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9 Volt Batteries and Fire

PostPosted: Fri Feb 21, 2014 8:27 am
by Colliemom
I got an email from a friend the other day with some interesting information. She had watched Inside Edition and they did a feature on 9 volt batteries causing fires. Apparently when the batteries are out of there original package and just laying in a drawer or wherever, if the positive and negative terminals on those batteries come in contact with any metal, they can spark a fire.

http://www.kctv5.com/story/24594124/kct ... ire-danger

Guess will be watching how I store my 9 volt batteries from now on. But I usually always keep them in their package. Interestng.

Re: 9 Volt Batteries and Fire

PostPosted: Fri Feb 21, 2014 3:41 pm
by Deeann
ANY battery can start a fire if the two terminals are "shorted' together. When the terminals touch each other they cause a spark. And I do mean ANY battery, from a small AAA battery to a large car battery. Always store batteries properly. Never allow the two terminals to touch.

Re: 9 Volt Batteries and Fire

PostPosted: Fri Feb 21, 2014 4:01 pm
by VickieP
Batteries can be used as an emergency fire starter. Shut up, Mitch! "He who has control of the remote" watches a lot of survival shows. :lol:

Re: 9 Volt Batteries and Fire

PostPosted: Fri Feb 21, 2014 4:58 pm
by Yakn1
Vickie - with my luck the battery would be dead!

Re: 9 Volt Batteries and Fire

PostPosted: Fri Feb 21, 2014 6:45 pm
by WickedLady
Touch a 9v battery to steel wool to start your campfire.

Re: 9 Volt Batteries and Fire

PostPosted: Fri Feb 21, 2014 7:32 pm
by Dell
Crikey! I have batteries rolling about inside a drawer! If you've already thrown out the package, how do you store them "properly"? 8-Dell

Re: 9 Volt Batteries and Fire

PostPosted: Fri Feb 21, 2014 7:44 pm
by JudyJB
Put them in a bunch so all the ends are facing the same way, and then wrap masking tape or duck tape around them.

If the ends touch each other, they can also short out and lose their charge.

Re: 9 Volt Batteries and Fire

PostPosted: Fri Feb 21, 2014 7:52 pm
by bluepinecones
Good to know. Think I have some loose in a shoe box in Magic. Will have to find them in the morning. No tape so will just move to different boxes.

Re: 9 Volt Batteries and Fire

PostPosted: Fri Feb 21, 2014 8:55 pm
by JudyJB
To tell the truth, I have some floating loose also. I knew this was a bad idea, but got lazy. So tonight will tape them up.

Re: 9 Volt Batteries and Fire

PostPosted: Sat Feb 22, 2014 8:56 am
by IrishIroamed
Thanks for the heads up Sue. I'd bet a lot of people are guilty of this. Battery packages either come without enough or too many.

Heads a little foggy still (no coffee yet), but I saw on one of those 'save money' segments a while back, that you can open the 4x4 batteries (can't remember the voltage), and inside are about a dozen 9v batteries. I thought that was pretty dangerous.