Chemical Forums
Specialty Chemistry Forums => Citizen Chemist => Topic started by: csdav on June 22, 2016, 10:10:28 AM
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Hi all,
I am not sure this is the right forum to ask this, but I am sure I can get pertinent advice from most of you.
I accidentally dropped my mobile phone into a water puddle while walking under the rain. Its back cover came off and ejected the battery which lied for a few seconds in the water. Once I realized what had happened I picked up both phone and battery and dried them up. Then I checked the battery for overheating and physical damage but it looked in good condition (from the outside).
I know water and LiPo batteries do not get along well together, unless you want them to explode. But phone batteries seem to have a fairly strong protective plastic cover. So the question is whether I should dispose of it immediately or whether I can test if it still works. I can possibly test if there's any voltage at the terminals (it was charged when it fell), or put it into the phone and try to boot it up. But is this safe? And even if this is safe, would charging the battery be safe?
thanks a lot
bye
Dave
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Don`t worry the battery is capsled, so there is no danger. Put in your phone and check if it works, Then connect the charger.
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Don`t worry the battery is capsled, so there is no danger. Put in your phone and check if it works, Then connect the charger.
capsled?
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I mean sealed, capsuled or encapsulated.
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Neither would I worry about immediate damage after a few seconds in water.
But what may happen is that invisible dirt, especially salt, provides a discharge path at the surface of the battery, so you lose the charge faster.
The solution is to rinse energically the item with deionized water (available for batteries and irons), then with alcohol - absolute if you can, methylated spirit if not. That's standard treatment for electronic equipment.
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Neither would I worry about immediate damage after a few seconds in water.
But what may happen is that invisible dirt, especially salt, provides a discharge path at the surface of the battery, so you lose the charge faster.
The solution is to rinse energically the item with deionized water (available for batteries and irons), then with alcohol - absolute if you can, methylated spirit if not. That's standard treatment for electronic equipment.
Thanks,
I haven't had the time to test it yet, but I'll do it this weekend. Do you suggest I do this rinsing nonetheless, or only if it discharges superfast?
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Dirt on the battery may let corrode it faster, in combination with the discharge current. Or not, with a little bit of luck. Personally, I'd prefer to clean the battery, for instance by shaking it well with dionized water in a small plastic bottle, then with alcohol.