“What I Learned Today,” With Jeff Smith: Charge It Carefully

We make it a habit of not charging any battery-powered tools unless someone is in the shop to monitor the chargers. This just prevents that once-in-a-million chance of a fire.

We make it a habit of not charging any battery-powered tools unless someone is in the shop to monitor the chargers. This just prevents that once-in-a-million chance of a fire.

Battery-powered hand tools have become very commonplace in everyone’s work shop. As these tools have gained more power and torque, the voltages have also increased. Many of these tools now use lithium-ion batteries to generate these higher voltages.. These batteries offer outstanding power for their weight but also require a specific, dedicated charging system. Because the batteries are more highly susceptible to damage during charging we now make a habit to never charge any battery unless someone is present to monitor the charging process.

This is just a safety factor that offers the user the ability to quickly react should one of these batteries catch on fire during charging. While the likelihood of a battery fire during charging is very low, this is just a smart way to ensure there isn’t a problem when there is no one around to quickly disconnect the charger from the wall socket and isolate the damage. You would hate to be the guy watching your shop burn just because you left a battery charger unattended. 

About the author

Jeff Smith

Jeff Smith, a 35-year veteran of automotive journalism, comes to Power Automedia after serving as the senior technical editor at Car Craft magazine. An Iowa native, Smith served a variety of roles at Car Craft before moving to the senior editor role at Hot Rod and Chevy High Performance, and ultimately returning to Car Craft. An accomplished engine builder and technical expert, he will focus on the tech-heavy content that is the foundation of EngineLabs.
Read My Articles

Hot Rods and Muscle Cars in your inbox.

Build your own custom newsletter with the content you love from Street Muscle, directly to your inbox, absolutely FREE!

Free WordPress Themes
Street Muscle NEWSLETTER - SIGN UP FREE!

We will safeguard your e-mail and only send content you request.

Street Muscle - The Ultimate Muscle Car Magazine

streetmusclemag

We'll send you the most interesting Street Muscle articles, news, car features, and videos every week.

Street Muscle - The Ultimate Muscle Car Magazine

Street Muscle NEWSLETTER - SIGN UP FREE!

We will safeguard your e-mail and only send content you request.

Street Muscle - The Ultimate Muscle Car Magazine

streetmusclemag

Thank you for your subscription.

Subscribe to more FREE Online Magazines!

We think you might like...


fordmuscle
Classic Ford Performance
dragzine
Drag Racing
chevyhardcore
Classic Chevy Magazine

Street Muscle - The Ultimate Muscle Car Magazine

Thank you for your subscription.

Subscribe to more FREE Online Magazines!

We think you might like...

  • fordmuscle Classic Ford Performance
  • dragzine Drag Racing
  • chevyhardcore Classic Chevy Magazine

Street Muscle - The Ultimate Muscle Car Magazine

streetmusclemag

Thank you for your subscription.

Thank you for your subscription.

Street Muscle - The Ultimate Muscle Car Magazine

Thank you for your subscription.

Thank you for your subscription.

Loading