after fire at crazy lennys concerns about storing batteries....?

[vincent]

i keep my bikes inside the house, so never really get hot or cold


the cemoto battery is in the frame of the bike and pia to remove
i charge that battery in the bike, it say you can charge it on the bike or off
but i only charge it when home and keep an eye on it, my charger barely gets warm
also unplug charger from the wall and bike when finished

the prodeco i have usually charged off the bike, same precautions as the cemoto

but both of these batteries are in the house

if they are not plugged in is there still a risk they will malfunction and catch fire?

 

[Cory151]

This has made me start thinking as well since I keep all of my bikes inside a garage that is connected to the house. Im hoping the incidence of fire to be generally ow. I wonder if they were able to pinpoint which battery was the culprit.

 

[JoePah]

I hope @crazylenny will be able to determine which battery pack failed and whether it was being charged, or the cause of failure.

Good article from Battery University on Li battery fires and failures http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/safety_concerns_with_li_ion

I plan on only charging my batteries when I'm around, then disconnect the charger. Still plan on leaving it in my garage.

 

[Va. Bch. Electric Bike Center]

The importance of using quality batteries. Stick with Panasonic, Samsung and Sony. I too am curios as which battery was the culprit.

 

[Cameron Newland]

The importance of using quality batteries. Stick with Panasonic, Samsung and Sony. I too am curios as which battery was the culprit.

True, but keep in mind that a faulty BMS or charger could've been the culprit instead of a faulty battery cell.

 

[harryS]

No one has officially said it was a battery, but they probably know where it started and just ain't telling. Maybe someone dropped off a hoverboard with crappy batteries and asked the techs to look at it.

There must be 100K Ryobi and Craftsman weed whacker batteries with 18650 cells sold just last year that are hanging in garages, being abused by owners and the elements.

I keep three dolphin batteries in my garage for my 2 1/2 , soon to be 3 e-bikes. When it dropped below 10F, I put them in the house for a few weeks. Since these weren't made by Ryobi and Craftsman, I'm going to look for a suitable flame resistant metal enclosure, maybe an old grill, and put the batteries in it when the bikes are not being used.

 

[JoePah]

Madison FD said it was likely a fire started by a Lithium battery inside one of the bikes.

(Link Removed - No Longer Exists)

 

[RavingRoo]

Ugh. Yet again contemplating a concrete block battery bunker for storing and charging my e-bike batteries. I'd love to keep it on my garage's concrete floor, but it gets way too cold in there in the winter to be a permanent location. The basement is the next best option, but then if there is a fire, its about the worst place for dealing with smoke (air handler in the basement). I keep telling myself this is rare (and it is).

 

[Jack Tyler]

Take a look at the new guide on eBike battery safety which Court recently posted. I've read other practical & helpful articles written by Ed Benjamin and think he offers a series of suggestions that I found helpful to consider.

 

[Ann M.]

Folks, it really is rare, however, it's not recommended to leave any battery directly on the floor. Better to allow some air circulation around the battery to keep the temperature stable. Don't leave your Lithium pack in a really hot garage or near a hot water heater, either. In the summer time those higher temps can speed up the battery degradation and result in poor charging. Ed Benjamin explains in Court's guide how to make your own charging station using an inexpensive setup that would be smart for those who have multiple bike batteries or other tool batteries to maintain.