Nancy and I were watching some mindless movie on Netflix last week and I happened to be holding the remote in my hand when a loud “pop” startled us. It was like somebody set off a firecracker. Nancy thought I had clapped my hands, and I thought maybe it was from the TV. Then I felt the remote. It was as hot as fire. Something in the remote had somehow exploded and made that loud pop. We took the remote outside and put it on the porch in case it popped again and started a fire.
I was totally baffled and did a little research on the Internet. I found out that the remotes themselves don’t explode, but that the alkaline batteries inside them can rupture, pop, or leak gas and acid with a loud sound due to internal short-circuiting or off-gassing. Some of the causes include mixing old and new batteries or even different brands. This can cause one battery to reverse its charge and rapidly overheat, which results in the loud pop. The article also warned that if a remote falls between couch cushions and the button is held down continuously, the circuit stays alive which also overheats the batteries. A faulty or shorted battery can build up hydrogen gas inside its sealed metal casing until the end cap blows off with a loud “pop” or crackling sound.
Some safety tips to consider concerning your remote and its batteries are to remove any batteries from a remote that you don’t intend to use for a long period of time and never, ever mix old and new batteries nor use different brands of batteries in the same remote. Ultimately, replace the batteries immediately if the remote feels unusually warm.
Who knew that a TV remote could be dangerous?
