Re: [VAC] battery hazard

["Richard P. Kenan" <as5368@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

At 04:27 PM 3/11/2000 -0600, you wrote:
>Bill Clinton eats the whole apple, seeds and all.  Are you sure they are
>poison.??

Mildly so - contain Cyanide, like almonds also.  I have a friend who has 
eaten apple seeds - even requesting them from others - because he likes 
them.  He's around 60 now, and still in good health.  So, don't worry about 
it.  But, Clinton haters can hope. ;-)

>I also question your paragraph on the combination of H and O to make
>H2O.

The paragraph is basically correct.  Lead-acid batteries emit hydrogen when 
charging, and the atmosphere contains about 20% oxygen.  When they combine, 
they make water.  Hydrogen is a high-energy content fuel, and the 
combination can be quite violent - witness the explosion of an early 
version of the lunar lander engine, which took out the whole launch pad, 
I'm told.  Contrary to popular belief, however, it's not as dangerous as 
methane (natural gas) so far as the fuel-mixture range that will detonate 
(not just burn).

>I have heard of DC batteries exploding, but usually they were defective,
>or overcharged.

         Well, I'm no expert on exploding batteries, but a couple of 
listies have reported that, all battery chargers come with warnings, all 
auto owner's manuals warn about it when jump starting, etc., 
etc.  I  believe that they can explode; I don't believe it has to do with 
any battery defect.  Also, I don't believe it's a particularly common 
occurrence for RVers, simply because they don't have a lot of experience 
doing the dangerous things, like shop workers do, and lots of us take the 
elementary precautions to avoid igniting the H emissions.

- Dick
(5368)



"To every man is given the key to open the gates of heaven;
The same key opens the gates of hell."  -  Buddhist saying
Dick Kenan Tel: 770-451-0672
Retired and loving it!
WBCCI # 5368 23' 1972 LY Safari
Atlanta
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