9 Volt Battery Fire Hazard Alert

The Consumer Insurance Blog has released an article dealing with the little-known fire hazard of 9-volt batteries.

The article points out that these batteries, found in so many household items and toys, can be dangerous if they are not taken care of properly.

Dave (of Kids and Character), a victim featured in the article and accompanying video, had his home totally destroyed by a fire started by a 9-volt battery. He shares from his own personal experience in an effort to get the word out about safety.

On April 21, 2011, the 9-volt battery from inside Dave’s smoke detector caused a fire that would destroy Dave’s home.

After removing the old battery from his smoke detector, Dave wanted to recycle it. But he didn’t know there are certain things you must to do to make sure the battery is safe and does not present a fire hazard.

There is a common element (or flaw) to every 9-volt battery: the terminals are close together. And creating a short across those terminals is very easy to do. 

Dave stored the old 9-volt batteries in a sack in his garage. A couple of weeks later, however, the bag was bumped causing 2 of the old batteries to short out together. This started a fire which destroyed Dave’s home.

If you have batteries lying around together in drawers and other places, you have a potential fire emergency on your hands. When the terminals short out together, they first become very warm and then they burst into flames.

To make the batteries safe for storing, simply place a piece of electrical tape over the terminals. This will keep them from shorting out and causing a fire.

Click here to watch the whole video.

It is a good idea to take some time as soon as possible to look around in your home for incorrectly stored 9-volt batteries. Whether they are new or old does not matter. Just be sure they are stored properly.

At Best Security Products, we can help you with all commercial and home fire security and safety needs. Give us a call at 1-800–988–2378 sales@bestsecurityproducts.com

Source: http://www.insureinfoblog.com/2015/01/the-little-known-fire-hazard-of-9-volt-batteries/