Home | Consumers | Battery Overcharging Can Cause Fire

Cruise Vacations
Engagement Rings
Free Online Games
Gift Baskets
Handbags
Jewelry
Personal Loans
Real Estate
Shopping
Student Loans

SafetyIssues encourages consumers to read the labels and do the research before using any new products.

Battery Overcharging Can Cause Fire

Staff writer for safetyissues.com

Font size:

From pet food to children’s toys, from pharmaceuticals to chemicals, the list of recalls on products imported from China keeps getting longer and longer. This time around, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has issued a bulletin to warn people against overcharging lithium batteries used to power toys.

The warning came as a reaction to at least two dozen incidents reported recently to the CPSC involving the lithium batteries in remote-controlled helicopters which, when overcharged, tend to catch fire.

Rechargeable lithium batteries, similar to those used in cell phones and small electronic devices, have found increasing use in toys. These batteries can store a lot of energy. However, perhaps because of their small size, too much charging can lead to overheating; the excess heat may cause electrodes in the battery to short-circuit, leading to a fire or an explosion, according to the CPSC.

Records of the CPSC show that since November 2007 there have been 26 reports involving overcharged batteries that tell of minor burns and property damage. The batteries were in toy helicopters, and reports said they ignited while being charged; one specific report said a remote-controlled helicopter caught flames while in flight.

One of the importers of these remote-controlled toy helicopters, Soft Air USA Inc. of Grapevine, Texas, announced its decision to recall 30,000 Fun2Fly Microcopter toys, all of which were made in China, because the accompanying batteries tended to catch fire during charging and thus pose a risk of fire or burns to consumers, especially the children who would be playing with them. According to the company, they have already received six consumer complaints of the toys bursting into flames, with one incident reporting a minor injury.

The CPSC is advising consumers to strictly follow the instructions from manufacturers when they recharge toys powered by rechargeable lithium batteries.

Overcharging of a rechargeable battery happens if it continues to be plugged into a charger even after full charge has been reached. Aside from the fire hazards, overcharging will also reduce the battery life considerably.

Safety Tips:

• Never leave the battery or the toy unattended when recharging it.

• When charging a battery, place it on a non-flammable, and remove any flammable items nearby.

• Unplug chargers from the toy always after the battery reaches full charge.

• Disconnect chargers from electrical outlets when these are not in use.

• Do not expose the battery or the toy to direct sunlight for extended periods of time.

Rate this article:

Email to a friend

To:

Bcc:

Your email address:

Message:
Print version
Plain text

Add to: Add to your del.icio.us

del.icio.us | Digg this story

Digg

Comments (5 posted):

tLr 1 on 07/08/11 06:34:00

le lithium batteries, similar to those used in cell phones and small electronic devices, have found increasing use in toys. These batteries can store a lot of energy. However, perhaps because of their small size, too much cha

cheap Juicy Couture on 08/15/11 09:04:27

Fantastic topic, keep up the good work

Cabinet Stomatologic on 10/06/11 08:51:41

This safety tips can save us from a disaster. Rechargeable battery can be dangerous if they are not supervised properly.

تاكو الألعاب on 11/27/11 01:33:34

It's a topic a wonderful and distinctive you can follow up with us

Cholo on 02/02/12 02:23:00

Nice post.Thank you for taking the time to publish this information very useful! I've been looking for books of this nature for a way too long. I'm just glad that I found yours. Looking forward for your next post. Thanks :)

Cholo
www.0y7.net