Exploding flashlight

[Monkey Knife-fight]

So i have a 6C flashlight i attach to my camera as a focus light. This morning i load it with the usual NIMH rechargeables that have worked fine in the past and roll out to dive. On the way in the car i hear this BAM! that sounds like something hit the top of my car. I have no idea what it is until i get to the dive site and pull out my camera and find a hole blasted out of the end of it. It still turns on and everything (but i doubt it is sea worthy ) but one of the batteries clearly comitted suicide. There is battery acid and other chaff all over it. So...anyone know why this might happen? I don't fancy having a light like this attached to my BC right next to my body and blasting me along with it. I figure the self-destructing battery built up pressure inside the light and maybe even melted a bit of the case until it was weak enough to go BAM? Here are the pictures...any other suggestions on why this would have happened are more than welcome. (Salt + NIMH?)

 

[Mark Vlahos]

From your pictures it looks like an SL6 light. I have an SL6 light that "exploded" when I was opening it to replace the batteries before a trip. In my case the explosion was rather mild and I was not injured nor was there any long term damage to anything, including the light. What seems to have caused mine was one defective battery (normal alkaline batteries). When I got all the batteries out one of them was clearly deformed, and the others looked fine. There was absolutely no evidence of any water intrusion into the light, and if there had been it could only have been fresh water. I put in the new batteries and the light has worked fine ever since.

I saw an SL4 explode on a dive boat, but this was clearly caused by a leak as the owner of the light said it had flooded at depth only about 45 minutes before it exploded. Her light was a total loss as the lens and lamp module blew out and the threads were destroyed.

These things happen from time to time. Fortunately for you and me nobody was injured and the property damage was kept to a minimum.

If your light is indeed an Underwater Kinetics SL6, try calling them or sending them a letter as I think the lights have a lifetime guarantee. You might get a replacement.

Mark Vlahos

 

[crpntr133]

I haven't seen one explode but I have seen the lens get blown out of the guys hand as he was unscrewing it. The batteries off gas a small amount, I don't remember why, and with a air and water tight housing it can build up over time and go BOOM.

Speaking of this I have been meaning to go check mine and see what it is up to, thanks for the reminder.

 

[Damselfish]

I haven't seen one explode but I have seen the lens get blown out of the guys hand as he was unscrewing it. The batteries off gas a small amount, I don't remember why, and with a air and water tight housing it can build up over time and go BOOM.

Speaking of this I have been meaning to go check mine and see what it is up to, thanks for the reminder.

I had this happen to an SL4, was unscrewing the lens when it blew off. (Now I always take the batteries out when the lights will be sitting around.)

 

[Monkey Knife-fight]

I had this happen to an SL4, was unscrewing the lens when it blew off. (Now I always take the batteries out when the lights will be sitting around.)

I also keep the batteries out when it's sitting around. Seems like it was like Mark said a defective battery because one seemed to leak battery acid. They were only in the camera maybe 1/2 hour when it blew.

 

[Damselfish]

I know it's different, just another example of something happening. (Even an almost boom was more excitement than I needed in my dining room :11: )

 

[ScubaSarus]

Are NIMH batteries prone to exploding or outgassin when moist or slightly wet ?

 

[micbu]

Hi,

this can happen to any rechargeable battery. That is the reason why you should never recharge a diving light in closed condition (as it has to be done with the Kowalski diving lights).
The cause can be wrong settings of your charger, a broken charger, a broken battery or maybe you have charged the batteries (NiMh) with a NiCd charger.


Greetings, Michael