DeWalt Charger & Battery Meltdown

[kbuhagiar]

Hello Folks,

Got a bit of a scare today.
We had just returned from a two-week vacation, and I had just plugged in all of my chargers in the garage. An hour later I returned to the garage to an acrid burning smell and this:

The battery was practically melted onto the charger. Needless to say, they are both toast.

Fortunately I have gotten into the habit of unplugging all of my battery chargers before an extended absence since hearing about (of all things) an electric toothbrush charger meltdown last year.

This really rattled me, can't help but think of 'what if'...

Going forward...I'm not sure if the charger was defective and overcharged the battery...or if the battery was defective and went into runaway charge mode. Thoughts?

In any case they both need to be replaced. The charger was a DeWalt DW9108 (which was at least seven years old and doesn't appear to be available anymore), and the battery was a little over two years old, something called a TopBatt.

Any recommendations for dependable & safe replacements?

Thanks in advance and...don't forget to check your chargers and batteries!

 

[cnttxmdc]

Wow, that could’ve been bad!
The lithium batteries & adapters by DeWalt may be the way to go. The lithium chargers are a bit safer, and will give your 18v tools new life. I have over a dozen 20v DeWalt tools & batteries. Never once have I been disappointed in them, especially the batteries & chargers.

 

[Farmall450]

Wow, that could’ve been bad!
The lithium batteries & adapters by DeWalt may be the way to go. The lithium chargers are a bit safer, and will give your 18v tools new life. I have over a dozen 20v DeWalt tools & batteries. Never once have I been disappointed in them, especially the batteries & chargers.

Well, that and not running no name China batteries.

Is your garage heated? EDIT: nvm, probably didn't freeze in Cali lol

 

[L.Cheapo]

Not to be that guy, but the label on the charger says "Use only with DeWalt battery packs. Others may burst..."

AvE has done a few battery tear downs over the years. The aftermarket ones usually lack the balancing or some other critical component.

 

[cnttxmdc]

Well, that and not running no name China batteries.

Is your garage heated? EDIT: nvm, probably didn't freeze in Cali lol

I noticed that too... I’ve never used off brand batteries for tools, but I’ve had better luck with them with cameras and phones than some of the OEMs.

Also, it can get too cold in Northern California for this Texan!

OP: this is the kit I’m talking about
DEWALT DCA2203C 20-Volt MAX Battery Adapter Kit for 18-Volt Tools https://www.amazon.com/dp/B016K1UEPS/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[shanny19]

Thread title notwithstanding, this incident had nothing to do with a DeWalt charger malfunction. Nothing.

 

[starquestMM]

You got very lucky. My work lost a building to fire started by battery chargers.

I would recommend everybody use a timer of some sorts on their chargers. I set my outlet up with a timer switch something like these

 

[DHCrocks]

That charger is the old ni-cad one, you were using ni-mh batteries which are not compatible.

For the old dewalt post batteries you need to use the yellow charger which is for ni-cad, ni-mh, li-ion. then it will safely charge and cutoff.

 

[gtsgarage]

Scary for sure. I never use knockoff batteries in anything. Seems like you got lucky!

 

[kbuhagiar]

Wow, that could’ve been bad!
The lithium batteries & adapters by DeWalt may be the way to go. The lithium chargers are a bit safer, and will give your 18v tools new life. I have over a dozen 20v DeWalt tools & batteries. Never once have I been disappointed in them, especially the batteries & chargers.

Well, that and not running no name China batteries. Is your garage heated? EDIT: nvm, probably didn't freeze in Cali lol

Not to be that guy, but the label on the charger says "Use only with DeWalt battery packs. Others may burst..."

AvE has done a few battery tear downs over the years. The aftermarket ones usually lack the balancing or some other critical component.

No excuse on my part, but I inherited the charger and batteries and never thought to check both for compatibility. Lesson learned.

 

[cnttxmdc]

No excuse on my part, but I inherited the charger and batteries and never thought to check both for compatibility. Lesson learned.

That’s totally fair. I think any of us could find ourselves in the same situation. Some of my favorite tools have been bought used.

Glad it wasn’t worse for you man!

 

[kbuhagiar]

OP: this is the kit I’m talking about
DEWALT DCA2203C 20-Volt MAX Battery Adapter Kit for 18-Volt Tools https://www.amazon.com/dp/B016K1UEPS/?tag=atomicindus08-20

This looks like the way to go. Thanks for the recommendation.

 

[Josey Wales]

Wasn't sure about the nimh, and found this. I'm not saying anything, just FWI
https://www.dewalt.com/support/safe...l-tool-co-announce-recall-of-battery-chargers

 

[jonshonda]

Got lucky you were home.

But in fairness to Dewalt, I would suggest changing the title to reflect the use of third parts batteries so there is no confusion.

 

[Showkey]

Battery compatibility and batteries without the built safety protections .........

Happens far more than we know or would guess...............even with brand name components.

Battery charging for all sort tools, lap tops, phones, toys, cars are on the top three reasons for home and shop fires. It’s the first question after a fire.......what was plugged ? Insurance is looking to subrogate ( 3rd party fault) to recover their loss.

GJ guys build charging stations and good design isnothing combustible in the construction makes sense.

Also tools and accessories left plugged in ......like shop vacs.........the switch fails in the on mode..........overheats and fire starts.

Don’t leave chargers or tools plugged in ..............yes, safety is for sissies.

Other things on the hot list..........all appliances like dish washer, clothes dryer, dehumidifier, garage door opener tomention a few.

 

[kbuhagiar]

Wasn't sure about the nimh, and found this. I'm not saying anything, just FWI
https://www.dewalt.com/support/safe...l-tool-co-announce-recall-of-battery-chargers

Thank you very much for that information.
Guess what...my charger falls within the date codes, so it is part of the recall.

Quote from the recall bulletin: "The battery charger can fail to automatically shut off after the battery is fully charged, which can cause the battery to burst, and poses fire, burn and electrical shock hazards to consumers."

That sounds familiar.

 

[kbuhagiar]

Got lucky you were home.

But in fairness to Dewalt, I would suggest changing the title to reflect the use of third parts batteries so there is no confusion.

Thanks but no thanks.

To be clear, I am a DeWalt fan. My garage is full of yellow-and-black.

That being said, I'm merely bringing to light a potentially hazardous situation. I am grateful for all of the opinions and suggestions. I will certainly be more observant of batteries and chargers in the future. However, we cannot ignore the fact that this particular charger was recalled by DeWalt, and they acknowledged that it may cause the problem that may have contributed to my meltdown (thanks to Josey Wales).

Going forward, I am grateful that I dodged a bullet, and consider this a golden opportunity to upgrade to a better/lighter 18V battery solution.

 

[LB-1911]

Thank you very much for that information.
Guess what...my charger falls within the date codes, so it is part of the recall.

Quote from the recall bulletin: "The battery charger can fail to automatically shut off after the battery is fully charged, which can cause the battery to burst, and poses fire, burn and electrical shock hazards to consumers."

That sounds familiar.

Wasn't sure about the nimh, and found this. I'm not saying anything, just FWI
https://www.dewalt.com/support/safe...l-tool-co-announce-recall-of-battery-chargers

The battery was practically melted onto the charger. Needless to say, they are both toast.

Fortunately I have gotten into the habit of unplugging all of my battery chargers before an extended absence since hearing about (of all things) an electric toothbrush charger meltdown last year.

In any case they both need to be replaced. The charger was a DeWalt DW9108 (which was at least seven years old and doesn't appear to be available anymore), and the battery was a little over two years old, something called a TopBatt.

You dodged a few bullets on this one.... Glad you were around when it happened & around to tell about it.

 

[kbuhagiar]

You dodged a few bullets on this one.... Glad you were around when it happened & around to tell about it.

Ten-four on that!

On a whim I contacted DeWalt customer service this morning and told them what happened. They apologized and are sending me a new charger. Not too shabby when you consider the recall was, like, 18 years ago?

Just another reason to keep going back to the yellow-and-black.

 

[Farmall450]

Ten-four on that!

On a whim I contacted DeWalt customer service this morning and told them what happened. They apologized and are sending me a new charger. Not too shabby when you consider the recall was, like, 18 years ago?

Just another reason to keep going back to the yellow-and-black.

Now go buy some actual DeWalt batteries to use with it.

 

[Fordman7795]

Was that the first time you used that charger/battery combo?

 

[Showkey]

Ten-four on that!

On a whim I contacted DeWalt customer service this morning and told them what happened. They apologized and are sending me a new charger. Not too shabby when you consider the recall was, like, 18 years ago?

Just another reason to keep going back to the yellow-and-black.

Safety Recalls .........never ever end. Yellow and black are happy they are not buying you a new home.

Just turned in a 40 year old Craftsman radial arm saw......they bought it back.

 

[kbuhagiar]

Now go buy some actual DeWalt batteries to use with it.

You betcha!

 

[kbuhagiar]

Was that the first time you used that charger/battery combo?

Nope, I inherited the charger with three batteries and the 1/2 inch drill about two years ago, and they have been through MANY charge/discharge cycles. Two of the batteries are imports and one is a genuine DeWalt. I checked the date code on the original DeWalt battery; it is from 2007, and it still holds a healthy charge. 11 years old and its still in service.

Reminds me of George Blanda, or maybe Gordie Howe.