Batteries Don't Explode

PaulRainbow

PaulRainbow

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We've had a few threads about batteries gassing and whether or not they can explode. I think most of us know that they can, but there have been those that argue "batteries don't explode", "never heard of such a thing", "the percentage of hydrogen in the air will be too low to allow an explosion", etc, etc,

Well, a friend of mine was going sailing last Friday. Pretty much ready to set off, he pressed the starter button. There was a load bang, he said it sounded like a shotgun going off. A little digging around revealed this, in the cockpit locker battery box, housing the engine battery, or what used to be the engine battery:

IMG-20210626-WA0000.jpg

There was no prior indication of a problem, no smells or Co alarms going off etc. The underside of the battery box lid has pieces of battery embedded in it ! If the circumstances had been different and he'd been investigating a problem, or a funny smell, etc, when the battery went bang the result could have been very serious indeed, almost certainly life changing.

So i'll repeat my previous advice/warnings, if you think there is a problem with a battery, if you notice a funny smell, if the CO alarm goes off when nothing has been on, turn the isolators and chargers off before opening the battery box, If anything looks, feels, smells at all suspect, run away. Leave the lid off the box and all loads/chargers off, let any possible hydrogen disperse. When you disconnect the battery remove to negative cable first. It certainly wouldn't hurt to throw an old blanket, coat, etc over the battery whilst doing so.
 
Interesting. That looks like the explosion was inside the battery. I had always assumed the risk was hydrogen venting from the battery being ignited by a spark outside the battery. What do you think the source of ignition was?
As an aside, I once heard and saw a tractor battery suffering a full short circuit when someone (me) stood on the engine cover. That was like a rifle shot and it blew a hole in the side of the battery, spilling acid, but that presumably would not have been a hydrogen explosion but a sudden release of stored energy?
Comments welcome, I may not be understanding what goes on here.
Al
 
Working at mikes boatyard in the early 80's we had a big battery explode while being charged, the casing was destroyed & acid went everywhere, fortunately nobody was near it when it went pop. Made a helluva bang though.
 
Working in a road trailer and container manufacturing plant in the mid 70s we had two battery powered sideloading fork lifts. They were old and knackered but somebody managed to send the lid of one of the battery packs through the factory roof after mismanaging the charging.
 
That battery may be in bits, but still worth a few pounds for scrap, and yes, they will take it like that as long as it's been washed down.
It's interesting that any battery explosions that I have witnessed all seem to be started by an external spark, either with jump packs or chargers, or once when someone was using a grinder next to a battery. We had great fun hosing the person using the grinder down with water, he was covered in acid but kept his eyes shut until we had him doused, although we took the hosing down a bit far, and for too long! Had a friend that had go go to hospital to get bits of plastic removed from his face after battery exploded, he caused a spark when removing the terminal.
Maybe someone can explain how an external ignition of the gas can travel to inside the battery case, in an instant.
 
black mercury said:
Maybe someone can explain how an external ignition of the gas can travel to inside the battery case, in an instant.
Click to expand...

My initial thought was bad battery connection arcing and igniting gas through the vented caps but looking closer, that one didn't have vented caps and had a hose on the vent. It seems the explosion may be from an internal event, rather than external gas igniting.
 
A mate of mine blew up a tiny 6V battery from a moped.
Fair sized 'BANG', Awful mess.
I can imagine the battery bank on a yacht could do a lot of damage.
 
When I was a lad my father sent me to get a battery he had been charging. When i disconnected it a steel ladle fell & shorted the terminals. The explosion threw the acid in my face. I ran screaming from the shed. My mother grabed me & shoved my face down in the washing up bowl in the sink. Then turned me backwards & ran the tap in my face, after she had given me a black eye with the tap.

Following a visit to Orsett A & E I spent 3 days with my eyes covered in bandages. I was totally unable to see a thing for those 3 days.
On the 3rd day she was taking me to Brentwood Nuffield & had my arm through hers. She walked fast & I was complaining like hell as she marched me up the steps & I nearly fell. At the top was a set of glass double doors. One was open, one was not. She , still with her arm tight through mine & marching, walked through one. I went straight into the other. She called me a "big girl's blouse" even though I had a nose bleed that lasted for ages.
She did more damage than the acid but probably saved my sight with her quick actions.
I recall that my face & eyelids were burned for some time.
 
At my farm I had a 7.5 ton truck which would not start. I called for an auto electrician. I fully charged it before he arrived, When he arrived he was about to reach underneath with a "heavy discharge tester" I said "its fully charged" He gave me that sort of look that professionals give a "simple" farmer. His discharge prongs touched the battery, it exploded covering him with acid.
He had to buy me a new battery.
(I would mention that I had a garage for 25 years)
 
My (then) neighbour was walking through his hallway en route to the toilet one night when he stubbed his toe on his wife’s sewing machine box. He didn’t break any bones but it hurt like hell apparently.
 
I'd be very interested to strip that battery down to see what happened. As others have said the vent pipe is connected and the battery exploded from the inside. This is not necessarily a hydrogen explosion. A dead short within the battery with vaporised lead may induce a similar pressure rise. If hydrogen inside the battery was ignited by starting currents it would suggest that the plates were exposed. When/how often was the water topped up? The over pressure looks like it may have been in the third cell from the bottom of the photo. Interesting one to look into.
 
I'm not familiar with the brand (not that I'm that familiar with battery brands anyway...) - but it's not a cheap one, according to a quick comparison for a random size here: 019 Car Batteries

Was sort of hoping it could be explained away by being a cheapie non-brand.
 
I am not sure that is caused by the hydrogen gas "exploding" in the sense of igniting - looks more like a build up of pressure inside the battery
 
Just a thought but I have nearly exploded a battery like that by accidentally blocking the pipe attached to the vent such that the gas physically explodes the battery from inside due to pressure without any ignition being involved.

Just a thought.

Richard
 
Battery on charge, vents open, grinder in action across the other side of the shed = Bang. The gas in the area must have been at the critical H2O proportion (remember the sodawater bottle experiment at school?)I guess once it started the hydrogen went as well, but being in a contained situation it blew the battery casing apart. In the case where you leave your boat plugged into the mains with a charger active I guess you have to be cautious. Personally, I unplug...
 
I have witnessed a battery explode with some bits flying 20 ft or more . A mate was working outside on an old TR4 with the bonnet open he connected the terminals resulting in a terrific explosion with most parts flying upward it was miraculous that the chap was not hurt some time later we learnt the car like many of that era had a positive earth and he did not know it also the battery must of contained explosive gasses maybe from being freshly charged since then I treat batteries with great respect
 
Billjratt said:
Battery on charge, vents open, grinder in action across the other side of the shed = Bang. The gas in the area must have been at the critical H2O proportion (remember the sodawater bottle experiment at school?)I guess once it started the hydrogen went as well, but being in a contained situation it blew the battery casing apart. In the case where you leave your boat plugged into the mains with a charger active I guess you have to be cautious. Personally, I unplug...
Click to expand...
A gassing battery automatically produces both H2 and O2 in exactly the right proportion to make a nice bang
 
Another one here who has seen this - when I was a marine engineer, I was scheduled for a job. Couldn't do it for some reason or another so my mate (fellow engineer at the same company) went in my stead. Whilst he was load testing the battery it blew up - luckily he had turned away, but the acid eat through his overalls and he was lucky not to be seriously injured.
We had a bit of a cold chill moment when we realised that if I had gone, I would have been right over the top of the batteries as he was shorter & thinner than me, so could wedge himself next to them. Made for a sobering thought...
So yes, it can - and does happen. Anyone who says otherwise is plain wrong.
 
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