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Warning drill battery chargers fires

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Jacko264

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Kingston upon Hull uk
Hi all
yesterday my neighbour had his garage/work shop destroyed. The fire brigade think it was started by a battery charger for a Makita Drill. He has lost nearly everything in the garage including the milling machine, compressor, lathe, two snap on boxes. His carbon fibre push bikes have being reduced to nothing but wheels.
 

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couch67

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oof. ok I'm going to do something about mine. Switched circuit sounds good, or maybe put in a fireproof location (metal bench or something).
 
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WisJim

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I always wonder what they end up learning about this kind of fire. Were they actual Makita batteries and charger or off-brand "compatible" battery or charger? How old? What other conditions in the building? Lots of stories like this out there but I seldom see the results of any investigations into the cause of the fire. I hope we find out more about this one. Myself, I don't leave batteries unattended in the chargers and the chargers are plugged into a switched outlet block. And then there are reports of cell phone and laptop computer battery fires, too.
 
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kbuhagiar

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drmarkr

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I'm thinking the charger itself isn't the problem....it's leaving the batter in the charger after charged, and the charge limiting circuit fails and then fire ensues?
 
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TobeyA

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TX
I made this. That's just a mechanical timer I got off Amazon. It's fed by an extension cord plugged into an outlet. 1 hour has always been long enough to charge the batteries. I posted it on a facebook workshop group, and most of the responses were about what a waste of time and money. "Modern chargers and batteries don't catch on fire." And maybe the odds are miniscule, but they are >0. A $25 timer setup is cheap insurance.

And no, the batteries do not keep the charger energized. They don't leak down when left on the charger after the time runs out. Etc.
 

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acer66

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That is scary, I have all my chargers on a switchblade power-strip and most of the time I switch it off when not present but I might just add a timer on there to be sure.
 
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mike93lx

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finn said:
Also an argument for updating the garage electrical system to arc fault/gfi, etc.
Click to expand...
What would an arc fault do to put out a battery fire? It isn't the 120v circuit that is lighting up here, it's the battery/charger.

I leave my chargers plugged in and often have a battery on them long term. Never really worried about it, but maybe that needs to change.
 
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Firebrick43

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Maybe encase the charger in something like a metal 20mm ammo can.

RC guys do that (including me) when we charge are li poly batteries. I use a 50 caliber can to contain the RC pack batteries while charging
 
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CoogarXR

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Ohio
I don't charge anything when I am not in the room with it. Not even my phone. I'm too paranoid about this very thing.

My Hitachi tool batteries only take about 30-45 minutes to charge from flat, so it's not like it's a long wait.

I don't leave chargers of any sort plugged in when they aren't in use either.

Matter of fact, other than my security system and HVAC controls (both encased in a metal box) and the garage door opener, I don't think anything in my shop is energized when I am not around.
 
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mike93lx

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Jacko264 said:
Putting the charger in a steel box will it over heat the charger and battery
Click to expand...
Depends on the charge rate, charger design and size of the box. There is no one answer.
I bet no manufacturer would recommend it, but lots of people have them in toolbox drawers now
 
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Firebrick43

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Jacko264 said:
Putting the charger in a steel box will it over heat the charger and battery
Click to expand...
RC batteries are charged at a much higher rate than power tool batteries with no issues or serious heating of a large box. Some of the smaller commercial boxes have a bronze mesh and wool vent holes in the top to let heat out but still act as a flame/spark arrestor.

ini_c4e97724-1976-41ad-a995-8991a175dbc6_1024x1024.jpg
 
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Kuma601

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Ouch! Thanks for that post! Being safety minded dealing with Li-ion it is good to take precautions. I've had a couple charger bases plugged in with no battery though generally once the battery is charged I unplug them and put them away.

I feel nervous even when I hook up the battery tender to the car battery. Those are all on a GFCI as well on a surge power strip. This motivates me to finish installing the other GFCI for garage. Sometimes I flip the breaker off in the sub panel when I know I'm not going to be in the shop for extended spells.
 
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CraigStu

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Dang, I have my makita charger on a power strip but that was just so I could plug more things in at the same time. My old Craftsman charger, my laptop charger and power for the speakers. But I never turn the power strip off and I leave the battery sitting in the charger til I need one next. Timer, I am fine w/ that and already have several around the house for different uses. Not sure if a one hour charge would fill the battery though. My timers are replacing a standard toggle switch. Are there timers that would replace one socket in an outlet and leave one socket still pluggable?
 
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FredWanaker

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all high-capacity batteries can catch fire if they overheat or are damaged. I never leave them charging unattended.
 
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Walkers

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tool_scrounge said:
i always worry about knockoff battery packs that look like OEM but lack the lithium Ion battery safety electronics. This is why I do not buy battery packs off of Amazon.
Click to expand...
Amazon would be a great place to buy them simply because the company has plenty of cash for the liability suit.
 
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nadogail

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CraigStu said:
Dang, I have my makita charger on a power strip but that was just so I could plug more things in at the same time. My old Craftsman charger, my laptop charger and power for the speakers. But I never turn the power strip off and I leave the battery sitting in the charger til I need one next. Timer, I am fine w/ that and already have several around the house for different uses. Not sure if a one hour charge would fill the battery though. My timers are replacing a standard toggle switch. Are there timers that would replace one socket in an outlet and leave one socket still pluggable?
Click to expand...
Yes, wire your timer into the circuit just as if you were going to control a Half Hot receptacle with a toggle switch.
 
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PelicanPines

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Two things.
1. I have recently purchased a FIRE PROOF battery bag. It's the size of an oversized lunch bag. I may purchase a 2nd.
2. I have a "charging panel" like most of us here. I built a vampire switch that cuts off power after 6 hours and isolates the panel with all the chargers.
 
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PelicanPines

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CraigStu said:
Dang, I have my makita charger on a power strip but that was just so I could plug more things in at the same time. My old Craftsman charger, my laptop charger and power for the speakers. But I never turn the power strip off and I leave the battery sitting in the charger til I need one next. Timer, I am fine w/ that and already have several around the house for different uses. Not sure if a one hour charge would fill the battery though. My timers are replacing a standard toggle switch. Are there timers that would replace one socket in an outlet and leave one socket still pluggable?
Click to expand...
The Vampire switch I have on my charging panel has a double plug. BOTH are switched with a 2/4/6/8 hour timer switch I have all the chargers plugged into a power strip that then plugs into the double plug. The 2nd plug is used by the low low voltage chargers like for my rechargeable headlamp, etc.
 
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American Locomotive

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Rhode Island
Fun fact: Fire investigations are basically nonsense and plagued with issues. If there's a battery charger in the room, they'll just say the charger caught on fire like every time.

www.aaas.org

Forensic Fire Investigations Need More Scientific Input, AAAS Report Finds

Determining if a fire is accidental or due to arson is a process often plagued by poorly understood science, subjective judgments on the part of investigators and inadequately trained personnel, according to a new AAAS report on the quality of fire investigation in the United States.
www.aaas.org www.aaas.org
 
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PelicanPines

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I jump start "dead/won't charge" batteries. I have a problem tool that ***** the life out of batteries left in it.

Because Of what I have heard and read in the news... I use a table outside to do the "Jumping"... and I wear a full face shield.
 
J

jsaw

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Oct 11, 2008
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Geneva, N.Y.
Mike65 said:
I have all of my battery chargers on a power strip & I only turn them on when I am charging a battery. They also are only on when I am in the shop.
Click to expand...

Same here. I personally have seen 2 chargers burn up. Not bad enough to start a fire, but they started melting and stinking
 
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