WARNING - Exploding Lidl Batteries.

chrisw

I bought 2 packs of the 2100 mah AA batteries from Lidl yesterday.

I put the first pack in my expensive micro processor controlled delta v charger which I have used for charging all sorts of batteries from 1300 to 2500mah.
The green charged light came on after a couple of hours but I noticed how hot the batteries were when I took them out.

I then put the second set in and after a couple of hours went to check but the red charge light was still lit. 5 minutes later, I noticed that the green light had come on, but as I walked towards the charger to take them out, there was an almighty bang and a flash and red hot chunks of battery went flying through the air. The bedroom was covered in sizzling pieces of metal and splashes of a sort of black paste.

Had I have been a bit closer or even handling the batteries, the result would undoubtedly have been serious injury.
Apart from the lid being blown off the charger, it has cleaned up ok, but I haven't tried plugging it in yet.

So I don't really know whether the batteries were faulty, the charger faulty, or the 2 just not compatible. I have chucked the batteries in the bin regardless.

I have always been a bit lax regarding charging batteries but no longer. Handle them carefully and don't leave the charger on overnight or when nobody is in.

trickytrolleys

You really need to get on to trading standards about this urgently- most batteries go in childrens toys - they may need to do a recall if its the batteries at fault.

ChuckleVision_2

I know this may sound silly, but are you sure you bought rechargables?

I know someone that put non-rechargable batteries in a charger and had the same result.

chrisw

Definitely rechargeables! I wondered about contacting somebody, but wasn't sure if it was something I'd done eg unsuitable charger.

identitymismatch

Thanks for the warning, I was about o buy a load - at 2 quid a pack they looked like good value (for 2100's) but not if they go pop!

Premier_2

As mcelhinney quite rightly states, you should really report this immediately to your local trading standards office.

Retrieve the bits you have thrown in the bin (wear protective gloves) as these may be required for analysis or evidence.

Trading standards will investigate and, if the batteries are faulty, ensure they are removed from the sale immediately and require a recall notice to be issued.
Think of the thousands of people who have probably bought these batteries, most of whom will not even know of this site.

However, if you have used the wrong batteries or a faulty or incompatible charger, then you may well be worrying others unnecessarily - your local trading standards office will clarify this.

jellacott

It seems to me that a batch of non-rechargeables were labelled as rechargeable. As ChuckleVision says, if you put non-rechargeable batteries in a charger this will happen.

Rechargeable batteries can't just explode, as they are not charged at purchase. The amount of charge that you describe going into the second lot would not be enough to make uncharged batteries explode.

But DEFINITELY get onto trading standards about it, and the store you purchased them from. Not just for you and your compensation but for anyone else that might have the same problem.

welshblob

I was gonna buy a load of these this morning but my local lidl (fareham) had sold them all yesterday. Now wondering whether to bother trying anywhere else? I've got the £9.99 30 min Duracell charger from boots which I've only used a couple of times.

Trading standards and Lidl should be made aware of this.

Rob

chrisw

Are the contents toxic? We slept with the window open because of the burning smell, but I wiped up most of the mess with a damp cloth.

I will contact Trading Standards to see what they say.

mk-donald

Bought one of the Aldi or Lidl £4 chargers last year - that's been working perfectly, absolutely no complaints - and always wondered why they made a feature of it having a 'safety lid' - I shall close it in future!

And I second the thought about bringing this to Lidl's attention (and alerting Trading standards) - just think how'd you'd feel if you did later discover others being injured.

Just after Xmas when I stepped out of the house late one chilly evening c10pm, thought I smelt a feint burning smell - looked around and saw something billowing a bit from roofline of house 5 doors away - passerby couldnt smell anything as had a cold - wondered whether it was smoke or steam and thought to myself how would I forgive myself if it it was a fire and rang their bell - was of course just central heating (they have their outlet near roof top unlike most houses around). Pleased I did!

mark398

chrisw wrote:

I bought 2 packs of the 2100 mah AA batteries from Lidl yesterday.

I put the first pack in my expensive micro processor controlled delta v charger which I have used for charging all sorts of batteries from 1300 to 2500mah.
The green charged light came on after a couple of hours but I noticed how hot the batteries were when I took them out.

How warm or hot do other rechargeables get in this charger? How fast is the charger - 1 hour? 1/2 hour?

I ask this because I suspect that some of the new super fast intelligent delta v chargers are really too harsh on batteries. My maplin Vanson which has 4 independent delta v circuits does get AAs or AAAs pretty hot, and I've had AAA's venting. I guess this is the crux - a decent battery *should* vent if it gets mistreated, or worked too hard, rather than building pressure until it explodes.