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Tractor Talk Discussion Forum

About battery explosions?.

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Jonfarmer

01-22-2007 12:51:04




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After reading all the posts about batterys blowing up, I am wondering if there are preventative measures one can take to prevent a battery from exploding?.




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doogdoog

01-22-2007 21:20:41




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 Re: About battery explosions?. in reply to Jonfarmer, 01-22-2007 12:51:04  
Aloha, Yes, low batt water, loose connections, and cracked terminals are the usual causes. I would like to add that when you connect a batt charger and it does not have an on off switch, make your (Correct) connections first and then plug in the charger (an extension cord would help to distance yourself from the batt). Oh, be carefull when jumpering batt"s too.

Mahalo,
doogdoog



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Eric SEI

01-22-2007 19:34:13




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 Re: About battery explosions?. in reply to Jonfarmer, 01-22-2007 12:51:04  
I had one blow up in my old Chevette in an intersection in Cincinnati. I coasted into a gas station on the corner and had to buy a replacement.



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Flabbergasted

01-22-2007 20:09:28




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 Re: About battery explosions?. in reply to Eric SEI, 01-22-2007 19:34:13  
Not sure which I'm more surprised at..... .the fact that someone would admit to driving a Chevette or the fact that you would spend the money to buy a new battery for one.....just kidding.



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RJW

01-22-2007 17:58:04




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 Re: About battery explosions?. in reply to Jonfarmer, 01-22-2007 12:51:04  
I had a 72 Dodge pickup that I parked after coming back from lunch in town. The battery exploded about 15 minutes after I had shut it off. No one was anywhere near the truck when it blew so no injuries. Has always made me think twice about working on an engine and having my face hovering near a battery.



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traper

01-22-2007 17:43:37




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 Re: About battery explosions?. in reply to Jonfarmer, 01-22-2007 12:51:04  
What causes some batterys to explode is a crack in connection bar with in the battery,put a load to battery it arks and boom.Noway to prevent or pedict.



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Olddog

01-22-2007 14:34:02




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 Re: About battery explosions?. in reply to Jonfarmer, 01-22-2007 12:51:04  
3 things Ventilation, ventilation, and ventilation.... When you are charging the battery you are making HYDROGEN. Get rid of the hydrogen gas and no matter how many sparks, there's nothing to blow. BTDT got the scar in my face to show; but was more worried in the ER, at the time, about acid in eyes. My fault. Put a deep cycle battery in a closed compartment in a RV camper.



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Cosmo

01-22-2007 14:30:47




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 Re: About battery explosions?. in reply to Jonfarmer, 01-22-2007 12:51:04  
I've had two explode. One was a new-okay a few months old-67 Chevy and a few years ago another in a John Deere excavator. I believe they both happened on startup. When the excavator blew I was in the woods behind the local judge's house who was being guarded because of recent threats. I was shortly the center of attention by a few of our finest wanting to know who fired that shotgun.



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Beck

01-22-2007 13:46:11




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 Re: About battery explosions?. in reply to Jonfarmer, 01-22-2007 12:51:04  
About 25-30 years ago we were square baling hay with our old John Deere 60 tractor and pulling a flatrack wagon behind the baler. Dad was driving the tractor and us kids were on the wagon. We hit a slug of hay in the windrow and Dad got off the tractor to unplug the baler. When he was fiddling with the baler, we heard a loud explosion and saw the tractor seat fly about 15 feet into the air (the battery is right under the seat on a JD 60). There was battery pieces all over the tractor platform.

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J Plunkett

01-22-2007 13:36:17




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 Re: About battery explosions?. in reply to Jonfarmer, 01-22-2007 12:51:04  
Low water level is the number one cause it lets more gas build up. That leaves the plates exposed and any little spark in the battery sets it off.



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tractorsam

01-22-2007 13:19:35




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 Re: About battery explosions?. in reply to Jonfarmer, 01-22-2007 12:51:04  
Two of the best things you can do are to charge the battery in a well ventilated area to ensure that no gas build up can happen and to keep all sparks/flames well away from the battery. No fuel or no source of ignition and the battery can't explode. You also want to ensure that you never charge a frozen battery or allow a battery to heat beyond 125F while charging. Here's to happy and safe charging, tractorsam

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Bob

01-22-2007 18:20:26




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 Re: About battery explosions?. in reply to tractorsam, 01-22-2007 13:19:35  
Tractorsam,

All the ventilation in the world won't remove a buildup of explosive gases INSIDE the battery, and there's NO way to predict or prevent a crack in a busbar, or joint INSIDE the battery that will spark, and touch off the explosive gases INSIDE the battery.

As another poster said, keeping the electrolyte level to the "full mark" reduces the extra space for gas to build up, and possibly explode.

Every now and then, I get the feeling folks think I'm NUTS (yeah, I know) when I suggest wearing appropriate eye protection when working around batteries. Some of these posts sure make it look like a good idea!

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Wild Bill

01-22-2007 13:01:55




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 Re: About battery explosions?. in reply to Jonfarmer, 01-22-2007 12:51:04  
Yea, don't hook a charger to it backwards, don't charge a 6 volt on a 12 volt charger, don't let anything arc across the poles, use common sence, and you will be fine



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Lou

01-22-2007 13:19:08




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 Re: About battery explosions?. in reply to Wild Bill, 01-22-2007 13:01:55  
The battery I had explode years ago just exploded when I hit the ignition , the car only sat for a couple of minutes while I ran in a store. I keep my eyes away from batteries ever scinse then.What makes them explode, I dont know.



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msb

01-22-2007 13:15:43




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 Re: About battery explosions?. in reply to Wild Bill, 01-22-2007 13:01:55  
Remove the caps if there is any chance the vents might be plugged.



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