Do you have any 9-volt batteries in your home? Of course you do. They are most frequently used in our smoke detectors, but they have several other uses, too.
Storage and disposal of these batteries is very critical, as
the position of the terminals so close to each other can easily cause a short,
and that in turn can start a fire. Since they are usually stored in a drawer in the home, this can lead to tragic consequences.
Most batteries have the positive and negative terminals at
opposite ends of the unit, but the 9-volt is unique in that it not only has
both terminals on one end, but they are less than an inch apart. The battery is also thin and tall, so it is
unstable in the sense that it tips over easily when not in use. It also has the
danger of contacting a piece of metal that will conduct between the battery
terminals to cause a short.
There is a very easy method to protect your battery from any
accidental short that could cause a fire.
Simply buy a roll of 1/2 inch wide electrical tape and place a strip of
it over the terminals to keep them from being exposed until you need to use
them. And after you have used them and
they are "dead" -- a very
deceptive term, because no battery is ever completely dead -- tape the terminals
again before recycling them.
In case you think this warning is unnecessary, just Google
the term "9-volt battery fire" (without the quotes, of course) and
see how many hits you get. But if you
want to see a very graphic video about the danger, here is one that will do the trick.
Don't fret, there are no charred human remains, but the house certainly
did get "toasted."
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