I dug out an old iPod yesterday that has not been used for many years, ten perhaps. It looks pristine. I stuck it on an Apple charger and soon the display lit up and I left it to charge up. Returning a few hours later I found the screen had popped almost right off.
I had heard of the fire risk of lithium batteries generally but, until I Googled it yesterday, had not heard of batteries swelling. It is however a thing and, reputedly, potentially dangerous as the battery might split. It may be a fire risk too I guess.
For now it’s under a metal tray at the bottom of the garden while I let it run down any charge. I will see if my local dump will take it next week for safe disposal.
Meantime should I be concerned at batteries in a couple of long-unused iPhones that sit in the drawer or it it only when you come to charge them that it can be an issue? And is it really as dangerous as some online advice suggests.
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If they are of no value and you want rid of them, there's loads of companies that will take them off your hands.
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Generally speaking, a Li-on battery thats been uncharged for a while is toast. Re-charge it wont, and swell it might. However, only charged batteries are a fire risk, and a swollen battery isn't charged. Damaged, charged ones are the fire risk.
And sooty is right, older i-things have a value to someone.
Last edited by: Zero on Sat 21 May 22 at 07:33
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Thanks for the quick responses. I am reassured that the old ones are not a risk if left uncharged. Looking online the iPod nano is worth less than a tenner for parts and the old iPhones are well obsolete too and worth similar low amounts. I will recycle though as the right thing to do.
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I had a similar swollen battery, and the foil casing was starting to crack. I read all the online horror stories, put it gingerly in a biscuit tin, took it to the tip in trepidation, explained in a shaky voice what it was to a man in high vis and he said "whatever, mate. Chuck it in the skip with everything else."
So I did. I believe the tip is still there.
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Yes I am sure the tip will just shrug if I mention it. I guess most people just slip their small items of nasty waste into their normal bin.
I jokingly suggested a few years ago that in future mining rights for rubbish tips might be quite lucrative, given the dumping of rare metals. Then a week or two back I read a serious article suggesting it might be a possibility.
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>> I jokingly suggested a few years ago that in future mining rights for rubbish tips
>> might be quite lucrative, given the dumping of rare metals. Then a week or two
>> back I read a serious article suggesting it might be a possibility.
>>
There's a post-apocalypse novel by Ursula le Guin which features a roaming band of survivors who are doing exactly that. I'd like to read it again, so I'll be very grateful to anyone who knows the title.
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Not in finding the book, Smokie, but there's one there which l like the sound of. The problem is that she's such a prolific author and my recollection of the book is only what I've described above. Thanks for trying anyway.
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Apple Lithium battery - swelling - sooty123
