Sometime early on Saturday, one of our smoke detectors started to ting. Not to clang, which would mean we needed to get out fast, but to ting. To me, a ting means that the battery must be replaced. Then it stopped tinging.
Later that evening, the tinging started again, so I did what anyone would have done. I grabbed a chair, climbed it, unscrewed the smoke detector, moved it to the kitchen, turned it over, and carefully removed the battery. To remind me that I needed to get a new 9-volt battery, I put the old battery in my pants pocket.
Sunday morning, at about 8 a.m., I put on a different pair of pants and transferred everything that had been in my Saturday pockets (including the battery) into my Sunday trousers. I left the house, and spent the morning doing a number of things about town, picked up my wife at 1 p.m. (she had been at a conference), went out to a leisurely lunch/brunch, went to three shoe stores, and drove home. It was now about 3 or so, and we immediately parked my car and sat down in my wife's car, a step preparatory to going to a local car wash, for our Volvo's 2006 treat.
We sat in line at the car wash only a short time, getting out at the vacuuming stand. We received a piece of paper showing that we were getting a Super wash, rather than either a Regular wash, or an Absolutely the Most Super wash, and (as my wife went outside to stand in the breeze and read a book), I got in the cashier's line.
I waited for the two people in front of me to pay for their washes, and reached the cashier, who told me the price. I thought about charging it, but changed my mind. I took out my wallet and a $20 bill. I needed 45 cents, which was in my left front pants pocket. I reached in the pocket, which contained my car keys, change and the 9-volt battery. I touched the battery and almost yelled in pain and surprise.
The battery was unbelievably hot, like it had just been taken from a fire. I couldn't hold it. I had to wrap it in paper.
The question is: what caused it?
A chemical reaction that I should have known about? A first time occurrence? A supernatural visitation?
Anyone know?
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2 comments:
Did you have a quarter or a key in your pocket which was perhaps touching both terminals of the battery? If so, the battery was connected and operating and heating up whatever metal was in your pocket. And if your pocket change was touching the battery, it would then also heat up the battery.
joanne is so smart
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