DISPOSING OF APPLIANCES AND DEVICES - EASY AND ENVIRONMENTALLY SOUND

NEWS

Careful charging protects you from fire caused by batteries

More and more frequently there are headlines about devastating fires, which were triggered in particular by the loading procedure of electrical equipment and E-Bike accumulators.
The fact is that the risk of mishandling when charging batteries is often underestimated. The risk of overheating batteries does not only exist when they are exposed to the blazing sun. Damage caused by impacts or invisible cracks in the delimiter-film can also cause short circuits, which can lead to fires. A lot of batterie-burns are also due to faulty chargers.
Careful handling and proper disposal can largely prevent the occurrence of uncontrolled reactions.
The following applies when charging lithium batteries / rechargeable batteries:

• Avoid heat
  Do not leave cell phones and laptops on the shelf in your car – this also applies to navigation devices! In the car temperatures up to 70 degrees Celsius are reached in direct sunlight – not only in summer! Heat can cause an uncontrollable chain reaction due to increasing pressure inside the battery and ultimately even lead to an explosion and / or a fire. In addition, health and environmental hazardous substances can escape.
• Beware of damage
  A damaged lithium battery can be detected, for example, by the deformed metal housing, on melting points on the plastic housing, on leakage of liquid or if the battery gets hot, even when the device is switched off. Even the smallest, invisible injuries of the battery membranes can lead to spontaneous combustion. For this reason, the device should always be placed on a non-flammable surface while charging.
• Is the charger OK?
  Make sure that the charger is working well an that you always use an original charger that fits the device. Because only original chargers can detect defective batteries and block the charging process, resp. the power supply. If the charger has a malfunction, only an original replacement device should be purchased. Do not use cheap offers from third-party manufacturers – for your own safety.
• Only charge under supervision
  If you are not sure whether the charger or the battery is undamaged (for example, after an accident with the e-bike or a crash of toy electric cars), you should perform the charging process only under supervision.
  The same applies to the recharging of batteries that were not in use for a long time. The reason is, that older batteries not only lose capacity, they can also corrode, which in turn increases the risk of fire.
• Take damaged batteries/accumulators and devices to the collection point
  Damaged equipment and batteries/accumulators may represent a fire hazard if they are handled incorrectly or disposed. Don’t store these old batteries / accumulators in the drawer at home. Please bring them immediately to one of the collection points, where they are taken over by specialist staff.