Battery pack failure (was Quirky and amusing things...) [RE-wrenches]

Tom Simko tom at skylinesolar.com
Thu Jan 16 14:28:56 PST 2003


 I was climbing down off a roof after soldering the final joint on a solar
thermal job, and did not want to make two trips getting my tools down, so I
had one hand free and one hand/arm holding my self igniting MAPP gas torch,
(don't get ahead of me) and some other stuff when about 6' from reaching the
ground the torch ignited briefly, caught my beard on fire and I jumped the
remaining distance while beating out the fire. Just at this moment my helper
had walked around the corner, he saw it all, and all he could think to say
was "man, I'm glad I got to see that!"

Tom Simko
Skyline Solar

> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "William Miller" <wrmiller at slonet.org>
> 
>> I have several 14.4 volt NiMh Makita batteries<snip>I
>> held the chuck and after a moment, the drill was stronger.  After doing
>> this several times it got progressively stronger.  So I got comfortable
>> sitting on my tailgate while discharging the drill.  After about a minute,
>> the battery exploded like an M80 in my lap.
> 
> I have an 18 volt NiMh Bosch had a similar failure, although fortunately not
> quite so catastrophic nor so near my gonads.  I was fastening rake flashing
> on my metal roof, screwing through three layers of tin.  The drill was
> bogging down in the last few threads, finally stalling out.  I gave the
> drill a twist to seat the panel, and suddenly everything went zap. I pulled
> the battery out of the drill, and watched a 3/4" blister form on the head of
> the battery pack.  Needless to say, it became an $80 doorstop.
> 
> I've never been quite so impressed with the NiMh's capacity/longevity, but
> that was the last straw.
> 
> Considering what we all invest in tools to do this work (not to mention risk
> to body parts/workman's comp rates) I think this is an appropriate thread
> for our venue.
> 
> Phil Undercuffler
> Positive Energy
> phil at positiveenergysolar.com
> 
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