Page 1 of 2

Does anyone know the "why" behind the WGI rule...

Posted: Sun Mar 26, 2017 11:05 am
by teacherken
WGI has a rule prohibiting car batteries, and it's been around for quite awhile. Does anyone know the origins and rationale? With today's sealed cases, spills and leaks are not an issue.

Ken

Re: Does anyone know the "why" behind the WGI rule...

Posted: Thu Mar 30, 2017 7:56 pm
by 8-ball
1 word. Freelancers.

I'm sure it still exists for safety and to avoid a hazard.

Re: Does anyone know the "why" behind the WGI rule...

Posted: Thu Mar 30, 2017 8:11 pm
by teacherken
[quote="8-ball"]1 word. Freelancers.

I'm sure it still exists for safety and to avoid a hazard.[/quote]

Could you elaborate... I'm not familiar with what happened, and with today's sealed batteries, I'm not sure what the hazard's are.

Ken

Re: Does anyone know the "why" behind the WGI rule...

Posted: Sun Apr 02, 2017 1:04 pm
by Hostrauser
I don't know the Freelancer story either.

I do know that all lead-acid batteries (even sealed ones) run the risk of explosion if they have not been properly handled. The lead plates and sulfuric acid mixture inside the battery produces hydrogen when charging or discharging, and if the hydrogen doesn't dissipate correctly (say, a ding on the outside case just happens to block the venting system) it can collect and then explode violently when hit with an ignition source (which can occur inside the battery).

The chances of this are pretty low, of course, but it CAN happen. While the design of car batteries has gotten very good, they are still filled with hazardous materials. Seems like just a "better safe than sorry" rule.

Re: Does anyone know the "why" behind the WGI rule...

Posted: Mon Apr 03, 2017 1:23 pm
by teacherken
[quote="Hostrauser"]...Seems like just a "better safe than sorry" rule.[/quote]

Thank you for the response. With cell phones bursting into flames, I'm not really sure that the other battery/power choices are that much better, but at least I understand the rationale.

Thanks again,
Ken

Re: Does anyone know the "why" behind the WGI rule...

Posted: Mon Apr 10, 2017 1:01 pm
by 8-ball
There was a year the indoor group had one car battery per instrument. So the risks went up with the quantity on the floor (with the size of their front ensemble).