Fire Safety - 9-Volt Batteries

Posted by: brandtb

Fire Safety - 9-Volt Batteries - 01/10/14 02:08 AM

Subject: Important fire safety info for everyone

Fire Safety for 9 volt batteries

www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSJH21WmALc

Posted by: RNewcomb

Re: Fire Safety - 9-Volt Batteries - 01/10/14 03:43 PM

Wow.. I knew they got hot if the end touched, but never realized they could burst into flames.

I probably have several of these loose in a dresser drawer at home right now that are not taped... I'll be fixing that when I get home tonight!

Posted by: hikermor

Re: Fire Safety - 9-Volt Batteries - 01/10/14 04:14 PM

Wow, indeed. Thanks for posting. Very pertinent....

Posted by: adam2

Re: Fire Safety - 9-Volt Batteries - 01/10/14 04:35 PM

Originally Posted By: RNewcomb

Wow.. I knew they got hot if the end touched, but never realized they could burst into flames.

I probably have several of these loose in a dresser drawer at home right now that are not taped... I'll be fixing that when I get home tonight!

I do not think that any regular types of disposable 9 volt battery can burst into flame, the electrolyte consists largely of water in which a non flammable alkaline material is dissolved. The other materials are not normally regarded a flammable.

I have NEVER heard from a reputable source of a standard disposable battery catching fire.

Lithium 9 volt batteries exist and these might be a risk under extreme conditions, but alkaline or Zinc carbon cells ? I very much doubt it.

A spark from shorting out a 9 volt battery could certainly start a fire in the presence of flammables such as gasoline, propane, or other readily ignited materials, but that is not the same. Any spark could be dangerous under such conditions.

Posted by: Lono

Re: Fire Safety - 9-Volt Batteries - 01/10/14 04:38 PM

Its one of those rare but real risks I guess. At work they started out recycling batteries and early on they required 'tape both ends of each battery', 9 volt or other. I dutifully taped both ends of ~30 AAs and it was a pain. They since have revised down to taping *no* batteries and are none the worse off for it. Probably the Risks folks haven't heard about this one - but with no recorded fires in the recycle bins who would raise the issue...

Posted by: bws48

Re: Fire Safety - 9-Volt Batteries - 01/10/14 05:01 PM

I can see how one or two 9 volt batteries, in a full on short could create enough heat to ignite some sort of fuel. What I don't understand about the video, is how that small ignition could have propagated into a whole house fire. I can only assume that the batteries in question were in very close proximity to a fair amount of fuel, perhaps paper etc. IMO, there was a second mistake: throwing out the batteries into s source of fuel. In our community, we have a separate recycling bin for paper, cardboard etc. A great fuel source if you put the batteries into it together in a paper bag. Note that the recycling bin has an attached cover; closing it might be a useful safety precaution also.

Posted by: ireckon

Re: Fire Safety - 9-Volt Batteries - 01/10/14 07:38 PM

Who knows if the battery burst into flames? It could have have been whatever shorted the leads that burst into flames. Attach a wire across the leads and notice how quickly that wire gets HOT. (Actually, don't do this.) Either way, covering the leads with electrical tape is a good, simple, inexpensive precaution.

Posted by: Mark_R

Re: Fire Safety - 9-Volt Batteries - 01/10/14 08:35 PM

I did manage to short a 9V battery a couple of years ago when I inadvertently shorted it across a 9.6V NiCad AA battery pack. It got too hot to hold for more then a few senconds, and then it vented. I heard a faint pop-hiss when it did this.

I find it hard to believe, given the prevalence of 9V alkaline batteries, that some safety fetures was not built into the battery to prevent it from catching on fire.

Posted by: dougwalkabout

Re: Fire Safety - 9-Volt Batteries - 01/11/14 02:46 AM

A 9V battery is just six quad-A (AAAA) 1.5V batteries pressed together in a case. As others have noted, they wouldn't burn on their own (unlike lithium-ion rechargeables); but if shorted out by aluminum foil, I suppose they could be enough current to create a brief burst of heat and ignite tinder. The conditions for causing a fire would have to be unbelievably perfect -- I would rate it as a freak occurrence. There are things in the average house and attached garage that are more dangerous by orders of magnitude.

Posted by: UTAlumnus

Re: Fire Safety - 9-Volt Batteries - 01/11/14 03:53 AM

I don't know if it would reach ignition temperature but a standard 9V will get hot enough that if dropped in a pocket with change, you will be removing it quickly if it shorts. BTDT to myself.

Posted by: dougwalkabout

Re: Fire Safety - 9-Volt Batteries - 01/11/14 05:00 AM

Yeah, that could be a bit more excitement than you planned on.

I never thought of a 9V as a firestarter, but rather a source for 1.5V batteries in a pinch. I might just try it with a bit of tinfoil (outdoors) if I can find a spare battery that I'm willing to sacrifice. Sort of a Mythbusters theme.

Posted by: UTAlumnus

Re: Fire Safety - 9-Volt Batteries - 01/11/14 06:50 PM

No planning involved. Early 20's at the time & didn't think about it. Dropped the 9V in pocket. Some time later it got shorted & the thought process went something like: "HEY, why is my leg getting hot?" reached in pocket "Won't make that mistake again!"

Posted by: EMPnotImplyNuclear

Re: 9v New Hampshire State Fire Marshal's Office - 01/12/14 02:26 AM

keep steel wool away from batteries and cottonballs and petrolatum

Originally Posted By: http://www.nh.gov/safety/divisions/firesafety/news/20120808-9-volt-batteries.html

New Hampshire State Fire Marshal's Office encourages you to locate your extra batteries and learn how to store them properly.

In July, a fire broke out in a kitchen "junk" drawer which the resident stated she had just cleaned and organized. The fire produced smoke throughout the first floor of the home. In the drawer were spare keys, a cigarette lighter, paper clips, eye glass cleaner, and some batteries in a baggie along with everything else that you find in a "junk" drawer.

The local fire department determined the cause of the fire to be from a 9 volt battery stored in the same baggie with other batteries. The 9 volt battery rubbed against another battery and ignited the fire. In the homeowner's words, "We were fortunate not have been away for the weekend!"

A 9 volt battery is a fire hazard because the positive and negative posts are on top, right next to one another. If the ends come in contact with anything metal i.e. aluminum foil, steel wool, paper clip, other batteries, etc. this will create the object to heat up and ignite a fire.

To store, keep in original packaging or keep ends covered. For disposal, make sure that the positive and negative posts are safely wrapped in electrical tape.

Remember to check your smoke alarms each month to ensure your family has the early warning to get out safely if a fire should occur in your home.

Posted by: JerryFountain

Re: 9v New Hampshire State Fire Marshal's Office - 01/13/14 01:49 PM

As EMP noted, steel wool and a 9V are an old fire starting tool. Not often used in the woods, but I often start 0000 on fire with a 9V as a class demonstration. Burns well enough to start paper easily. Since the fellow in the video said he put the batteries in a bag (paper?) and then later set a clothes basket on it, the tinder and fuel was provided externally.

Respectfully,

Jerry

Posted by: ILBob

Re: Fire Safety - 9-Volt Batteries - 01/13/14 02:47 PM

ni cads are the worst they can produce an enormous amount of current into a short circuit.

Posted by: dougwalkabout

Re: Fire Safety - 9-Volt Batteries - 01/14/14 07:15 AM

Fair enough! Based on the weight of evidence, I will start taping my 9-volts.

Though I confess this makes me even more paranoid about the many drill batteries and laptop batteries floating around my house ...

Posted by: Tjin

Re: Fire Safety - 9-Volt Batteries - 01/14/14 08:44 AM

I honestly never though about it as a fire hazard, but i have always use the caps of new batteries to cap the older ones they were replacing. The bulk package of 9V's i'm using have one of the poles capped with a little plastic/rubber cap.

Posted by: ireckon

Re: Fire Safety - 9-Volt Batteries - 01/15/14 04:56 AM

Originally Posted By: dougwalkabout

Fair enough! Based on the weight of evidence, I will start taping my 9-volts.

Though I confess this makes me even more paranoid about the many drill batteries and laptop batteries floating around my house ...

But those don't have terminals that are easy to short.