12v Battery explodes....

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

...in my ATV while I am sitting on it, in town, in my driveway.

Wow, still a little shakey
Sounded like a 12 ga shotgun.
Neighbors 2 doors down came over to see if I was OK. They were 'sure' it was a shotgun blast. My first thought was, 'who booby trapped my Honda with a cherry boomb?

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Snow is coming tonight.... Yesterday I put the plow on the ATV and it started a little slow and like many times before, I put a trickle charger on it all night and most of the day. I rarely use it in the summer, it's typical for the battery's charge to get low. It is/was a 4 year old motorcycle sized battery.

This afternoon, I go out and disconnect the charger, re-install the seat (which is right on top of the battery), turn the Key to start it, the engine turns over once, then BOOM, honestly as loud as a shotgun.
This Battery is/was a gel type maintenance-free, instructions clearly say, "do not add water". It must have pressurized while charging and the starter engaging took it over the top. I've never had a battery explode before. CRAZY, I tell ya, just crazy.

The good news it's just a battery, I am OK, the ATV is OK, the little gel like acid that was in the battery was easy to flush out and off the ATV with fresh water.

Time for bed...Good Night.
Jon

PS, one neighbor/friend told me I should have opened it and checked the water and added some if low. He said there is no such thing as a maintenance-free battery. But the top was sealed and some labeling would have to have been cut to access the filler holes. what say you all ?

[btroj]

I hope you changed shorts before going to bed.

[Pb2au]

Sealed glass fiber mat batteries are exactly that, sealed up. Without a can opener, there is no opportunity to open them up. Basically maintenance proof.
Ive had one get hot and swell up on the charger. I found it that way and immediately decommissioned it. Not too sure what happened there.
glad to hear you and the Honda will live to fight another day. Better go get a non maintenance proof battery and get ready for the white doom!

[BrassMagnet]

Never add water to a gel cell.
Contact the battery maker and provide a photo of the battery. They should never explode. The manufacturer may decide it was clearly a manufacturing defect and they may replace it for free.

[MaryB]

I had a 100 amp hour 6 volt AGM battery explode in my porch. Thought it had blown the walls out but just a little acid to clean up and plastic shards. Was under warranty so I got a free replacement.

[Artful]

Wow, glad you were not hurt

[starmac]

I have been around several truck and equipment batteries explode. I had one blow up in a 69 dodge once and thought I had blown a tire at first. That battery didn't even lose it's charge and worked several days, until I left the lights on and run it down. lol

I had 3 colledge kids come in to buy a battery once, when I looked under the hood the top had blown off there battery. I told them we should check the charging system as it may have over charged it. They said there was no need to as they slept in their car and had left the park lights on, and run the battery down. It blew up when he shot it with a stun gun to charge it. I just about rolled in the dirt, when he told me that. lol It did start it though. lol

[TXGunNut]

Late 1970's a Motorcraft battery blowing up was commonplace. Scary, messy, but commonplace. Not today. Like BrassMagnet said, contact the manufacturer.

[6bg6ga]

A short near the battery? Something had to cause it to explode.

[JakeF]

Hydrogen build up in the battery, we had a bunch of flooded lead acid batteries in emergency sirens blowing up from over charging. You would hit the button to manually run the siren and boom!

[1johnlb]

Early to mid 90's Ford exsplorers with the Motorcraft batteries were bad for this also, had several blow up. The batteries get low in acid and the gas ingnites with a internal short or arc.

[ronald.love.566]

Many years ago I had one explode when a charger was hooked up and turned on

Not funny and very loud.

[C. Latch]

I blew one while running my dremel tool on a power inverter in my truck. I was cutting the last wire for the last tomato cage when I heard a bang. Top blew off.

[WILCO]

Wow, glad you were not hurt

Same here.

[Cactus Farmer]

Gel batteries
use a different charger than the old trickle type. And , yes, they cost more money than the old ones. I just got mine............

[w5pv]

I had an old battery that had a loose post that I had to move around to get it to contact at times but in doing so it exploded on me,I was lucky that I wore glasses and was at home.It ruined the clothes I had on but I made in the house and shower before any real damage to me .From now on a battery with loose post will be trashed.

[Col4570]

Under the Seat you say,you could have ended as JaneB.

[bobby65]

Are you sure that was a gel cell the six holes on the top look like the ones where you put in the acid when they are new. I have saw a gel cell with the holes on top like that. Batteries are vented to let out the hydrogen gas that builds up when charging either from the the vehicles charger or a charger you put on it. Always make sure the breather hole is clear especially on ATV that go in the mud I have a Honda rancher and check it after a lot of mudding. Had a battery blow up on my 65 mustang when I went to start it and that scared the **** out of me. I could only imagine what you felt when it blew up under your seat. Glad all is good after

[Mk42gunner]

Glad you're okay, exploding batteries are not fun.

Four years from a motorcycle size battery sounds pretty good to me; I have went through three automotive batteries in two years for my Kubota.

I personally like the maintenance free batteries of modern times; I put more than enough acid in new batteries while I worked for Sears in 1982 to want to have to do it again.

In years gone by it was fairly common to explode six volt batteries by jump starting them with twelve volt systems. Most that I heard about were older tractors. How much of that was the difference in voltage and how much was the difference between positive and negative ground systems, I do not know.

Robert

[popper]

Hot hydrogen buildup due to overcharging (it was on it's last leg anyway). Had a kid changing a Renault battery blow up in his face. No eye protection or anything. Drenched his face with water & off to the hospital. Gel cell & deep discharge generally don't spew much acid when they go. When I was a kid I used to go to the A.F. ICBM analog computer bay (hanger). There was another hanger with open bathtub sized wet cells for backup power. Some union guy got PO'd & tossed a crow bar across the main terminals. 3 alarm fire immediately. I think he get 10-15. First time I saw a real 1911 was when it was pointed at me. I wanted to get a close up look at an armed F86. Got a trip to the tower & got to see a JATO assist B29 take off. That was way cool. That bird was flapping it's wings trying to get off the ground. Had fun watching the F102s do formation takeoffs. Roll, kick in AB, rotate & off vertical like a rocket.