Exploded battery...

Back when I first started using an electric trolling motor, I first started using a battery charger. Never had to use one before, just never came up. So the first time I used my new charger on my new deep cycle battery, I had it set up on my front porch, attached the cables, plugged it in, and went in to clean the fish. Suddenly, the sound of seven shotguns rattles the neighborhood and my windows, and I run out to see that my battery is in a hundred pieces around my porch and driveway. Everybody along our street is on their porch looking over at me wondering what the explosion was, and I'm in shock, thanking my lucky stars that our dog was in the house, and nobody was near that thing when it blew. I got all the pieces picked up and cleaned up and all that. The next day I realized one thing I shouldn't have forgotten: All that battery acid had splattered all over the porch AND MY TRUCK, and I didn't hose anything off. My paintjob was ruined by a thousand little black pockmarks, both on the truck and the house. ARRRRGGG!!!!
I think the reason it exploded was that I didn't pop the caps off the battery.
Now it's the first thing I do.

Thanks for telling that story. I'm glad to hear no one was hurt. I've never thought about taking the caps off while charging. Does anyone else here remove their caps?

I don't think it was the caps as they are vented plus there are sealed batteries with no caps. I suspect you accidently hooked the charger up backwards.

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Originally Posted by IBNFSHN

I don't think it was the caps as they are vented plus there are sealed batteries with no caps. I suspect you accidently hooked the charger up backwards.

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been there, done that !! #1 reason for battery explosions, is reverse hookups (hooking postives to negatives). Most occur when jumpstarting a car battery. That's when it happened to me. Got a face/eyes full of battery water. Luckily the battery was near dead, so the acid was relatively weak. A quick flushing of the face and eyes, with water, and no damage done. Also, luckily, the reverse wiring mistake only blew the caps off the battery ... and did not explode the casing. .... cp :cool:

i had one blow on me once as i reached over it to remove the clamps after a night of charging. you usually get a spark when you remove the battery clamps unless you unplug the charger first, which i dint do. after a night of charging i guess the battery was emittin some strong vapors when the spark set it off. the whole top blew off with a huge explosion. fortuantly all i was hit with was acid. after a quick shower i was ok. to this day i dont see how i missed gettin hurt, but i did. a rule of thumb now is ALWAYS unplug the charger before removing the battery clamps from it. that way you wont get a spark. batteries will blow even if the charger is hooked up right. all you need is the spark and the vapors from a battery.

10-4 that ,Rango.Way back in 19dickeydoo,when I was in H.s.I had an olds 88...beast of a car.Stopped at a 7-11 for a soda after school,got back in and turned the key..BOOM!,starter never even had time to engage.Quite the explosion,peeled part of the hood up.Had it towed.....charging system checked out O.k.......guess it was just an old battery giving off hydrogen and the relay ignited it....scared the heck out of me.Put a new battery in and it was fine.The hood and acid etchings just gave it a little more character:D

Boy, never thought I could have hooked the battery up backwards, I knew that red went to + and black to -, maybe that's what happened but I kinda doubt it. All I know is the caps were still on the battery. Wouldn't a backwards hookup have exploded it sooner than a couple hours? I think it was around two-three hours along when it blew up...
I think this is a good place to talk about battery safety and chargeing tho, since so many of us recharge them things... I think too many people are sadly uneducated about the hazards of rechargeing batteries.
Regards, Glowgood

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Originally Posted by Glowgood Jigster

Boy, never thought I could have hooked the battery up backwards, I knew that red went to + and black to -, maybe that's what happened but I kinda doubt it. All I know is the caps were still on the battery. Wouldn't a backwards hookup have exploded it sooner than a couple hours? I think it was around two-three hours along when it blew up...
I think this is a good place to talk about battery safety and chargeing tho, since so many of us recharge them things... I think too many people are sadly uneducated about the hazards of rechargeing batteries.
Regards, Glowgood

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You may have a point .... if the leads were hooked up correctly, and the caps were still on, and it took a couple of hours before it exploded --- there may have been a defect in the battery, itself, or it possibly was reverse charged at the factory (if it was straight off the shelf, and not yet used by you).
Not having the caps blow off, makes me think of two possibilities - problem was in the plates, in the interior of the battery ... or, caps were not allowing ventilation, and battery got hot & expanded to bursting point.
Were you charging with a 12V charger, or a larger one ? ..... cp :cool:

a battery will for a gass cloud over the battery and a spark will set it off . this usealey happend in the summer when it is hot and no breeze blowing . you alwayes hook the + to battery and then hook the -to the engi block . it will put offa little spark and when hooking to a battery it is right in the gass . if you have to hook directley to battery do so in a breeze or fan over the battery to blow away the gass cloud .

My Sears charger has a light, that lights up, if it is hooked in reverse. It is about 10 years old. Have had it light up once, when in a rush to charge it. Doesn't all newer chargers have this feature?

I was using a 12V automatic charger that was brand new, don't remember the brand. I threw it away thinking it could have been the reason too. I know it was a calm summer night so the gases may have been gathering in the same spot. I should go take a pic of what's left of that battery tomorrow and post it on here, I saved it so someday I could use the lead to pour some jigs and sinkers.

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Originally Posted by Glowgood Jigster

I was using a 12V automatic charger that was brand new, don't remember the brand. I threw it away thinking it could have been the reason too. I know it was a calm summer night so the gases may have been gathering in the same spot. I should go take a pic of what's left of that battery tomorrow and post it on here, I saved it so someday I could use the lead to pour some jigs and sinkers.

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Now, there's a real crappie fisherman for you...HA!

Don't melt battery lead for sinkers,gives off some horrific and dangerous fumes.....much better getting wheel weights from a garage.

How was the water level? I don't know about newer technology but, back in the day plates would weld themselves together (if the water level was not maintained) and could cause the reverse charging effect, which in turn would cause an explosion. When I was a kid working in a filling station, the first thing we would do is top off the water before charging.
DP

I don't remember checking the water level, as the battery was brand new and this was the first time I used and charged it.

What type of gasses could battery lead give off that wheel weight lead wouldn't?:eek: I admit ignorance on this, first time I've ever heard about such a thing. Could I just stay clear upwind of the process and be ok?:confused: Sure hate to waste about ten pounds of lead...:(

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Originally Posted by Glowgood Jigster

I don't remember checking the water level, as the battery was brand new and this was the first time I used and charged it.

What type of gasses could battery lead give off that wheel weight lead wouldn't?:eek: I admit ignorance on this, first time I've ever heard about such a thing. Could I just stay clear upwind of the process and be ok?:confused: Sure hate to waste about ten pounds of lead...:(

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When batteries are recycled ... the lead is melted in a closed chamber. Biggest reasons ... to stop lead particles from entering the air, and to stop sulfer particles from entering the air. The lead of the battery will absorb some of the sulfer from the sulfuric acid, or sulfer particles may attach themselves to the lead plates. When melted, the sulfer is detached from the lead.
You may still be able to use the "exploded" battery, as a deposit on the purchase of another battery. Most places usually charge you an extra $7-$8 if you don't have a dead one to turn in, when purchasing a new one. The recycle plants are going to tear the old battery down, anyway, so I doubt they'd care whether it's exploded or whole. Now, the retail store may not like it much :D but, since the acid is gone, anyway ... they may not care, either.

If you still plan on keeping the lead plates (core) ... you might want to "clean" them first, just to insure that you don't get acid burns handling them (or inhale sulfer fumes when melting them). Wash them in a baking soda solution, until the bubbling stops. That should neutralize the acid. And, it would be a real good idea to wear some type of respirator, or filtered mask, when melting lead. No sense in giving yourself a case of lead poisoning, just to make some jigs & sinkers. And be sure and melt lead in a very well ventilated area (fan forced air ventilation, if inside ... or outdoors, which would be even better) ... but wear a mask, in either case !!

I'm not 100% sure about any of this information ... so take it with that thought in mind. You do what you do, at your own risk ... luck2ya ... cp :cool:

When I went to charge my battery a few weeks ago, I put my clamps on and then plugged in the charger and had a BIG spark! I immediately unplugged the charger and (then) got a flashlight (it was dark) and noticed I had put the clamps on the wrong poles! So I would doubt that you had it clamped wrong as you should have immediately heard and seen a BIG spark and noise.

I never remove the caps before I charge but my father-in-law ALWAYS removes them from his. I guess I need to start also. I can not tell you how much I have learned from that man!

I do make it a rule that I ALWAYS hook the clamps to the battery first and then plug in the charger when charging the battery and I ALWAYS unplug the charger before removing the clamps.

Thanks for the extra ideas and experiences. I think I'll just proceed with caution. Heck, it might take another 4 years before I get around to pouring some jigheads anyways. Don't have any molds yet...

Years ago, my father-in-law had a battery hooked to a charger, the battery was finished charging, but still hooked up trickling. I turned the battery charger off, unplugged the charger from the wall and waited for the chargers' capacitor to discharge.
When I went to disconnect the clamps from the battery, it blew, in my face and in my eyes.
I made it to a faucet a few steps away and layed under the faucet with my eyes open for about 15 to 20 minutes. I sure am glad father-in-law was only a few steps away!
That day and the next I couldn't see anything, along about the third day, things began to visualize, but as in a deep fog. It took the better part of a week before I could drive and 2 weeks before I could return to work.
I really now not only respect a battery. but I also keep my face out of the danger zone when connecting or disconnecting a battery.

I'm glad that you and no one else was hurt. Yes I always take my caps off. Don't know if it makes a difference or not but better safe than sorry.

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Originally Posted by handybat

. Yes I always take my caps off. Don't know if it makes a difference or not but better safe than sorry.

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The caps are vented ... so the gases can escape. That's a two edged sword - it keeps the battery from coming under pressure and rupturing ... but also allows the gases to escape and potentially get ignited by a spark or heat. Most battery expert sites say to leave the caps on ... but, mainly to prevent the electrolyte solution (acid) from bubbling/splattering out of the holes (which can lead to acid burns on clothing, other items in close proximity, and personal body parts).
If you don't think there's any battery acid on your battery, just try this : put some baking soda in water, and "wash" the battery casing. Any fizzing/bubbling that takes place on the casing, is the battery acid being neutralized :eek: :D ......... cp :cool: