Robot vacuum cleaner batteries: sometimes they explode

An unpleasant surprise awaited the owners of an apartment in New York suburbs when they opened the front door in January: the whole house was filled with smoke, it smelled awfully of melted plastic. The reason was found quickly – the room was smoky with a robot vacuum cleaner on its base. The battery has exploded in it. This time was lucky: the vacuum cleaner withstood the blow, and though it died, but the apartment and its owners were not damaged. They still struggle with the smell of smoke, which permeates everything, right down to the linen in the cabinets. But this is nothing compared with what could have happened.

October 21, 2020 in Volgodonsk after the explosion of a robot vacuum cleaner burned down the entire apartment. The children survived, but the dog and cat died and the family had to leave the house.

The fire that happened in January 2020 is also associated with charging a robot vacuum cleaner.

There is at least one other case where the battery in a robot vacuum cleaner exploded while charging. The fire was avoided.

We do not name brands. In all cases, the accidents happened to models of different manufacturers. It’s not the vacuum cleaners themselves, but the Li-ion batteries installed in them. They explode, and not only in vacuum cleaners – robots, but also in laptops, smart phones, and even electric scooters and scooters.

We can’t live without appliances that have Li-ion batteries at this stage. But you should know that they are potentially dangerous. So we need to be careful and minimize the risk.

Rules for using Li-ion batteries

• Li-ion batteries do not like to heat. So do not put the same base of a robot vacuum cleaner next to heating devices and in places where the sun’s rays fall. Do not leave your laptop and smartphone under bright sunlight or on a hot day in a closed car.
• Do not allow the battery to be completely discharged.
• It is better to store it partially charged: 40-50%.
• Try not to drop the technique with a battery.
• If possible, do not leave equipment on the charger when you leave the house.
• Neither do these batteries like frost. Even less like to charge in the cold. This is exactly the situation in which the batteries exploded in electric scooters.
• If the battery is blown or somehow deformed, it is better not to use it and do not keep it at home.
• Do not use “left-handed” and unnamed chargers.

And if it’s about to explode

These batteries do not explode overnight. At first, when the temperature rises, there may be a strange odor, there will be smoke. If you notice this, you should immediately de-energize the device without touching it. If the socket is near the device, it is better not to approach, but to cut off the electricity in the whole apartment.

If the object is small: a smartphone, laptop, the same robot-vacuum cleaner, cover it with something that does not burn well and will not allow the debris to fly in an explosion. Some experts recommend throwing the smoking device into a bucket of water. But it’s not always at hand, and it’s hard to do without taking the technique in hand. Cover it with something and then run to the bathroom for water. Other experts say that sand is better for extinguishing, not water. But it is unlikely there is a sandbox at home.

And if it exploded

If there was a fire, then everything is clear – the fire department, the examination, the court. All this is sad and long.

What if it didn’t, and only the appliances burned down??

A family in the New York region was three times lucky:

1. The robot vacuum cleaner withstood the blow: it didn’t explode, it didn’t catch fire.
2. The warranty period is not over yet.
3. Both the manufacturing company and the store where you bought the device are reputable companies.

The store helped restore the receipt: we bought via the Internet, we quickly found the correspondence with the order number and the delivery, but the receipt was lost.

We took the vacuum cleaner to the official service center, they issued a conclusion about the unsuitability of the device for further use and repair. The store returned the money.

And the burnt-out robot vacuum cleaner went to the manufacturers. Hopefully they will analyze the breakdown and maybe change the battery supplier.

THIS IS IMPORTANT

• Keep your receipt for the entire warranty period.
• Buy your equipment from a reputable store.

If you want the company to pay compensation for the damage caused, not just return the money for the equipment, then prepare for court. At least call the precinct to document on the spot the fact of the fire. Take pictures of the room. Always take burned-out appliances to a service center and get an expert’s report. Collect all receipts for materials you will spend on renovating the room. And with all that to the courthouse.

Incidentally, when preparing this article we found a lot of material on battery explosions in the US a house burned down because of an exploded hydro scooter, the damage was a million dollars , but there were no mentions of the trials with the manufacturers in the RF.

And here’s the fact: a robot vacuum cleaner in the suburbs did not shatter when the battery exploded, did not catch fire. This could be due to a small battery explosion or it could be due to the high quality materials.

So one more piece of advice: buy appliances from proven brands that care about.

Hopefully, your robot vacuum cleaner and all the batteries in the house will never be a source of trouble.