Warning: My old power bank started to swell up last week

I pulled it out of my work bag on Tuesday and the case was bulging. It was a cheap one I bought at a truck stop about two years ago. I took it straight outside and put it in a metal bucket, just in case. I looked it up and the battery cells can fail if you leave them charging for too long after they're full. Has anyone else had a battery swell like that, and what's the safest way to get rid of it?

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3 Comments

the_richard5mo ago

Tbh that metal bucket idea is smart, my old laptop battery did the same thing and just sat on my desk for weeks.

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victor_adams955mo ago

Yeah, that's a disaster waiting to happen. Those old batteries can swell up and catch fire out of nowhere. A metal bucket is a good start, but you really should take it to a proper e-waste drop off. Just letting it sit around is asking for trouble, especially on a wooden desk. It's not worth the risk.

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nathan_barnes2mo ago

...and then I forgot about it for like three months. Found it behind a bookshelf last spring, totally puffed up like a little metal pillow. Scared me half to death. @victor_adams95 is right though, that bucket trick kept me from just chucking it in the trash which I almost did twice. Ended up driving it to Best Buy finally but only after my wife threatened to throw it out the window.

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