WARNING Battery Danger
 

I walked into my house early this week to the smell of burning. I couldn't find where it was coming from. Last night as I was gathering my laundry I noticed a burn through the back of my jeans. A HUGE hole. I had a spare Touch Pro battery in my back pocket. It had expanded and obviously started a fire in my jeans. They were in a clothes pile and buried, so I assume that there wasn't enough oxygen to start a fire. I will post pictures later, but be very careful where you store extra batteries. I was very worried about my home.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...htcBATTER1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...htcBATTERY.jpg

Re: WARNING Battery Danger
 

Did you have anything in the pocket besides your battery that would of shorted out the contacts to the battery.

It happen to me once, had some spare coins put a 9v in my front pocket and within min. my leg felt like their was a torch pointing at it.

Re: WARNING Battery Danger
 

That would odd for it to do by itself. Sounds like the leads got shorted. Was there any metal or foil in the pocket?

Re: WARNING Battery Danger
 

yeah thats really odd...what condition is the battery in now?

Re: WARNING Battery Danger
 

I will post pics tonight if I remember. The battery looks all bloated and the metal casing is exposed. (And burnt of course) To answer earlier questions there was absolutely nothing else in the pocket. I make sure to keep all metal away from a spare.

Re: WARNING Battery Danger
 

wow this sucks. i never had this happen with my lg batteries. i usually keep my batteries in my wallet in a seperate pocket. maybe it got hot in the laundry? put hot clothes on your jeans and somehow? :S

Re: WARNING Battery Danger
 

wow, I have my spare in my backpack, but I think I'm gonna take it out after hearing this. Maybe just put it in a baggy or something, that way nothing will get to it..

Re: WARNING Battery Danger
 

either the contacts shot or you exposed it to heat. there are warnings on the back for such

was it an OEM battery or Some random?

Re: WARNING Battery Danger
 

I had the exact same thing happen, that's not a whole lotta fun......

~John

Re: WARNING Battery Danger
 

A lithium ion battery can burn at some ridiculously hot temperatures when ignited. Overcharging, heat and shorting it out via the contacts are pretty much the only ways to cause one to ignite, though. I don't see how just being in an otherwise empty pocket could cause one to spontaneously combust, though stranger things have happened.

Re: WARNING Battery Danger
 

Mythbusters contacted, we'll have our answer soon. =P

I'm with everyone else though, i doubt the battery spontaneously combusted. Maybe a manufacturing defect resulted in a short? It could also have made contact with metal snaps... rivets... what ever the hell they are called. I know my jeans have them.

Re: WARNING Battery Danger
 

Glad you and your house are alright! Never thought a battery by itself in a pair of jeans could start a fire...

But i found this part funny... lol
\/\/\/\/\/ if it was oem, you could have those pictures all over engadget! They love doing stories on exploding phones/batteries

Re: WARNING Battery Danger
 

id like to see pictures, it probably leaked battery acid, which would cause the "burn" and the smell of a chemical reaction. All comes down no matter what to a defective battery. If it was OEM i would be raising he** with HTC.

Re: WARNING Battery Danger
 

These batteries, dont leak.
These type of things are what happens during an overcharge, course thats not what caused this event. They do sell bags that will contain one of these batteries exploding and burning, those of you who carry extras in your bags may want to look into them if you are worried.

Re: WARNING Battery Danger
 

I always keep a spare battery in my pocket as well. However, I put a piece of tape over the contacts, to prevent any possible short with anything else that may be in that pocket. Very scary, however, if true.

Re: WARNING Battery Danger
 

I only got to page one of replies, but it was dry, cool (inside), and stored alone. Pics on page one as promised. And not being charged and probably hadn't been charged for a couple weeks.

Re: WARNING Battery Danger
 

These are lithium polymer batteries. There is NOTHING UNUSUAL about this. Just do youtube search and see the videos of how easy it is for these things to flame up when damaged. People in the Radio Control helicopter / Airplane world are well aware of this. These batteries are very sensitive to heat, shock, bending, etc...

http://www.youtube.com/results?searc...ithium+polymer

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=209187

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news0...batteries.html

Granted, this is more common in RC stuff because of vibration, but drop a phone lipo, bend it, SIT ON IT, etc. and it can be a ticking bomb....

Re: WARNING Battery Danger
 

Sounds like an ebay battery to me. You dont need much to set them off like that. PSP batts do it all the time, just dont buy cheap ones for that reason.

Re: WARNING Battery Danger
 

I agree 100%, buy good batteries!! They are built to better standards.

Re: WARNING Battery Danger
 

i used to race rc cars when i was younger, and i mean nitro thousands of dollars rc cars, and i saw this happen all the time. i never really thought about it happening with a cellphone battery though. i always carry a battery in my back pocket, i'm gonna start not doing that i guess lol... i'll just leave it in my car, surrounded by tissue paper (i have an audi, and its starting to break little expensive things lol).

Re: WARNING Battery Danger
 

Sure it wasn't some bad Mexican food?

Re: WARNING Battery Danger
 

LOFL. Nice one.

Re: WARNING Battery Danger
 

HAHAHAHAHHA sry this is just hilarious!

Re: WARNING Battery Danger
 

Whoa, danger indeed.

Maybe your back pocket was rough and caused lots of friction on the battery, enough perhaps to make it asplode.

Re: WARNING Battery Danger
 

Yea I need to know the answer to that million dollar question too... Was this an OEM HTC battery or one from fleebay(eBay)?

Re: WARNING Battery Danger
 

WOW thats some picture!! Lol

Re: WARNING Battery Danger
 

They actually are HTC batteries. I was able to keep batteries when I got new replacement phones.

Re: WARNING Battery Danger
 

OEM... From HTC.

Re: WARNING Battery Danger
 

LMAO 8)

Re: WARNING Battery Danger
 

Don't you mean "assplode"

Re: WARNING Battery Danger
 

I would figure out how to get alot of free stuff from sprint.. or sue them or HTC... I mean if the chick that spilt coffee on herself at mcdonalds made millions i think u can get somethin too ;)

Re: WARNING Battery Danger
 

Is it possible that there was one of those pink metal foil security stickers in the back pocket of your jeans? i cant tell you how many times I have found those stupid things months after I have owned a pair of pants!

Re: WARNING Battery Danger
 

Thanks for that info. Scary... Very scary... Since I always carry 1 or 2 of those on me. This is going to make me question that habit. :|

Re: WARNING Battery Danger
 

Surprised no one thought of this - laundry basket full of clothes = static electricity. Or perhaps something damp / wet? Lithium and water do not mix well! Glad to see all you lost was a pair of jeans though.

Re: WARNING Battery Danger
 

back pocket? maybe previously sitting on it was the culprit.

Re: WARNING Battery Danger
 

GTFO!!!!!!!!! This is too funny! This should be in my hilarious pic thread! Anywho, ever seens I waS A weeee little boy I learned never to carry batteries in my pocket. I once carried 3 double A batteriews in my front pocket (duracell) and suddenly I felt a burning sensation near my nom noms. I reached in my pocket to see what da helll was burning. Well.. turned out the 3 batteries where getting reallly got and fat. Something about carrying loose batterie sin your pocket makes them overheat.

Re: WARNING Battery Danger
 

For the record, in the interest of public knowledge;
Lithium ion batteries do not use acid. My guess is the battery case was either bent by your a$s sitting on it and cracked. The electrolyte leaked out into the cotton and reacted with moisture in the fabric in what is known as an exothermic reaction.
From wikipedia:

Liquid electrolytes in Li-ion batteries consist of lithium salts, such as LiPF6, LiBF4, or LiClO4, in an organic solvent, such as ether. A liquid electrolyte conducts Li ions, acting as a carrier between the cathode and the anode when a battery passes an electric current through an external circuit. Typical conductivities of liquid electrolyte at room temperature (20 oC) are in the range of 10 mS/cm, increasing by approximately 30-40% at 40 oC and decreasing by a slightly smaller amount at 0 oC.[20]
Unfortunately, organic solvents are easily decomposed on anodes during charging. However, when appropriate organic solvents are used as the electrolyte, the solvent is decomposed and forms a solid layer called the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI)[21] at first charge that is electrically insulating yet sufficiently conductive to lithium ions. The interphase prevents decomposition of the electrolyte after the second charge. For example, ethylene carbonate is decomposed at a relatively high voltage, 0.7 V vs. Li, and forms a dense and stable interface.

Re: WARNING Battery Danger
 

I had a mogul battery expand like it was about to go on labor. It was OEM and brand new never used. Let it sit in the box for over 7 months and suddenly when I wanted to use it, it was double its size. I took it to Sprint and they gave me a nother one.

Re: WARNING Battery Danger
 

You're right!

http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/21/h...rwise-fine-pa/

I got some cheap batteries along with a USB charger/cradle from Eforcity on ebay and the batteries came with a nice reusable plastic case. I can fit all 3 of my spare batteries in there and I keep it in my laptop case. I try not to carry batteries in my pocket for this very reason, and if I do, I put them in a plastic sandwich bag.

Re: WARNING Battery Danger
 

No, they are Lithium Ion, not polymer.