Battery chargers - be careful

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Noel

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https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-55317414
I recall some years ago a member mentioning a charger igniting and destroying their home. Personally I've got into the habit (mostly) of not leaving batteries on charge overnight.

Interesting point ref eBay's responsibility in the matter.
 
This is a big issue, there are a lot of poor quality / cheap chargers on the market from all sorts of dubious sources and they suffer from poor design, missing safety features, incomplete charging algorithms and should be avoided at all cost. Buy from trusted sources and use known brands and when using a chargers don't leave the device on or near combustable items. Lithium batteries are very volatile if mistreated.
 
I don't doubt for a second that eBay will use the excuse of "we only bring potential buyers and sellers together".

I was looking the other night on YouTube about light fittings and there was a review of one that had the appearance of an earth wire but it wasn't attached to anything.
 
Don't all rechargeable batteries and chargers come with the warning. "Do not leave unattended when charging.?
 
This is a huge problem. Stuff coming from the far east and never having been tested to various EU directives and there is nothing being done about it. I have long been complaining to trading standards about on line companies basically selling dangerous rubbish and not being forced to take responsibility for what they sell. Even products which are CE marked can't be trusted, they may be fake, or what is common, they do some simple EMC testing, no safety testing and slap a CE sticker on it. Certification is self policed by reputable manufacturers, but there is no control over stuff coming direct from the far east. To their credit, some far east companies do meet standards, but it costs a huge amount to put something through full certification so that's one area where Far east companies can beat European manufacturers on price. It is illegal to sell product in the EU without proper certification,( there are get out clauses) but the big online sellers are just ignoring it because they are just 'agents'. To me it doesn't matter a hoot what the relationship is. If it's on their site, they should be held accountable and it should be their responsibility to verify certification and not just look for a CE sticker.
 
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-55317414
I recall some years ago a member mentioning a charger igniting and destroying their home. Personally I've got into the habit (mostly) of not leaving batteries on charge overnight.

Interesting point ref eBay's responsibility in the matter.

I just spotted this link at the bottom of the article. Its a petition by Electrical Safety First


This petition will help us to change the law so that online marketplaces will have to:

  • follow the same safety regulations as other UK retailers
  • make sure that electrical goods offered for sale on their sites by third party sellers are safe for use in the UK
  • ensure that any electrical products reported as unsafe must be removed from the site within 24 hours
You'll also be able to notify your local MP that you've signed at the click of a button!

a GREAT idea!!!
 

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