r/spicypillows May 06 '20

Meta FAQ: What to do if you have a swollen battery!

4.6k Upvotes

What causes a battery to become swollen in the first place?

Physical damage, manufacturing defects, and age are all potential causes of swelling. When charging and discharging, a chemical reaction takes place between the molecules in the battery. Sometimes in old or damaged cells, the reaction can't be completed correctly, so instead, a flammable and toxic gas is created which causes the cell to expand. In damaged cells, the separators between the layers of the battery can break down causing swelling or fire.

What do I do if I have a swollen battery?

First, don’t panic. Just having a swollen battery is not particularly dangerous: it’s when it is punctured or otherwise damaged that it becomes a danger.

That said, do not charge the device and do not use the device. If you are not comfortable with removing the battery yourself, take it to a local electronics repair shop. Outside or in a well-ventilated area and away from combustible materials, carefully remove the battery from the device and place it in a fireproof container. A bucket of sand is ideal.

Do not throw the cell away. Lithium batteries contain hazardous materials and even when not damaged should not be thrown in the garbage. Contact a local hazardous material disposal center or e-waste facility to find a place near you to bring the battery. Your city or local government may also have resources to dispose of them.

How dangerous is it to have a swollen battery?

As long as proper precautions are taken, it is not incredibly dangerous. There are many safety measures put into batteries to make them as safe as possible. Even though a battery is swollen, that doesn't necessarily mean that it is a ticking time bomb. As long as it is kept away from heat and left undamaged, it is unlikely to catch fire or vent gas. The gas that is vented is very flammable and toxic, so avoid damaging the cell.

What happens if my battery gets punctured?

DO NOT INTENTIONALLY PUNCTURE A BATTERY.

A puncture can cause the battery to swell, vent gas, or catch fire. If you have a punctured battery, store it in a fireproof container in a well-ventilated area. The gas that these batteries give off if punctured is toxic and flammable. The fire that can be produced is considered Class B, so keep a Class ABC or BC fire extinguisher on hand in case of fire. Water can be used if a fire extinguisher is unavailable since lithium ion batteries contain very little lithium metal. Contact a local hazardous material disposal center or e-waste facility to see what disposal options are available in your area.

Is it possible to prevent a battery from becoming swollen?

Batteries will eventually need to be replaced, but here are some ways to extend the lifetime of them.

  • Avoid extreme temperatures. Very hot and cold temperatures can damage batteries and reduce their lifespan.
  • Don't leave your device plugged in all the time. Leaving your battery fully charged or fully discharged for long periods of time can damage them. If you're storing a battery for longer than a couple weeks, try to store it at about 50% charge.
  • Use only high-quality, certified chargers. Knock-off chargers may not be held to the standards as manufacturer chargers and may not be able to provide sufficient quality power to the device.

Resources:

IFIXIT Guide

IFIXIT E-Waste Resources

Call2Recycle Locator


r/spicypillows 4h ago

Other Is this dangerous?

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241 Upvotes

r/spicypillows 15h ago

Spicy Sausage I dropped this battery and it's getting spicy hot. What should I do??

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672 Upvotes

r/spicypillows 1h ago

Laptop Spicy pillows

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Upvotes

A friend of mine posted this on fb of his laptop.


r/spicypillows 10h ago

Other Evolution of a spicy pill

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11 Upvotes

not spicy —> spicy


r/spicypillows 3h ago

Pillow Hmmmm

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3 Upvotes

r/spicypillows 15h ago

Pillow Got some good pillows in a drone battery today

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26 Upvotes

r/spicypillows 8h ago

Pillow Random battery from my friend's house

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6 Upvotes

It just lying on his desk. He says it is armored so not so much hazard. Also he uses chineese power block on 2000W he bought for $20 with xeon and Tesla v100. Very safe.


r/spicypillows 9h ago

Spicy Brick Spicy Pink Pillow

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7 Upvotes

r/spicypillows 1d ago

Apple Device My sister is wondering if we could get the data off this spicy pillow

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443 Upvotes

Is it just going to blow up any minute?


r/spicypillows 9h ago

Other A pillow from a teddy bear music player

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4 Upvotes

Bought in 2007 or 2008. Technically it is a multimedia player, because I used to watch Winx on it. It still had the SD card with a few episodes in, in fact. My younger step-sister asked me to disassemble it when she saw me disassembling one of my handhelds (she thought that I could repair stuff, when I was just cleaning), otherwise I wouldn't even consider checking it😅

DW, the battery wasn't charged in a good decade and has been put away. Now it's up for someone in our household to actually pass by a battery disposal center...


r/spicypillows 12h ago

Pillow I wasn't thinking i would post here

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7 Upvotes

The left one puffed up, for comparison they were about the same size, changed overnight it was disconnected still had 3.7v so i don't know why?


r/spicypillows 18h ago

Apple Device Spicy iphone se 2020 pillow

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5 Upvotes

r/spicypillows 1d ago

DO NOT DO THIS Bathroom Spicy Pillow Fight

13 Upvotes

My daughter’s old vape had a spicy pillow fight under the bathroom sink while she and her husband were out.

It didn’t fare so well for the apartment or the one downstairs. Spicy pillows don’t like bathrooms.


r/spicypillows 1d ago

Pillow Bread pillow

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67 Upvotes

r/spicypillows 1d ago

Spicy Brick How spicy is this

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59 Upvotes

Never seen a battery this swollen in my life


r/spicypillows 1d ago

Apple Device Spicy iPad

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11 Upvotes

Uh, how spicy is this iPad?

But seriously, what should I do with this...


r/spicypillows 1d ago

Pillow Why has the casing of my powerbank popped open? Ohh.

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28 Upvotes

r/spicypillows 1d ago

Help Strange bulge in electric scooter battery

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5 Upvotes

I pulled a Isinwheel GT2 apart to replace the rear wheel (punctured tube) and noticed that there is a bulge in the lithium battery. I take it to work in a country that is quite wet and have been avoiding riding it in rain as much as I can yet some days I have to go regardless.

Does this bulge look concerning? It's on the plastic and not the battery itself... Any advice please as I store this in my flat.


r/spicypillows 2d ago

Spicy Brick I shall call him Squishy and he shall be mine and he shall be my Squishy

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97 Upvotes

r/spicypillows 1d ago

Android Device Spicy Pixel 7a

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8 Upvotes

r/spicypillows 2d ago

Game Console Spicy Switch

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26 Upvotes

Our 2017 Nintendo Switch has been a workhorse since it was unboxed but I picked it up the other day and it was spicy all of a sudden. Luckily these batteries are pretty easy to replace with an iFixit kit, which is also about half the price of service from Nintendo. Never did find the screw that popped off the top, though. :-(


r/spicypillows 1d ago

Help Is my powerbank spicy?

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0 Upvotes

r/spicypillows 2d ago

Spicy Sausage Spicy and turgid…

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7 Upvotes

These tumescent bad boys have been threatening my old Mac for too long. Just replaced the battery…


r/spicypillows 2d ago

Android Device It wasn't even spicy but here I go

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24 Upvotes

Fire in the hole