Battery safety - video and pics inside

Dr Evil

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Jul 8, 2010
Messages
151
Location
Dalzell, South Carolina
First of all, I wonder if there should be a sticky for battery safety.

Now for the main reason I posted this. I had some Panasonic 3100 mAh 18650s that started bulging at the - end. I'd rather not trust a battery in any device if it's doing that. Reading about them exploding due to shorts/overheating, I decided to shoot one with a pellet gun. This will just give you an idea of what happens. This is best case scenario. Why do I say that? Because there is a hole to relieve the pressure build up.

Sorry about the video being a little blurry. I hadn't notice that the lens fogged up when I took the camera outside.



Zm5IdXim.jpg
aWhxdOLm.jpg


Please be safe.
 

R.W.D.

Enlightened
Joined
Jan 17, 2014
Messages
251
Location
Jacksonville FL
There are all kinds of battery safety posts and threads but they are in the battery section. The battery bulging isn't a new thing to most people here it can be from a multitude of things. What seem to be the main causes are over charging over discharging and misuse/less then adequate storing conditions weahter in the light or otherwise.

Occasionally you can get a freak cell which is rare and could have a manufacturing issue but that's rare. I recently had a perfectly treated NiMH AA ruin a light and vent for no reason I can account for.

I'm not an expert on most things but I have destroyed many lithium primary/ion cells so I only speak from my experience. The one time I ever had a lithium battery go wrong was before I knew better than using Chinese cheap cells and Chinese cheap p60 style drop in that drew too much current and caused one of the cells to shoot the other and the p60 right out the front. Blew the lens to pieces and the lens retainer ring. It was pretty neat to learn the capability of something I took for granted. But at the same time I learned to respect simple things like batteries. I treat my batteries as I do my guns. Keep them clean dry and cheak them every now and then for unusual things.
 

Dr Evil

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Jul 8, 2010
Messages
151
Location
Dalzell, South Carolina
There are all kinds of battery safety posts and threads but they are in the battery section. The battery bulging isn't a new thing to most people here it can be from a multitude of things. What seem to be the main causes are over charging over discharging and misuse/less then adequate storing conditions weahter in the light or otherwise.

Occasionally you can get a freak cell which is rare and could have a manufacturing issue but that's rare. I recently had a perfectly treated NiMH AA ruin a light and vent for no reason I can account for.

I'm not an expert on most things but I have destroyed many lithium primary/ion cells so I only speak from my experience. The one time I ever had a lithium battery go wrong was before I knew better than using Chinese cheap cells and Chinese cheap p60 style drop in that drew too much current and caused one of the cells to shoot the other and the p60 right out the front. Blew the lens to pieces and the lens retainer ring. It was pretty neat to learn the capability of something I took for granted. But at the same time I learned to respect simple things like batteries. I treat my batteries as I do my guns. Keep them clean dry and cheak them every now and then for unusual things.

I thought I've seen the battery section. I probably should have tried looking for it when I was more awake. The cells were the green ones. The bulging wasn't real bad. Just enough so they wouldn't stand straight up. This has only happened to two cells over the 8 or so years I've been using Li-Ion battery types. Right now I have close to 40 18650s alone.
 

R.W.D.

Enlightened
Joined
Jan 17, 2014
Messages
251
Location
Jacksonville FL
Yea I've been to tired to find things here Haha.

Do you have any idea why they buldged? Did they both do it together under use or separate?
 

Pideas

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Jun 19, 2015
Messages
2
I use the same battery in my Nitecore P12. Thanks for sharing and any type of battery should be handle with care.
 

zipplet

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Dec 11, 2006
Messages
1,139
Location
Ireland
Thanks for filming that. I found it interesting especially as you switched to IR vision!

I would have "disposed" of the bulged cells too. I have had the odd very slightly bulged NiMH cell but I am not worried about those. However, bulged lithium cells would give me concern.
 
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