Is my old laptop battery dangerous? It's from 2005.

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Loaf

108 posts

Master Geek

#318083 13-Dec-2024 16:59

I have an old laptop from 2005.

I don't use it. I keep it for nostalgia reasons whenever I want to play with Windows XP.

The computer itself is in a box in our attic, which has no temperature control. It gets warm and cold up there. The battery has been discharged for well over a decade now and the last time I used the laptop I made sure to remove it.

Is there any realistic risk of this battery posing a fire hazard? I'm conscious of the fact that sometimes batteries can inflate and leak gas or even burst into flames, but I've only heard about this from devices that are being used. I wonder if a 19 y.o. external battery in a laptop, discharged for many years, poses any risk?

1101

3122 posts

Uber Geek

#3322902 20-Dec-2024 21:26

Assuming the 2005 batt is actually lithium based (and not Nimh)

In general ....
Lithium batts are most dangerous when fully charged , because of the stored energy.
Discharged lipos dont have the energy to be as great a fire risk (after they cool down).

But ....
even a 'discharged' lithium batt could catch fire . Its not a zero risk , but far less likely.
'discharged' is never fully discharged, because that would ruin them & the batt management circuit wont let you 100% discharge them .

Nothing is a zero risk . Your phone could just as easily catch fire :-)
You car could catch fire (I had that happen) , you clothes dryer could catch fire (I know that happens, but its rare)

So , I wouldnt worry about it. Not much risk .

Loaf

108 posts

Master Geek

#3323330 22-Dec-2024 17:23

Thanks for the advice. I decided to get rid of the battery anyway, but I'll keep that in mind if I come across any other old gadgets in my attic.