body. Even if you tighten it right down, there would be a little give, if there wasn't it would crush the positive nipple on the battery.
 
This is a little off topic, but back in my car audio days I accidentally confused a 6V LED with a 12V and hooked the sucker up. It exploded with a LOUD pop and the plastic lens material shattered all over the place. I would be surprised however if an alkaline AAA has the power density to do this with an XPE...


:confused:
 
Here's my take on what happened. Hydrogen was released from the alkaline battery and leaked into the head where there is space and some oxygen. The combination of hydrogen, oxygen, and either an electrical connection or the heat built up from the stainless steel caused an explosion in the head (not a simple pressure release) which sent the glass lens flying in pieces at people.
 
I think that the seals were so good that no gas was able to leak out of the casing ... I think that over a period of time the pressure slowly built up until the weakest link failed ... This would be the glass rather than the metal body ... The glass exploded with a bang which is what you would expect in an exploding pressure vessel ... No bright flash was seen which eliminates any flame ... So it must have been due to a gradual buildup of pressure.

The moral of the story is that either torches should themselves have vents of the type fitted to some divers watches, or you have to loosen off the tailcap every few days and listen for a hiss ... If you hear a hiss. wait till it stops and then change the battery and dispose of the old one.
.
 
If there was an explosive gas causing the incident then there would have been a flash (this one would think). None was reported.

More likely to me is that the pill was a little too tight on installation. Over time and repeated heating and cooling cycles the glass fatigued. Heating up in the persons pocket and twisting may have been the last cycle and the glass blew out - the only direction it can go even if it started going in first.

aehaas
 
I think there's more to this than meets the eye.
If this was related to gas buildup, why aren't there more posts on CPF about alkalines causing gas buildup and ending with a loud bang? Also the OP mentioned that the explosion sounded like a gunshot, that is a pretty big bang coming from a very small AAA powered light. An explosion of that magnitude would do more damage to the light than just a broken lens, the reflector and pcb should of shot out the front with great force.
The light isn't sealed that well, because you can push down on the head to activate it when its off. If the thread tolerance was high then I could understand.
Like everyone has mentioned, it could be due to gas buildup, but there are so many questions that need answers. This can be a potential hazard for all AA and AAA SS lights.
 
LEDninja said:
If it was the battery venting then going to SS or Ti would make things worse. The pressure would reach a higher level before something gives way.

Many of the flashlights designed for hazardous operation (Streamlights and UK etc.***) have 2 features to prevent battery venting from causing an explosion.
1) They have a chemical or catalyst pill in the head to neutralize any hydrogen vented. Note alkaline batteries vent hydrogen so you can have a hydrogen oxygen explosion not just pressure from the venting gas.
2) They have a vent in the body to release any pressure buildup.

*** Not all Streamlights and UK lights have these features. Only the ones with hazardous Class 1 Div 1 & Class 1 Div 2 ratings.
Click to expand...

At least some Pelican light have feature also.
I don't think a Ti or SS light would build up more pressure the glass gave out not the body of the light.
 
Rexlion said:
Unfortunately he threw the light in the trash, so we can't send it back for inspection to see what went wrong. (I would really have liked to see it firsthand, and try to have some expert look at it also.) :sigh: But it's long gone now.
Click to expand...
Pictures, or it did not happen.
 
I'm siding with mechanical failure - mechanical or thermal stress in the glass. Hydrogen build up from a leaking alkaline simply doesn't make sense, especially when it still looked fine. You guys who love that idea, how about proving it can happen?
 
SureAddicted said:
I think there's more to this than meets the eye.
If this was related to gas buildup, why aren't there more posts on CPF about alkalines causing gas buildup and ending with a loud bang?
Click to expand...

There are rapports about gas buildups once in a while, if the light has a rubber switch, it will balloon out. On twisties I have tried it on my Fenix LD01, where is got very hard to twist, but the light was solid enough and the gas was released when I opened it up.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Latest posts

Back
Top