Battery Safety
February 15, 2017
This month, in a police and fire department insurance magazine, there was a great article on battery safety, particularly battery storage and disposal. The article was very informative and discussed some valid safety issues concerning the ability of your basic household batteries to start a fire. After reading it, I went home and found I was one of the worst offenders at battery storage so I thought it would be good to bring it to everyone’s attention.
Think about it…what’s the number one place most people store loose batteries? The junk drawer! You know…the drawer in the kitchen that you throw everything that doesn’t have a home. This is where the problems begin. Batteries that are improperly stored can short against any piece of metal they bump up to (coins, keys, paper clips, pen clips, other batteries, etc.) and overheat, igniting combustible items (note paper, coupons, lotto tickets, etc.) causing a fire. Once the items in the drawer start burning, it can quickly catch the cabinets, then the kitchen and then turn into a family’s worse nightmare: a house fire.
The most likely battery to cause an issue is the 9-volt. Due to the terminals being on the same end of the battery and very close together, 9-volt batteries can easily be shorted, causing them to overheat and start a fire. Other battery types can have issues as well when multiple batteries are stored together so treat them just like the 9-volt, safely.
Battery companies recommend that you keep batteries in the container you purchased them in until you need them, to prevent battery shorting issues. When batteries are loose, it is recommended that you store them standing up in a non-metallic container. 9-volt batteries should be stored with a piece of electrical tape covering the terminals.
The same safety concerns arise during disposal. All of the issues discussed above can occur when you haphazardly dispose of batteries. With the right conditions, just tossing them in the trash can burn your house down just as quickly as improperly storing them. Follow the same battery safety rules when storing and disposing of batteries.