Battery exploded on maintainer

[albert 5694]

Hello this is just a question i am throwing out there to see if anyone has ever had there battery explode in the car while it is in storage on a battery maintainer. I have a 69 GTX and have had the battery on a maintainer ( a good one by deltran) and was just sitting in the living room when a load bang went off in the gaurge went out there lifted the hood to find the hole top and sides of the battery were gone into pieces. Fortunately the only damage was some of the plastic cut my hood insulation i think that saved my hood. No physical damage any were body wise or paint wise so i pushed the car out and cleaned it off right away. I talked to deltran and had my maintainer sent it to be tested and they said it checked out ok. Just looking to see if this has happened to any one else everybody i tell says they have never heard of a battery blowing up while on a maintainer.

 

[kiwigtx]

My wife started her car at the supermarket about a year ago, and the battery exploded. Seems it was low on electrolyte, and one cell had expanded enough for a dead short. the gas inside the case just ignited causing the explosion. No-one was harmed, except a small stain in my son's shorts.

 

[66383]

Never heard of that before.

 

[70chall440]

I had an optima "cook" one time on a maintainer. I talked to Optima about it and they told me that if the battery was put on a maintainer with less than 9V this might happen (could be CYA info). I had steam coming out it and that battery never came back. I have done a fair amount of research on this as I have at least 8 vehicles on maintainers, what I have determined that a battery needs to be fully charged when it is put onto the maintainer and even then it needs to be checked periodically. Also, not all maintainers are equal, some are not very good at all.

 

[kiwigtx]

Never heard of that before.

Neither had I until my wife's car went bang.

 

[albert 5694]

Thanks what has everybody puzzled is i was not trying to start the car so no load put on the battery and according to deltran there maintainer wont put out enough amps to cause an internal spark?

 

[70chall440]

It developed an internal short which is what caused it to explode. How or why is another question. Now, it is possible the maintainer went crazy I suppose, although that seems unlikely.

 

[Fran Blacker]

How long was it on the maintainer? Any chance hooked it up backward, which I doubt but just putting it out there. Kiwi's explanation is interesting.

 

[kiwigtx]

It developed an internal short which is what caused it to explode.

Exactly. Doesn't take much energy to cause the explosion.

 

[4mulas]

Yikes! Make sure you get all that acid off your car!

 

[33 IMP]

Happened to me in a gas station many years ago, with a sixtyfive galaxie. I looked up and the cop who was in the station, and the attendant were both pointing guns at me.

 

[beanhead]

A lot of guys don't use those for just that reason...you are not the first. A member has even lost their garage due to a fire from one of those 'tenders'. Glad the damage wasn't worse!

 

[Teek]

I’ve never had a battery explode but I treat them as though they will. I always disconnect batteries on all my occasional drivers, and never leave a trickle charger on for more than 24 hrs or so. I trickle charge them every three months or so but they don’t seem to be discharged much when I do that.

I’ve found batteries don’t lose much charge when disconnected, and I have one battery with an “06” date code on it that still starts the car it’s in every spring.

 

[64BEL]

Neither had I until my wife's car went bang.

About 40 years ago a friend of mine and I drove to his place in his Dart, parked it and went inside. I don't remember if it was 5 minutes or a half hour, but some time soon after we heard a loud bang and found that his battery had exploded. Wild.

 

[bm02tj]

When a plate in one cell comes loose it will short creating hydrogen gas then can explode when sparked or gets hot enough

 

[steve340]

As an apprentice we were taught to only charge a battery in a well ventilated area.
Because of that I only charge in the garage with the hood up. I also do not leave even a trickle charger on for too long as I am paranoid about a fire.
I think what blows the battery up a spark is created somehow that sets off the hydrogen gas created by the normal charging process.
I had a friend who was injured when a battery blew up in his face when he put a load test machine on it.

 

[bm02tj]

That is why you hook up ground last to block not battery when boosting

 

[WP29440SE]

if I have a battery that is losing a charge fast enough to warrant the need for a boost, that battery is getting tossed. I have a couple batteries from 2011 and 2015 that sit disconnected from September to May , that are used twice in between to start my cars, and then ran pretty regularly through the summer months. they have never died or needed a jump. the first time they go dead they are replaced. I would never risk a fire from some trickle charger.

 

[493 Mike]

I have been using Battery Tender Jrs for many years now on my 66 Belvedere all winter, my Kubota and 2007 quad (original battery) all winter, my 65 Coronet all winter, and my snowmobile all summer. Never had a issue and I hope not to!
Mike

 

[miller]

Not much help here, except I'll say, like many other things, batteries can be easily be junk, too.
Good case is my non-mechanical son. Bought a new battery from Walmart. Hell no, no problems tossing names out! Had the battery mounted up...called me a week later...asking if it was 'normal' for a battery to have foam come out the top!
Told him to get it changed ASAP, before something went bad.

All four batteries I've had to replace, in the past handful of years, paid a little more, all from NAPA. Dang sure not blowing their horn, but, you get what you pay for. Not one inch of trouble, out of any of them.

That's all I'll say about it. Find something you believe in, and stick with it.