Posted on 04/01/2024 10:06:13 AM PDT by ken in texas
LEANDER, Texas — Leander resident Shaun Noll never expected to spend Easter morning going through the wreckage of his home.
But that’s where he found himself after a battery for his cordless vacuum exploded.
On Thursday, Noll’s two young sons were in his living room when a battery that had been plugged into the wall charging a cordless vacuum exploded.
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lithium or Life Po4 batteries need a dedicated charger just for these type batteries. A common charger will cause problems.
I have LiFe PO4 batteries and do not charge them overnight—keep a close eye and once charged, remove from charger.
That’s an interesting gadget, I had not seen that before. Thanks.
Not only a hazard, but leaving them on the charger will actually drain the battery to the point it will no longer charge.
If I got rid of our Shark...the wife would leave me.
Good advice.
I wonder if you could use a “smart” power strip to do something similar?
A smart power strip should turn itself off when the battery finishes charging.
I usually do my battery charging on the top of my big metal table saw with nothing around it that might catch fire.
And cheap knock off chargers.
On the table saw is a good idea. I’ve been thinking of a “fireproof” box of some sort to aim the flames away from danger. I haven’t settled on a design, though.
I have several such cordless tools. The owner’s manual warns against leaving them plugged into the charger for extended periods of time. Charge them then unplug them.
Something like an old metal drawer from a desk or tool chest would work. Make a metal screen to fit over it so air can still circulate for cooling, but minimize any flame spread if there is a fire.
I think it’s bad to put water on a battery fire like that. Maybe keep one of those fire blankets handy too.
Smoke detectors are not recommended in garages. The possibility of a false trip is high.
Heat detectors are what is recommended in a garage.
I put timers like that on bathroom fans because some people forget to turn them off.
I bought a Shark vacuum when I saw the company that cleaned my 14M sq ft office using one using two batteries. I figured it could handle my 2700 sq ft house. Plus we have all hard wood floors. Only a couple area rugs.
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