Exploding batteries!!

[Mark McDonald <tomswift@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

James,

Thanks for the chemistry lesson.  (Not being saracastic.)  I think the key
part of your statement is the following:

> So when you are boosting your battery, if the
> circuit is grounded to some metal component of the car (preferably not
> right next to the battery) and this is disconnected first it is unlikely
> that you will have enough hydrogen in that immediate area to ignite if a
> spark is generated.

This is exactly in line with what I was told.  If you ground the negative
cable to the block or the body of the car a good distance away from the
battery, and you disconnect that clamp first, there is little chance of a
spark igniting an explosion.

The problem is, most people don't jump their cars this way.  They put both
clamps on the battery (the bad battery).  If you accidentally cause a spark
removing one of these clamps, it is right there at the battery where the
concentration of gases is highest.  That greatly increases the chances of
an explosion.

The other problem is, although new batteries are in fact better and safer
than old batteries, they are not immune to cracking or damage of the casing
due to mishandling during shipping or installation, corrosion, etc.  And,
as I understand it, if a battery has been left for a long period of time
and allowed to get very low in charge, when you try to charge that battery
again it produces a lot more gas than when you try to charge a newer,
fresher battery with a higher charge.  I am not 100% certain of that, but I
can check if anyone is interested.  So I would say the older the battery
the more careful you need to be.

The bottom line is, from my perspective, respect, not fear.  As with a
handgun, respect what it can do and learn safe habits to practice when
you're around one.

Mark