Not only are electrolytes not highly flammable, they are not flammable at all.

Battery acid is mostly water.

The hydrogen gas given off while charging is flammable, but that's not going to cause a fire. If you manage to get a spark to it, you'll get an interesting explosion, but not a fire.

 

You are right, under normal conditions it is not, and the fluid will not burn in it's normal liquid state. Interaction with lead as an active metal is what produces the small amount of flammable hydrogen gas while it is charging. But now dump even just a normal battery solution of 35% sulfuric acid and water on a red hot exhaust manifold made of Iron which is even more active. An instantly vaporized mass amount of hydrogen gas is produced just waiting for an ignition source like an arc or a shorted battery cable insulation fire.

Now you have a small bomb in the engine compartment to ignite secondary combustibles like plastic fuel lines and then fuel. Like I said I have drug a countless number of burned vehicles onto a flatbed because the battery was not tied down. Either from a hot exhaust vaporization explosion like above, or from burning plastic insulation from a shorted cable, or because the battery bounced around in the compartment breaking a fuel line spraying fuel all over the exhaust and then igniting from an arc.

Hey! good to chat with you again Mark!

http://www.chemicalformula.org/reactions/acid-metal

 

You aren't going to get enough hydrogen from a battery acid spill to do much of anything. And that "anything" will be an explosion, not a fire. Unless there is spilled fuel it's going to be a quick boom and done. In an extreme case you might blow the hood off, but again, it's going to be boom and done unless there is fuel exposed.

Electrical shorts routinely cause vehicle fires, or fuel sprayed on hot metal, not battery acid spills. It may be possible, but it's a rare event. Chemical fires are less than 1%, according to the U.S. Fire Administration.

 

you can buy universal hold downs or make your own, pretty simple stuff. much like seat belts, they're only necessary when needed...

 

Bet you really missed me Mark. Who did you have to argue with this past year while I was gone?

There were roughly 50,000 auto accidents in 2015, (this as far back as I can find stats on). 1% is 500 per year. Now times that by 45 years of recoveries and you have 22,500 chemical fires. I have been witness to probably at least .002% of those in my work over the last 45 years. that would be 45, one a year average. Yep...been there my friend.

First one was when I was 10. My dad and I beat the CHP officer and the emergency crews to a station wagon full of kids and the parents. We tried to get close enough to get them out. There was no way and we had to listen to them scream for help until they were not screaming anymore and then all we could hear was the flames as the car finished burning until there was nothing left to burn. It was ruled as the battery not tied down that caused the fire. August 4th 1971, two parents and 4 kids... Dad and I had to load it up and take it to the coroner's office so that he could pick through the ashes for remains.

I don't know how good your luck is, but mine is not quite secure enough to take this particular chance. TIE IT DOWN...

Mark? why would you even be arguing against this very important fact? Whether I am right or wrong about the "details" in this thread the simple fact remains... Tie it down or you might not even live to regret not doing it.

We can argue "science" in a much less important thread someday my friend...

 

Sad story to be sure.

A battery not tied down in a report is such a generic term.
Exactly how did a 'not tied down battery' cause a terrible fire and from all indications given a gasoline fire?
The devil is in the details which are not furnished.

Sure the battery could of been the root cause but a battery alone IMO cannot by itself fuel the kind fire you described.
My guess and only a guess is both battery poles shorted against the hood or something causing enough internal battery heat to ultimately explode the battery.
The collateral damage of the explosion pieces could of ruptured a fuel line causing the ensuing fire.

At any rate let this be a lesson, tying down the battery is very important.

 

It was determined that because the battery was not tied down it landed on the exhaust manifold and melted through the plastic case. It then arced through the plates on the manifold and lit up the gases that had been created by the electrolyte vaporizing on the hot iron/iron oxide manifold.

The vehicle was upside down so the engine compartment was already full of fuel from that old fuel atomization device called a "carburetor" when it lit up. They rolled at about 75 MPH to when it came to a rest upside down the doors were all jammed shut. When Dad and I showed up the car was engulfed and as much as we wanted too there was no way to get to them.

My Dad, myself and my Uncle Chuck who was the CHP to investigate the accident just talked about his particular accident 5 days ago. He came out to visit and we were reminiscing about what we had all been through over the years. This particular family were locals and loved by everyone.

The Father was drinking and would not let his wife drive out of self pride and ignorance. In reality Alcohol actually caused it... Not the battery.... The battery was a the secondary cause and effect...

 

The really strange thing was the engine kept running and pumping more fuel to the Carb. Maybe because of the angle it was sitting in the ditch *** in the air and a full tank? The engine ran longer than they did...

 

You know, I ran my jeep without a battery strap for over a year. After these stories, thabk gosh I finally stopped being lazy and made a mount haha

 

It would take one hell of a crash down a mountain of quartz or flint to lite one up that did not have a battery....

 

what happens when both posts on the battery make contact with a common ground (in this case the hood, mangled metal, etc)? does it stand to reason that scenario could start a fire? now consider its boxed in a compartment with several flammable fluids, gasses and materials.

 

Because it's NOT a fact that spilling battery acid causes fires. It would be an extremely rare event, if it's ever happened. That .04% chemical fire is NOT .04% battery acid fires, it's ALL chemical fires.

It IS a fact that a battery hold down is an important safety device because it prevents contact between the terminals and the hood, which can cause arcing, which can cause a fire if spilled fuel is present. It also reduces the possibly of breaking the battery resulting in leaking acid, which is a contact hazard, not a fire hazard.

If that's what you meant to say, you should have said that instead of making up some imaginary boogie man to make yourself look important.

Your battery acid hydrogen fire is only slightly more real-world than your flammable electrolyte.

Go take a basic junior high level chemistry course.

 

Apparently you have never worked in the towing and recovery business and have absolutely no clue of the strange realities that can and do happen.

"you should have said that instead of making up some imaginary boogie man to make yourself look important."

I honestly don't care what you or anyone else thinks of me Mark. But if you are implying that my first experience with a vehicle fire riding with Dad in the tow truck at ten years old is a lie then we have problems my friend.

It was the first of many over my lifetime and one that a ten year old will never forget. Of all the reoccurring dreams over the years this one I just cannot shake. It will bother me for the rest of my life and this one is why I dropped in to share how important this particular question truly is.

Now you are just looking for a reason to pick a fight with me Mark. What do you want? Want me to go away? What are your intentions and agenda here? If so this reflects very heavily on the integrity of this whole forum and everyone in it. If so, you are a very poor representative for the integrity of this forum in whole.

Why would anyone want to come and participate if they are going to get attacked because they didn't cross their T's and dot their I's to your personal satisfaction? You really are setting a bad example here with this feud you insist on maintaining with me.

Good for you, I get it, you have decided I am not welcome here and have made me your personal pet project. Fine... I really wanted to come and have a friendly visit with some of the other members I miss here, but know what?

If you Mark are an example of the common "you are welcome" consensus here at "cherokeeforums,com" and it's owners I want no part of it, you can have your little head trip of alpha male domination and I am gone...

It is a dying site anyways, It isn't even 1/10th as busy as it was a year ago and I'm sure you can be proud to have personally helped with this great success. Keep it up and no one will have it... But who cares... all that matters is that you won right?

 

I'm sorry man but you need some thicker internet skin haha. Your feelings get hurt easily. Don't take everything to heart, relax haha.

 

I'm not hurt at all, I can take it or leave it. Problem is he is not joking and is very serious about his agenda here. This has been an on going hang up from this gentleman since I first joined a couple years ago. It's silly, It's childish, and I am not going to stop being myself just because Mark has a depression problem and wants to take me down with him.

I dropped in to make a very important statement based on real world experience because of the seriousness of this question. What do you guys do here? Do you represent common sense practical knowledge and safety? Or is it just a gentleman's club and private party?

What is the goal with this site? To help the general public with proposed questions? Or just ridicule them because of their ignorance and lack of mechanical knowledge? I have been coming and reading since before I joined and the place is no longer "Friendly" like it used to be.

And this representation from someone who reminds me of a retired depressed 4th grade school teacher are not helping any. The "Sit down and be quiet" crap ain't flying with me, If it is like a bike club and I have to lick boots to participate then I want no part of it. I'm better than that and not going to grovel to no man.

I'm just trying to participate in friendship and common courtesy, But if this is now not an aspect here at this site then all I can say is good luck...