To prevent a fire in the home, would it be safer to charge my ebike battery dangling outside in a waterproof box on the end a rope out of a window?

[guerney]

To prevent a fire in the home, would it be safer to charge my ebike battery dangling outside in a waterproof box on the end a rope out of a window? Simply cut rope in the event of fire? I'd avoid doing this on windy days.

 

[AGS]

Have a dig around in your back garden. With luck you will find an abandoned WW2 Anderson shelter, so you can charge your battery up in there.

 

[StuartsProjects]

If you use a nylon rope of the right size, the fire will quickly cut the rope for you.

Better than Nylon would be Spectra\Dyneema (e.g. used for kite strings) it has a lower melting point, 147C versus 220C.

 

[guerney]

Have a dig around in your back garden. With luck you will find an abandoned WW2 Anderson shelter, so you can charge your battery up in there.

How deep do those get buried? I saw a metal detector in a Tesco car park car boot sale recently...

 

[guerney]

If you use a nylon rope of the right size, the fire will quickly cut the rope for you.

Better than Nylon would be Spectra\Dyneema (e.g. used for kite strings) it has a lower melting point, 147C versus 220C.

Good idea! I'd have to leave enough power cable slack in the box for it to reach the ground, could use thin flame retardant power cable. To prevent fire running up the cable into my home, a smoke detector could activate two robotic arms: one to open the window wide, and the other to unplug the plug and fling it outside. I expect there are better solutions.

 

[guerney]

If you use a nylon rope of the right size, the fire will quickly cut the rope for you.

Better than Nylon would be Spectra\Dyneema (e.g. used for kite strings) it has a lower melting point, 147C versus 220C.

That's got me thinking that I should bolt a nylon or Spectra\Dyneema shelf outside my window instead, to safely melt and fall away when the battery caught fire - with a lipped nylon shelf, windy days wouldn't be as problematic. Drainage holes for rain of course. When not charging, the shelf could hold a bird feeder or bath.

For now I'm seriously considering charging my ebike in the loft on a paving slab, because all is lost anyway if it ever does explode into flames - a fire the loft wouldn't block any normal exit routes, or access to rooms to collect important belongings, would contain poisonous smoke a bit, and a fire up there maximises escape time. With smoke and temperature alarms of course, and possibly a metal hatch door...

 

[Nealh]

In the advent of the battery catching fire whilst being dangled , you have forgotten the water filled butt for it to fall into.

 

[guerney]

In the advent of the battery catching fire whilst being dangled , you have forgotten the water filled butt for it to fall into.

That's great! Would quicksand be better, to contain cell explosions? This all actually sounds practical to me, or merely doable I need to fetch the ladder, and buy a cast iron plant basket holder to bolt near the window. But I might have to make one using steel, because the holder needs to be long enough for the flaming battery to not set fire to the roof, or melt window UPVC. I've got nylon cord kicking around somewhere, several water butts, a plastic handled metal filing box and a rain cover. The charging battery is less likely to be stolen when suspended above the second floor. The charger's flaming barrel connector will probably simply be pulled out, as the battery falls.

 

[AndyBike]

Or on a large catapult, pointing out the window towards the neighbours you don't like's decking.

 

[guerney]

I did think about cutting a big cat flap into my front door, tensioning steel cable using two hallway walls, cable tensioned like a crossbow by plastic rope, battery in a small trolley on rails: fire melts rope and flaming battery is propelled out through the catflap. Aiming would be more accurate, if it was propelled through a wide and long cast iron pipe, with slitts cut into the sides for the cables to run through. Or a cat flap could be installed into a double glazed window panel for the same - in that case the anchoring points for the cable would be on the business end of the pipe. Could be mistaken for munitions. Worryingly, this also seems like a practical idea to me.

Or I could keep things extremely simple: set the battery to charge, push the battery to a closed end of stove pipe. Hoist the pipe horizontal using steel cables bolted into ceiling beams through pulleys, with the open end of the stove pipe up against the window pane. When the fire alarm goes off, I'd open the window and increase the angle of the pipe to 45 degrees to dump the flaming battery safely outside into a water/quicksand filled butt. Simples.

Pardon our interruption...

A 1m length of stove pipe would do.

 

[artspeck]

I did think about cutting a big cat flap into my front door, tensioning steel cable using two hallway walls, cable tensioned like a crossbow by plastic rope, battery in a small trolley on rails: fire melts rope and flaming battery is propelled out through the catflap. Aiming would be more accurate, if it was propelled through a wide and long cast iron pipe, with slitts cut into the sides for the cables to run through. Or a cat flap could be installed into a double glazed window panel for the same - in that case the anchoring points for the cable would be on the business end of the pipe. Could be mistaken for munitions. Worryingly, this also seems like a practical idea to me.

Or I could keep things extremely simple: set the battery to charge, push the battery to a closed end of stove pipe. Hoist the pipe horizontal using steel cables bolted into ceiling beams through pulleys, with the open end of the stove pipe up against the window pane. When the fire alarm goes off, I'd open the window and increase the angle of the pipe to 45 degrees to dump the flaming battery safely outside into a water/quicksand filled butt. Simples.

Pardon our interruption...

A 1m length of stove pipe would do.

May I respectfully suggest you request your medication be urgently reviewed.

 

[guerney]

May I respectfully suggest you request your medication be urgently reviewed.

You never know what great suggestions people on this forum can come up with, when spitballing on a thread. For example, the long thread linked below resulted in this (see video) - I haven't had a close pass from a car/van/bus/lorry/motorbike/other since:

Hoping to increase driver passing distance at night, I've glued front and rear reflectors to my wing mirrors.

I can't recall who on this forum mentioned that lights which highlight the width of the handlebars at night, might influence drivers to not cut in ahead so close after overtaking... but I think whoever said that might be right, so I've stuck dual sided white and red reflectors to my wing...

www.pedelecs.co.uk

 

[soundwave]

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half fill each draw with sand or enough so the batt will also fit and put a small hole in the back for the power cable.

or just use it as a chest of draws as cheap mass storage got mine for 20 quid from 3 mins up the road.

fkn mission getting up the stairs tho

 

[artspeck]

You never know what great suggestions people on this forum can come up with, when spitballing on a thread. For example, the long thread linked below resulted in this (see video) - I haven't had a close pass from a car/van/bus/lorry/motorbike/other since:

Hoping to increase driver passing distance at night, I've glued front and rear reflectors to my wing mirrors.

I can't recall who on this forum mentioned that lights which highlight the width of the handlebars at night, might influence drivers to not cut in ahead so close after overtaking... but I think whoever said that might be right, so I've stuck dual sided white and red reflectors to my wing...

www.pedelecs.co.uk

Yes, interesting, but take a few more tablets now and see your psychiatrist tomorrow.

 

[guerney]

View attachment 51566

Metal Filling Cabinet: 2 drawer: in good condition | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Metal Filling Cabinet: 2 drawer: in good condition at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products.

www.ebay.co.uk

half fill each draw with sand or enough so the batt will also fit and put a small hole in the back for the power cable.

or just use it as a chest of draws as cheap mass storage got mine for 20 quid from 3 mins up the road.

fkn mission getting up the stairs tho

Hey I've got one of those! Maybe I could do the same, but balance it on the windowsill, to kick out at the first sign of fire?

 

[guerney]

Yes, interesting, but take a few more tablets now and see your psychiatrist tomorrow.

https://wiki.lspace.org/Dried_frog_pills

 

[guerney]

In the advent of the battery catching fire whilst being dangled , you have forgotten the water filled butt for it to fall into.

I could disguise the battery as a large sleeping bat? Saves the neighbours asking questions. Could look good on my bike's rear rack with wings. Aero.

 

[AndyBike]

I did think about cutting a big cat flap into my front door, tensioning steel cable using two hallway walls, cable tensioned like a crossbow by plastic rope, battery in a small trolley on rails: fire melts rope and flaming battery is propelled out through the catflap. Aiming would be more accurate, if it was propelled through a wide and long cast iron pipe, with slitts cut into the sides for the cables to run through. Or a cat flap could be installed into a double glazed window panel for the same - in that case the anchoring points for the cable would be on the business end of the pipe. Could be mistaken for munitions. Worryingly, this also seems like a practical idea to me.

A simpler solution would be a clay pigeon launcher. It will throw it in a high arc.
It would look spectacular at night.

 

[guerney]

A simpler solution would be a clay pigeon launcher. It will throw it in a high arc.
It would look spectacular at night.

That's a brilliant idea! I wonder what the maximum load weight limit is?

 

[flash]

You are going the wrong way. Raise your battery above your house with an helium balloon. Using a thermally controlled switch to release the tether and charge cable, should your battery ignite. Thus it can float away to bother someone else. Also with enough altitude the battery will be kept much cooler, preventing the chances of ignition.