J. Walker writes:
> 
> batteries WILL definitely explode, under the right conditions. i know of
> two folks who barely escaped loosing their eyesight when this happened.
> luckily, the worst damage was acid burns on their clothing and on the car
> paint.
> 
> as i understand it, the most hydrogen gas is generated after you really
> crank on it a while ... so BEFORE you attach the jumper cables, wait a
> while and let the gas bleed off.  other folks i know always put a rag over
> the top of the battery ... i've never quite understood the reasoning behind
> this, but they always do it 'to prevent explosions'.  (all the hydrogen gas
> that i ever knew would go right through a rag).
> 
> it is a tribute to the makers of the batteries in general that MORE of them
> don't explode ... considering how batteries are treated by the 'mechanics'
> and grease-monkies at auto-service businesses. and owner-drivers. :)
> 
> joel
> 
You are right about that Joel, but in the case of my
exploding/melting/burning CANADIAN TIRE  battery, it simply was not
charging properly. It may have been a faulty regulator. The regulator may
have caused the battery to be overcharged at highway speeds----- DC If
batterires are prone to explosion and gas leakage how did VW get away with
putting them in the bug? DC

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David Carment
School of International Affairs
Carleton University
Ottawa, Ontario
K1S 5B6
voice - (613) 788-2600-6662
fax - (613) 788-2889
Email address: dcarment@ccs.carleton.ca
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