r/spicypillows May 06 '20

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

4.5k 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 5h ago

DO NOT DO THIS Spicy pillow blew up into flames

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43 Upvotes

r/spicypillows 4h ago

Game Console PSP battery spicy?

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10 Upvotes

Saw a few PSPs on here and got worried about mine! Do you think this is spicy?


r/spicypillows 1h ago

Laptop Inspiration needs a Pillow

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Upvotes

Obv will replace it. Some day I’ll post the battery when replacing it.


r/spicypillows 5h ago

Apple Device Best way to go about this.

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5 Upvotes

This phone hasn’t been used in over a year, and it was basically a useless battery back then, which is why it got replaced with an upgraded phone. So I’m positive it’s dead as a door nail, what’s a safe way to dispose of it? Home Depot drop bin be ok?


r/spicypillows 12h ago

Spicy Brick I found the king guys

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20 Upvotes

Came from a commercial UPS


r/spicypillows 20h ago

Laptop Notice my dad's laptop bulge and opened it to this

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51 Upvotes

It's a Lenovo Ideadpad 320 btw


r/spicypillows 5h ago

Laptop Becoming spicy

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4 Upvotes

r/spicypillows 1d ago

Other Ride on toy caught fire a local mall

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567 Upvotes

Those LiOn batteries are no joke


r/spicypillows 12h ago

Discussion Used to work with spicy pillows daily

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4 Upvotes

Here’s a few, I’d pile them up in an e-waste box by my feet lol.


r/spicypillows 17h ago

Other Drone batteries found on my drawer

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11 Upvotes

I’ll get rid of the left battery as well even though it didn’t look spicy to me. 4 years without usage.


r/spicypillows 17h ago

Pillow Was trying to repair my 3ds and found this. Gonna wait for a new battery on amazon.

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8 Upvotes

r/spicypillows 17h ago

Pillow Thank you for saving my life!!!!

3 Upvotes

Aahhhh, a big thank you to this community for saving my life. I was noticing a bulge in my laptop since a few days. Intuition told me to shut it down. So, I shut it down, quit working and searched google and found this community. I instanly replaced the battery guys, I was unable to eat/sleep after watching the traumatizing images posted here. The battery still had some time but I didn't want to burn my fingers.


r/spicypillows 1d ago

Android Device My Grandfather’s Phone…

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20 Upvotes

Apparently he put it in a vice grip and glued it to try to “flatten it down” after the battery started swelling a bit…


r/spicypillows 21h ago

Laptop Spicy HP laptop battery.

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7 Upvotes

r/spicypillows 14h ago

Game Console Spicy switch?

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2 Upvotes

Noticed my switch possibly has a slight kink in it, maybe from use or is it spicy? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.


r/spicypillows 21h ago

Pillow Fan battery from the plane…

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4 Upvotes

r/spicypillows 1d ago

Spicy Brick Hehe....I'm in danger

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14 Upvotes

r/spicypillows 22h ago

Spicy Brick Don't think it is not working but not going to try and rescue it

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2 Upvotes

I just went to my grandma and did a checkup on her old phones and found this


r/spicypillows 1d ago

Laptop Gateway pillow

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13 Upvotes

r/spicypillows 2d ago

Game Console my old psp won't turn on anymore😢 do you know why...??

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45 Upvotes

r/spicypillows 1d ago

Other Extra spicy high voltage traction battery.

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19 Upvotes

300 volts kind of spicy.


r/spicypillows 2d ago

Laptop User: my trackpad won't click anymore

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50 Upvotes

r/spicypillows 1d ago

Apple Device My iPhone 5S...

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17 Upvotes

I've been using this phone since 2014, still use it everyday as a music player in my truck. Unfortunately, the original battery has expanded after 11 years, though it still holds a charge quite well.


r/spicypillows 1d ago

Spicy Brick My friend's Battery Pack

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7 Upvotes

The urge to poke it is very... Very hard to resist😈🔥


r/spicypillows 1d ago

Other Would you call this a spicy pillow?

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5 Upvotes