Button cell pops its top

Hi All…

So I was sitting in the living room enjoying a beer when I heard a loud “crack” from the kitchen. I had a look around and noticed a big black mark on the bench where I’d put some old batteries and cells for recycling. I hadn’t yet got round to taping the contacts. Some of the cells were fairly new.

Where there used to be 8 AG10 alkie button cells, now there were only 7. One must have shorted against another, heated up then popped its top. After hunting around I eventually found the bits - the +ve case was ten feet away from the rest of the bits which comprised the -ve cap, a thin plastic separator and a plastic ring full of a black powder, presumably manganese dioxide. If a little button cell can do this, what could a bigger one do?

Now a lot of stores have battery recycling containers and looking at them they’re just a jumble of various kinds of battery and cell. In the container I had a look in, none of the batteries had any tape etc over the contacts. It just makes me wonder if there have ever been any fires caused by this, to me anyway, very scary practice, and if the shop owners are aware of the hazards of just dropping batteries into a box for recycling

I’ll post pictures of the remains of this unfortunate AG10 when I work out how to do it!!!

Cheers

Malc

That is a good question. It does seem like it has to be dangerous.

Coin cells can pop like this b/c they don’t have the pressure valve like bigger cells. I had one AG13 explode right into my finger when I was placing it on shelf after forgetting it on charge overnight. No harm, it just makes a mess. It was so bulged I could spin it before it popped :slight_smile:

I used to have a ‘friend’ that would stop by my place, and if i left the room, he might boost something.

One day I had a pile of 18650s from laptop pulls that were junk. Like >40. Plus a bunch of used up alkies, button cells, etc.

He stoppped by and when he was leaving I asked if he’d drop them off at recycling. I dumped them all together in a garbage bag and handed it to him.

Never heard from him again because his car went up in smoke.

(half) Kidding! I moved that weekend lol