Genuine AW IMR vents in my purse!

[Vwls]

Hi guys and gals - this is a distressing tale.

I always carry a spare 18360 in my purse in a small fabric pocket of the bag. Well this morning when I reached my hand in, I burnt my fingers! My battery was sizzling hot! I grabbed a tissue and got the thing out - thank God no damage (it's a designer bag!) had occurred yet. Put the hot battery into a bowl, took it outside, and set it in an out of the way spot covered with an empty plastic planter. The battery's wrap was sliding off from the high heat, and the metal showing through underneath.

I immediately thought I had been duped and had purchased a fake. But it turns out this was a legit AW IMR from Lighthound (they are standing behind their product by the way and refunding me - good company). This is very troubling.

So let's review what we know. This battery was:
1) legitimate AW IMR -
2) not yet used in a mod since purchase (purchased end of 2013 but not yet put into rotation)
3) fully charged
4) not connected to anything - just sitting in my purse

This is a strong warning to all of us. Who knows what would have happened if I didn't catch this in time. I'd love some answers as to why this happened - so we can protect against another incident.

 

[pamdis]

Was it in a plastic case? If not, and something else metal was touching the end of it, like keys, or change, even through that thin fabric, that's what caused it.

 

[AmandaD]

That's terrible! Was there anything else in the pocket of the purse - anything metal it might have touched? That's the only reason I can think of (cell phone, maybe? metal lipstick? a quarter?)

I often carry spare batteries in my purse, but usually they're in a plastic battery container (small one). Hope you get some answers!

 

[doots]

might have been a zipper in the purse , if metal, it logged up against.. I know i had that happen one time with a battery in my pocket with some change,, never again. I learned my lesson.. lol glad you caught it in time.

 

[Baditude]

A battery will not vent unless there is metal completing the electrical circuit causing it to over-discharge. The battery had to have come into contact with something metalic in the purse. Ie: keys, coins, metal makeup case, even static electricity, etc.

I've done this myself. I had taken an AW 18350 battery off of the charger and had to use both hands to pull something out of the oven, and instead of placing the battery on the counter, I absent-mindedly just tossed into a front pants pocket, not realizing that there were a couple of pennies in the pocket. A couple of minutes later I felt the heat building up and realized immediately my mistake. I was able to get the battery out and place it on the counter while I watched it gently vent gas from the end of the battery.

Even your ECF resident battery expert has lapses of safe battery habits.

Do as I say, not as I do. Use a plastic battery case to carry spare batteries in. Any battery can go into thermal runaway given the right conditions, whether it is an authentic name-brand battery or not.

BTW, Lighthound didn't have to refund your money on that battery, they were just giving above and beyond customer service. This was not likely due to any defect in the battery, but user error.

Another ECF member experienced a venting accident by carrying an AW 18490 IMR in a pocket of his bookbag when it vented. Now this is dramatic.

 

[Train2]

Glad that you (and your purse) are OK!

 

[r77r7r]

I was reading today at the flashlight forum about a guy that had major permanent lung damage and burns from the gases of a battery while he was moving it for disposal. Are these batteries safer than most in that way?

 

[Vwls]

I guess there's a lot of static electricity here in the desert? Maybe? I'll get a case for sure This was scary.

So is the battery that got really hot ruined? If so, can I recycle it as I would any dead battery? Or is it leaking gas right now?

 

[Baditude]

So is the battery that got really hot ruined? If so, can I recycle it as I would any dead battery? Or is it leaking gas right now?

Any battery that gets hot or vents can be considered ruined and should be recycled. It only takes a couple of minutes for the battery to release its gas. The whole process of thermal runaway is very fast.

 

[zapped]

That's terrible! Was there anything else in the pocket of the purse - anything metal it might have touched? That's the only reason I can think of (cell phone, maybe? metal lipstick? a quarter?)

I often carry spare batteries in my purse, but usually they're in a plastic battery container (small one). Hope you get some answers!

As Pamdis pointed out, nothing has to be touching it directly.Depending on how thin the fabric was on the purse it could have been something in another pocket.

ALWAYS carry your batteries in plastic battery containers to prevent things like this from happening. Barring that, at the very least seal them in a quality ziploc baggie.

 

[LX1X]

wow.. good thing you found it before major fire started.

did you look in the purse if there are some wires maybe inside the liners? or any conductive material?

 

[doots]

I guess there's a lot of static electricity here in the desert? Maybe? I'll get a case for sure This was scary.

So is the battery that got really hot ruined? If so, can I recycle it as I would any dead battery? Or is it leaking gas right now?

Yes its kaput.. I know all best buy stores have a battery recycle box.

 

[Kemosabe]

i hadnt realized that any of us actually carried batteries around without a case.
its good to hear that youre now realizing how important that is. and its great to hear that you (and your bag!) suffered no injury.

 

[iacchus]

I was reading today at the flashlight forum about a guy that had major permanent lung damage and burns from the gases of a battery while he was moving it for disposal. Are these batteries safer than most in that way?

Not really.

Many manufacturer’s cell layer separators found inside a li-ion (primary and secondary) will form Hydrogen Fluoride and Perfluoroisobutylene (PFIB) when degraded by heat.
Hydrogen Flouride is a colorless gas and can become hydroflouric acid when it comes into contact with any amount of moisture (even humidity). This can severely damage the lungs, and is not to be taken lightly.
The United States Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense has classified PFIB, also a colorless gas, as a pulmonary agent.

If you find yourself in a situation with a venting battery, try to get it to a well ventilated area or leave the room until it has finished venting. Most of the really bad situations involving lung damage have been with li-ion primaries, but from some MSDS sheets I have read, secondaries are not immune to the worry.

 

[Jenn Perry]

I had a near accident as well. I forgot to screw down my nemesis before putting it into my purse the other day. Went to get it and it had been firing. It was terribly hot pulled it all apart it had even melted the seals of my tank. it could have been disastrous. Lesson learned always turn the ring before placing in my purse stupid mistake that could have been serious. I took the battery out of rotation because it was scalding hot. We have to be mindful that any form of carelessness even by accident can hurt ourselves or someone else even by mistake.

 

[certus11]

I was reading today at the flashlight forum about a guy that had major permanent lung damage and burns from the gases of a battery while he was moving it for disposal. Are these batteries safer than most in that way?

Oh what the hell. Don't scare me away from vaping and into mouth spraying

 

[Vwls]

wow.. good thing you found it before major fire started.
did you look in the purse if there are some wires maybe inside the liners? or any conductive material?

Couldn't find anything metal in there that would have contacted it through the cloth. It's a small cloth pocket just the right size for a battery.

i hadnt realized that any of us actually carried batteries around without a case.
its good to hear that youre now realizing how important that is. and its great to hear that you (and your bag!) suffered no injury.

It all depends on which purse I am carrying. This one I thought I didn't need one because it has a battery sized slot already in it. However, since this incident, I'll be taking extra precautions.

I had a near accident as well. I forgot to screw down my nemesis before putting it into my purse the other day. Went to get it and it had been firing. It was terribly hot pulled it all apart it had even melted the seals of my tank. it could have been disastrous. Lesson learned always turn the ring before placing in my purse stupid mistake that could have been serious. I took the battery out of rotation because it was scalding hot. We have to be mindful that any form of carelessness even by accident can hurt ourselves or someone else even by mistake.

Yea I actually had a similar incident when I first started carrying a mechanical with me. Luckily it did not melt anything. Now I remove the battery completely before putting the mod in my purse. It only take a second to put it in and screw the mod tight, so I figure that's the safest way. I don't trust locking mechanisms.

 

[Dampmaskin]

It all depends on which purse I am carrying. This one I thought I didn't need one because it has a battery sized slot already in it. However, since this incident, I'll be taking extra precautions.

What kind of fabric is the purse made from? May it be electrically conductive in any way? Do you by any chance have an ohm meter to measure it with?

I might be wrong, but I did not think that static electricity could pose a problem with batteries. But if the materials in the purse are made conductive in order to avoid static electricity, otoh...

 

[Kemosabe]

Couldn't find anything metal in there that would have contacted it through the cloth. It's a small cloth pocket just the right size for a battery.


It all depends on which purse I am carrying. This one I thought I didn't need one because it has a battery sized slot already in it. However, since this incident, I'll be taking extra precautions.


Yea I actually had a similar incident when I first started carrying a mechanical with me. Luckily it did not melt anything. Now I remove the battery completely before putting the mod in my purse. It only take a second to put it in and screw the mod tight, so I figure that's the safest way. I don't trust locking mechanisms.

Accidents happen. I had two different batteries get over discharged on me from a locked mod becoming unlocked and firing while pocketed/vape-bagged.

It's just good that no one got hurt with any of these mishaps.

 

[GPC2012]

It amazes me how many of you are worried about the purse, the purse being destroyed would have been secondary in my mind. I don't mean to sound like an A^% Thank goodness the OP is OK. I have re-read this about ten times and it sounds mean, but I really didn't intend on it to be that way. Just the main point that nobody got hurt.
The closest thing I've had happen to me is one day on the car I had an ego in my shirt pocket and my shoulder strap frome the seat belt was accross it enough to make it fire all of a sudden i had this warm feeling and I could hear the almost empty tank make a small sound. I pulled it out and it was very warm. Turned it off for the rest of the car ride.