WARNING to ALL. This in NO JOKE PLEASE READ !!!

[Gare]

Last Sunday evening i was recharging some of my drones batteries. On my one of my DJI Mini 2 drones I had a battery that was swelled up. It would not go into either of my drones. I would not go into my charger device either. The lithium battery was so swelled it would not go into my charging device nor into either of my drones. So i got this idea to take a sharp knife and just tap a small hole in the device to relieve the swelling. I took a sharp knife and had the battery up on one of my desks, I took the knife and put it on top of the battery and tapped on it to punch a hole in the battery. BAM it exploded and on my desk next to a computer. I knocked in on to a carpet floor. It started to burn . It was small battery. It fell into 2 pieces. Each half was burning. I had no shoes on just heavy wool socks, But i had to put the small fires out. First one i stepped on got the fire out the next one i stepped on with my other foot put that one out also. My feet hurt like heck .Me and my wife scrapped the plastic off of my feet what we could. I ran cool water over my feet for maybe 5 minutes. Then putting a burning type salve on them and bandage them up and went to bed. The next morning they hurt so bad the next morning i went to the hospital. They cleaned them up and told me they was only 1st degree burns They said they were 1st degree burns . They wrapped them up and gave me some salve for them and wanterd my to check in with the Akron hospital burn center.



This was all my fault. This is what i think from now on with Lithium batteries .

If one of these batteries I will dispose of it properly . I WILL NEVER leave one on a charge cord unattended, DO NOT take any chances with them.

I had to put the fire out as quick as i could !!

 

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[Limitool]

WOW.... So sorry to hear you got injured that way. And burns always hurt badly. Can't imagine having them on my feet also. Sounds like you were holding a "little" bomb. And thanks for the posting / warning Gare and I wish ya the best sir. Now ya have a good excuse to just sit on your butt, ring the bell and monitor Tnet for a week or two. My best to ya Gare.... Brad

 

[Blackfoot58]

Great advice. Speedy recovery. 👍🏼

 

[Gare]

I have a better idea now why they do not want them on Air Flights

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Best thing to put on burns is rubbing it with ice. My mom had water from a hot steam iron over flow on her hand when I was about 10, she immediately put ice on it, rubbing it with ice as we took her to emergency room. Doctors told her she was smart using the ice as it kept her skin from worst damage. She actually had no scars after her hand healed from the severe burn.

Glad your okay Gary!👍 No more fire walking....

 

[Gare]

Now the doctor in the hospital told me to use cold water not ice. I had ice packs i put on the bottom of both feet. They i checked on the net and they also told me cool water not ice.

 

[Limitool]

Glad your okay Gary!👍 No more fire walking....

Agreed.... But a man's gotta do what man does in "the moment"...!

I once didn't like how the "bait" looked sitting on a trap in a trap line way back in the day. 5 seconds later I had a 2nd opinion. It looked just fine the first time.

 

[robertk]

Lithium batteries are no joke. Glad you’re mostly OK.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Now the doctor in the hospital to me to use cold water not ice. I had ice packs i put on the bottom of both feet. They i checked on the net and they also told me cool water not ice.

Mom didn't leave ice direct, she had them in a bag and rubbed her hand with the ice bag on way to hospital. I have used ice ever since for burns. I grabbed a hot soldering iron by barrel once, not a good feeling at all.

 

[Red-Coat]

Glad you’re OK, and thanks for that salutary warning. Any swelling or distortion on a lithium battery is a really bad sign, and you tamper with it at your peril.

Most rechargeable lithium batteries in things like cameras, cell phones, laptops, toys and hobbyist devices are lithium-ion and contain no, or small amounts of, metallic lithium. They can be safely doused with water to contain a fire. Dry baking soda is also an effective extinguisher. Note also that these batteries may be ‘multi-cell’ and a fire that looks to be out can later propagate to the next cell, so it’s important to get the battery outside into a safe area even if it appears to have been extinguished.

Lithium metal batteries, which are usually non-rechargeable (although rechargeable ones have begun to appear) are a different story. Water reacts with the lithium to generate flammable hydrogen and can make matters worse. Water should only be used on nearby combustible materials to prevent the fire spreading. You need a specialist extinguisher, but smothering with sand or baking soda can help contain it.

Not suggesting it’s the case for your unfortunate experience, but the vast majority of lithium battery fires or explosions arise from faulty chargers or cheap batteries bought on the internet and usually coming direct from a Chinese supplier with a dubious brand. They are far less common for the branded items originally supplied with the device, even though these are also often Chinese-made.

 

[Gare]

Red Coat you bring so much knowledge to this forum. I thank you !!1

 

[djackson7348]

Thanks for the information Gary and here's to a speedy recovery.

Now I am wondering about fumes from a burning Lithium battery also. There might be another possible hazard. Scary when you stop and think how many of them you have around these days.

 

[Mackaydon]

Gare,
Glad you are OK, but knowing what lithium batteries can do--then puncturing a swollen lithium battery in hopes that it will contract to its original shape to fit properly in a battery pack reminds me of this picture.

Don in SoCal

 

[Terry Soloman]

Feel better dear friend. So glad you're OK!

 

[AstralDruid]

I once put a pick axe through an old laptop,, and the battery did all sorts of crazy stuff !!! sort of ended up doing a Chernobyl and buried it under a wheelbarrow full of soil !! luckily i did it outside.... so i know where you are coming from !!

 

[Hunter1805]

People in NYC have had many fires because of Lithium Recharging Batteries. Because of space they charge them in the house or apartment.. This information came from a Fire Chief. We have had them blow up in hand held 2 way radios. These batteries react to moisture. Gary, you are so lucky. Your injuries could have been a lot worst and the damage more extensive. I work for a major recycling company .. We have 3 and 4 alarm fires in our scrap piles from these that are snuck into the scrap by customers. We check and inspect all loads entering our facility but they somehow find their way in... Never Never Ever, cut, saw or puncture a lithium battery. They love moisture and they suck it in from the air once the skin is breached... Gary You were Lucky... Take these out of the house and place away from possible flammable items....
These guys are dangerous.

 

[GirlWithWolf]

Glad it wasn’t worse than it was, and praying for a speedy recovery for you.

 

[RGINN]

Oh man! Yeah they trained us that quick immersion in cold water was the best. I wouldn't argue if somebody brought me ice though. But hey, burning plastic I think is one of the worst burns you can get. Magnesium might be worse. Hope you get over this pretty quick.

 

[Tesorodeoro]

ANY swollen battery should be disposed of and not used. Period.

That wound looks painful. A suggestion from experience, go to Walmart and look for Silvadene Cream. I think we kept it in the fridge

They are now saying it delays wound healing, but man it takes the pain away quickly.

 

[Gare]

Gare,
Glad you are OK, but knowing what lithium batteries can do--then puncturing a swollen lithium battery in hopes that it will contract to its original shape to fit properly in a battery pack reminds me of this picture. View attachment 2207699
Don in SoCal

You are so correct