Leaking Electrolyte from Bigbattery Powerblock

[Bob B]

If it was cell leakage that caused this corrosion, then it seem the pack would have to have been upside down for the electrolyte to get up into the top like that ..... and you didn't include any pictures of the cells or the area around the cells themselves.

Something very corrosive got in there .... but almost seem like it could have come in thru the top from something outside the pack?

 

[solarbot]

Hmm, not sure where the pics went... Ill try again.

Wow, what a mess. I was wondering where the cell pics were, then realized you've got a "void the warranty" situation here. It's up to Bigbattery to do the forensics, which I sincerely hope they will, including posting photos. IMHO you are now a Bigbattery business partner... because you're on the beta test team. You deserve your free battery.

Did they use copper cables as handles, seriously?

 

[Gazoo]

With cells on their side during shipping or usage, any pressure cycles or temperature cycles could cause electrolyte to escape if level was above a hole.

It could but it should not happen. Thousands of cells purchased by DIY'ers shipped on boats in all kinds of weather and boxes and crates being abused and so on. With no reports of leaks until Will's video. I am thinking there was a defective run and QQ didn't catch it.

 

[SethRR]

Actually it was @Sillyputty who brought it to our attention. So credit goes to him too. But you are welcome... One thing for sure is this is something way more serious than Big Battery's claim of it just being residue. I see the red and white wires not attached and corrosion in that area. Based on everything you have said and the photos posted it does appear as though the cells leaked.

O right, sorry about that @Sillyputty! That's what pissed me off the most, is their response insinuating that I caused it. After I called them out on it, they backtracked and said that they "were in no way shape or form implying that" I was responsible. Well...your engineer said that he knew "for a fact" it was not like that when it shipped out (BS unless your engineer also does the packaging), and he also said that it isn't leaking and is some residue...its sealed in a box inside of a bigger box...sooo what other options are there??

 

[Hedges]

It could but it should not happen. Thousands of cells purchased by DIY'ers shipped on boats in all kinds of weather and boxes and crates being abused and so on. With no reports of leaks until Will's video. I am thinking there was a defective run and QQ didn't catch it.

At the manufacturer of the cells. QC would have to be a leak check. Standard part of hermetic IC packaging, because it affects reliability.
Very easy to believe Big Battery wouldn't notice this if they received the cells upright, assembled packs with cells on their side after reaching stabilized temperature. The leaking would only occur after subsequent cycles drove liquid out.

Are those thousands of cells upright? Or on their side?
So long as upright, this never happens.

 

[Gazoo]

At the manufacturer of the cells. QC would have to be a leak check. Standard part of hermetic IC packaging, because it affects reliability.
Very easy to believe Big Battery wouldn't notice this if they received the cells upright, assembled packs with cells on their side after reaching stabilized temperature. The leaking would only occur after subsequent cycles drove liquid out.

Are those thousands of cells upright? Or on their side?
So long as upright, this never happens.

Do you think the thousands of cells shipped are kept in an upright position?

 

[SethRR]

Wow, what a mess. I was wondering where the cell pics were, then realized you've got a "void the warranty" situation here. It's up to Bigbattery to do the forensics, which I sincerely hope they will, including posting photos. IMHO you are now a Bigbattery business partner... because you're on the beta test team. You deserve your free battery.

Did they use copper cables as handles, seriously?

YES, EXACTLY @solarbot!! BB has made it blatantly clear that I am not as important as Will. Therefore, I did not dare take it apart to investigate.

 

[Gazoo]

O right, sorry about that @Sillyputty! That's what pissed me off the most, is their response insinuating that I caused it. After I called them out on it, they backtracked and said that they "were in no way shape or form implying that" I was responsible. Well...your engineer said that he knew "for a fact" it was not like that when it shipped out (BS unless your engineer also does the packaging), and he also said that it isn't leaking and is some residue...its sealed in a box inside of a bigger box...sooo what other options are there??

It's possible they didn't notice any leakage when they shipped them out and the pack was upside down in a truck somewhere. But they are still responsible for this mess and they need to look at solutions to prevent it from happening again. I don't believe you did anything to cause this.

 

[solarbot]

I did not dare take it apart to investigate.

How about a photo of the box? I'm interested in whether it says "this side up" anywhere on it.

 

[MrGreen]

Do we have any way of confirming that mr green is who he says he is?

Hello DerpsyDoodler:
Yes, you can confirm that I am the CEO by asking Will Prowse.
We care and review comments to see if there is anything that we can do better.
Thank you,
Eric Lundgren : CEO

 

[MrGreen]

nder if Seth's unit has the added pads installed.

Hello Bud Martin:

Yes, Seth's pack had the padding installed. No, The pack was not leaking. There was a white-grease stain on the top of the unit but no functional issues were identified. We have already sent Seth a new pack and it's on the way. We honor our return policy and are happy to replace any battery for any reason, even cosmetic issues.

Thank you,

Eric Lundgren : CEO
BigBattery, Inc.

 

[solarbot]

There was a white-grease stain on the top of the unit but no functional issues were identified.

I seem to recall a voltage reading of 7 volts?

 

[Hedges]

Hello Bud Martin:

Yes, Seth's pack had the padding installed. No, The pack was not leaking. There was a white-grease stain on the top of the unit but no functional issues were identified. We have already sent Seth a new pack and it's on the way. We honor our return policy and are happy to replace any battery for any reason, even cosmetic issues.

Thank you,

Eric Lundgren : CEO
BigBattery, Inc.

More that just cosmetic, with crud all over including on electrical connections inside.
Were you able to conclude that this contamination came from outside the box during shipping, not from inside the product?

 

[Bob B]

Sorry, but you aren't increasing your trustworthiness by saying that there was no function problem with that pack.

 

[solarbot]

More that just cosmetic, with crud all over including on electrical connections inside.

View attachment 39733

Looks like heavy corrosion on that header.

 

[DerpsyDoodler]

Do you think the thousands of cells shipped are kept in an upright position?

Fair question. The boxes I received had up arrows, and with those pointing up, the cells were shipped lying on their side (same as bb orientation). Needless to say, when I unboxed, I wore nitril gloves just to be on the safe side. I found no evidence of leaks or smell. With that said, those cells will still never intentionally lay on their side again. not sure a mfg can be responsible for the way various distributors choose to ship their product. They can try to enforce a contract, I suppose. I don’t know how well or if that would work in China.

 

[Hedges]

 

[Gazoo]

Fair question. The boxes I received had up arrows, and with those pointing up, the cells were shipped lying on their side (same as bb orientation). Needless to say, when I unboxed, I wore nitril gloves just to be on the safe side. I found no evidence of leaks or smell. With that said, those cells will still never intentionally lay on their side again. not sure a mfg can be responsible for the way various distributors choose to ship their product. They can try to enforce a contract, I suppose. I don’t know how well or if that would work in China.

My boxes don't have any arrows on them.

 

[Gazoo]

Hello Bud Martin:

Yes, Seth's pack had the padding installed. No, The pack was not leaking. There was a white-grease stain on the top of the unit but no functional issues were identified. We have already sent Seth a new pack and it's on the way. We honor our return policy and are happy to replace any battery for any reason, even cosmetic issues.

Thank you,

Eric Lundgren : CEO
BigBattery, Inc.

Seriously?

What about the strong smell Seth experienced?
What about the red and white wires coming off apparently due to the corrosion in that area?
What about the power button not functioning?
What about the 7 volt reading on the display?
Is this what you call a functional battery?
How do you know a cell or cells didn't leak?
Have you received Seth's battery back and inspected it?

It's clear from the photos something isn't right and there is more to this than just a white grease stain. How do you explain the corrosion shown in the photo posted by Seth? Let's start with that and the disconnected red and white wires.

 

[SethRR]

Hello Bud Martin:

Yes, Seth's pack had the padding installed. No, The pack was not leaking. There was a white-grease stain on the top of the unit but no functional issues were identified. We have already sent Seth a new pack and it's on the way. We honor our return policy and are happy to replace any battery for any reason, even cosmetic issues.

Thank you,

Eric Lundgren : CEO
BigBattery, Inc.

This is a COMPLETE lie! I told all about the smell, non functional switch, volt meter not shutting off, low voltage, and damage from the leak. Also news to me about my replacement being sent. I asked yesterday and today if it has been sent and have yet to get a response.