Does Electric bicycle batteries give off harmful fumes when charging.?

Question

the only place for me to recharge the battery is in my kitchen because I live in an apartment with no garage. Is it safe to do this ?

Answer 1

You  did not tell us what chemistry batteries you have.  There are quite a few; Lead, NI cad, NIMH, Lith, etc.

I will presume you are talking Lead, and Sealed Lead Acid (SLA).

You are probably OK if your batteries are Sealed Lead Acid.  But type your battery and model number into google and see what comes up.

I am  a little concerned that you charger does not have an indicator light saying when charging is finished.  ALMOST ALL of the chargers have this.

Please go to the link below and tell them your ebike type, battery and charger.  You can get some real quality info there.

Answer 2

There is no such thing as a "sealed" battery. If you are using lead-acids, they are going to produce small amounts of gas while they are charging.

If you charge them at a regular rate, keep the charger far enough from the batteries [Electrical + gas = pyro-phail], and maybe crack a window, there will be no threat to you.

Answer 3

I believe most batteries with liquid in them give off Hydrogen gas when charging. I was taught to always keep sparks or any flame away from batteries. I am sure it is a small amount, but if ignited, it will blow up the battery which has acid in it.

Answer 4

In general, no it will not give off fumes (not unless you overcharge it).  Your battery is sealed and will only vent if there is something seriously wrong.

Go ahead and charge it in your kitchen.

Edit:  Your charger should limit the voltage so that the battery is not overcharged.  Don't worry about it.  Lead-acid batteries make hydrogen and oxygen when charged, but sealed batteries recombine this into water under normal conditions.