Technical Milwaukee charger warning

As has been pointed out any charger is a transformer and as such has the potential for thermal malfunction. No place for the output voltage to go. A buddy had the one on his furnace melt last winter. The best plan is to pull the plug or shut off the power strip. Not just chargers, but anything with a cord except the beer fridge, gets unplugged before I leave the shop. On a building site we would have chargers working most of the day, but they connected to ext. cords and laying on the ground where nothing could ignite.

 

We get it. You don't care about taking risks regardless how much evidence there is to the contrary. Seatbelts and unplugging things not in use aren't some crazy idea that you act like they are.

 

I'll assume you meant anecdotal. I can tell you that accounts of battery chargers causing significant house fires are not myth. It's likely not a huge percentage of them, but when they're in millions of homes, any amount of caution in their use can help a significant number of people.

My electrical fire investigator colleague is well versed in these types of fires, especially for power tools and boost packs. That's not mythical or for no reason. Residential fires occur in a small percentage of residences, so it's not surprising that power tool charger fires wouldn't occur to a significant number of chargers. However it's surprising from this thread how many people didn't realize the potential risks. Caution here doesn't cost money.

I hate to spoil it for you, but appliances with metal enclosures can still cause fires.

 

I still eat steaks & burgers & bacon as well . With all that anxiety , how do you manage to live ?

 

At work we would have a dozen or more chargers going when we left at night. This is so we all have good charged batteries in the morning. We warned management but felt it was safe.
As a former electrician I put a disconnect switchs on certain outlets banks such as charger’s and machinery in my shop . A simple toggle switch next to the light switch would be sufficient. The lights go off and so does any questionable items. I’m human and have wondered did I turn off that bench grinder, sander, plasma or welder a simple disconnect would do it all.

 

There was a shop fire at a local dealership overnight. It was caused by a power strip built into a toolbox that shorted out. Luckily the building was saved but there was a ton of damage.

You're right, a simple disconnect does a lot to decrease risk.

 

I've probably seen almost as many failures as your fire investigator friend during my career as an electrician. Not all of them develop into something that causes significant damage, some just leave a smoky mark and the fire department wasn't called. Two things bear mentioning...

One, be aware of your receptacles. There are four grades available, with durability being the difference. There's 'consumer' grade, typically found in the 'hardware' aisle in grocery stores and only rated for 15 amps. Avoid these. Then there's 'residential' grade, generally installed when a home is built, most are 15 amp. A small step up, but constant unplugging/plugging will wear these out and can be a cause of fires. Next up is 'commercial' grade, much more heavy-duty and designed for heavier use. Personally, I won't use anything lighter at home, and always replaced failed outlets with these. Available in both 15 and 20 amps. You can install a 20 amp outlet on a 15 amp circuit as long as it's protected with a 15 amp fuse or breaker. Last, there's 'Hospital' grade. Designed for heavy use, if you're plugging/unplugging devices a lot and want ultimate reliability. Each step will roughly double the price, with hospital grade costing $7-10 each. I also prefer nylon bodies over hard plastic, the nylon won't break like the plastic ones can. I don't like power strips, they're fine for small loads like computers but not so good for heavier loads. And I've seen more than a few that lack the UL listing, always imports. I'll note that these can put out a lot of smoke when they fail...

Two, circuit breakers. If you're using these as your daily disconnecting means, I would recommend getting 'switch rated' breakers. Standard breakers are not designed for switch use and can fail if used for that. These aren't available for all panels, keep that in mind. Better yet, get 'arc fault' breakers, they are designed for this very scenario and you won't need to turn them off. And if you have a Federal Pacific or worse yet, a Zinsco panel, give serious thought to replacing it. Both are long out of business because of fire issues, particularly the Zinsco.

 

Glad this was brought up, I hadn't thought anything of my tool batteries. I use my cordless stuff a lot and just bought another battery the other day.

 

I charge batteries outside my garage, also the car if it needs some help.

 

I have a cheap timer that I plug my charger in and set for an hour a day. works well for me,

 

I've thought about putting an easy-to-get-at master switch for the entire garage, when I dream of actually having a shop. Nothing I would have in there needs to have power when I'm not in there. My tiny 1 car garage is basically a storage unit for tools and parts, and I do all my work outside.