5 ms·

I have two of these powerbanks, one ordered in 2019 and another in 2021. Amazon sent me scary emails saying these things will kill me. Anker's recall site says

I have two of these powerbanks, one ordered in 2019 and another in 2021. Amazon sent me scary emails saying these things will kill me. Anker's recall site says I'm not affected and the product is safe to use. I'm not sure who to trust, but I've erred on the side of caution and trashed the batteries. Because it's not worth dying in a fire over $30 in batteries.

consp 1y ago
Brought them to a special pickup/disposal point? Cause otherwise they will light on fire somewhere else.
gosub100 1y ago
The scary thing is you can't put the fire out with water. Your only option is to run.
- devmor 1y ago
  > Your only option is to run. That is not true. Please don't spread misinformation that could lead to deaths or people losing everything they own. You can put out a Lithium battery fire with a class-D fire extinguisher. If you don't have one available, you can isolate the burning battery by surrounding it with sand or other inert, dry substances to keep it from spreading until the fire department arrives with proper equipment to dispose of or extinguish it.
  - deleted 1y ago
    [deleted]
  - gosub100 1y ago
    You forgot having a fume hood, or halon foam system. Or just a silver heat resistant suit and SCBA. Please don't hold back on the pedantry and "you can"s. People might miss these valuable options and not know they can just coexist with the lithium fire right next door!
    - Dylan16807 1y ago
      Are you trying to imply that "sand or other inert, dry substances" are too exotic to be in an average house? Also you can keep things near the battery wet.
      - lazide 1y ago
        So what, you keep a bucket of sand in your bedroom?
        Dylan16807 1y ago
        I didn't say it was in the same room. I just disagree with "your only option is to run".
        lazide 1y ago
        You’re not making convincing arguments, frankly.
    - devmor 1y ago
      Instead of being upset and lashing out when someone corrects you and offers important advice that can save lives, you can just say "Thank you for the information." - or even say nothing at all.
      - gosub100 1y ago
        There's no curiosity or intellect featured here anymore. It's just bickering about semantics or pedantry. If that doesn't anger you, great. That's like a toddler saying they don't mind sharing a pool with other kids who urinate in it. That's your preference, not mine. Sorry for rubbing your face in your own drivel.
- morpheuskafka 1y ago
  You can't put the lithium itself out with water, but presumably water would still keep everything around it from burning?
  - Tade0 1y ago
    It's not the lithium that's burning - it's first the electrolyte, typically ethylene carbonate, which decomposes the cathode - a process that releases oxygen, which in turn fuels the fire. There's actually very little lithium by weight in li-ion batteries.
- datadrivenangel 1y ago
  Enough water will suppress the fire and deprive it of heat for thermal runaway and keep nearby items from catching fire. If you stop the water, it may reignite or smolder and produce smoke, but water will work to combat the fire.
  - gosub100 1y ago
    Will it emit hydrogen gas?
- LorenPechtel 1y ago
  Water won't put it out but putting it in a big enough container of water and leaving it there long enough works. You just need a big enough energy sink + containment.
terribleperson 1y ago
I would have just trusted Anker in this case. Amazon only knows you bought that model of battery, not whether it was affected. Anker would (or should) know exactly what range of serials were made with the problematic cells.
morpheuskafka 1y ago
> I've erred on the side of caution and trashed the batteries How is throwing a potentially damaged lithium battery into the trash, where no batteries of any kind should go, cautious?
- homebrewer 1y ago
  No idea where GP lives, but in lots of places there's simply no other option. Your best bet is to discharge the battery as far as you can make it, and then dump it with the rest of the trash. I don't have anyone willing to accept any batteries for recycling withing a few thousand kilometers. And yes, Amazon ships here just fine.

consp 1y ago

Brought them to a special pickup/disposal point? Cause otherwise they will light on fire somewhere else.

gosub100 1y ago

The scary thing is you can't put the fire out with water. Your only option is to run.

devmor 1y ago
> Your only option is to run. That is not true. Please don't spread misinformation that could lead to deaths or people losing everything they own. You can put out a Lithium battery fire with a class-D fire extinguisher. If you don't have one available, you can isolate the burning battery by surrounding it with sand or other inert, dry substances to keep it from spreading until the fire department arrives with proper equipment to dispose of or extinguish it.
- deleted 1y ago
  [deleted]
- gosub100 1y ago
  You forgot having a fume hood, or halon foam system. Or just a silver heat resistant suit and SCBA. Please don't hold back on the pedantry and "you can"s. People might miss these valuable options and not know they can just coexist with the lithium fire right next door!
  - Dylan16807 1y ago
    Are you trying to imply that "sand or other inert, dry substances" are too exotic to be in an average house? Also you can keep things near the battery wet.
    - lazide 1y ago
      So what, you keep a bucket of sand in your bedroom?
      - Dylan16807 1y ago
        I didn't say it was in the same room. I just disagree with "your only option is to run".
        lazide 1y ago
        You’re not making convincing arguments, frankly.
  - devmor 1y ago
    Instead of being upset and lashing out when someone corrects you and offers important advice that can save lives, you can just say "Thank you for the information." - or even say nothing at all.
    - gosub100 1y ago
      There's no curiosity or intellect featured here anymore. It's just bickering about semantics or pedantry. If that doesn't anger you, great. That's like a toddler saying they don't mind sharing a pool with other kids who urinate in it. That's your preference, not mine. Sorry for rubbing your face in your own drivel.
morpheuskafka 1y ago
You can't put the lithium itself out with water, but presumably water would still keep everything around it from burning?
- Tade0 1y ago
  It's not the lithium that's burning - it's first the electrolyte, typically ethylene carbonate, which decomposes the cathode - a process that releases oxygen, which in turn fuels the fire. There's actually very little lithium by weight in li-ion batteries.
datadrivenangel 1y ago
Enough water will suppress the fire and deprive it of heat for thermal runaway and keep nearby items from catching fire. If you stop the water, it may reignite or smolder and produce smoke, but water will work to combat the fire.
- gosub100 1y ago
  Will it emit hydrogen gas?
LorenPechtel 1y ago
Water won't put it out but putting it in a big enough container of water and leaving it there long enough works. You just need a big enough energy sink + containment.

terribleperson 1y ago

I would have just trusted Anker in this case. Amazon only knows you bought that model of battery, not whether it was affected. Anker would (or should) know exactly what range of serials were made with the problematic cells.

morpheuskafka 1y ago

> I've erred on the side of caution and trashed the batteries How is throwing a potentially damaged lithium battery into the trash, where no batteries of any kind should go, cautious?

homebrewer 1y ago
No idea where GP lives, but in lots of places there's simply no other option. Your best bet is to discharge the battery as far as you can make it, and then dump it with the rest of the trash. I don't have anyone willing to accept any batteries for recycling withing a few thousand kilometers. And yes, Amazon ships here just fine.