Wole Oyeyele
Member
Hi, I'm pretty new to flying. I'm just building my first plane (I so far bought all my other planes rather than building them, and they came with batteries that have safety stuff built into them, so they don't pose a huge risk). I need advice with batteries. I did some research about Lithium polymer batteries, and they can be pretty dangerous if not handled well. I heard so many stories from people on forums who almost burned their house down just from a small mistake in how they stored or charged their batteries.
Nearly every website I visited about the topic advised users to charge their batteries outside, far away from anything flammable. However, this isn't really possible for me. I live in a flat, not a garden house, and I don't have a lot of safety equipment or a huge budget to spend on safety equipment. Therefore, I have some questions:
Are LiPo batteries as dangerous as many people describe, or is the risk slightly over-exaggerated?
Is it too dangerous to store/charge batteries indoors and therefore not worth the risk?
If not, when charging/storing batteries indoors, how do I minimise the risk of one catching fire?
What should I do if one does start to smoke or catch fire?
Is a fire extinguisher absolutely necessary to have?
What are some things I can use (besides an extinguisher) to put out a LiPo fire?
How do I store, use and charge my batteries as safely as possible?
Is there any cheap safety equipment I could buy?
Any other advice regarding LiPo batteries?
Sorry if I seem a little paranoid, but it's better to be safe than sorry.
Thanks in advance.
Nearly every website I visited about the topic advised users to charge their batteries outside, far away from anything flammable. However, this isn't really possible for me. I live in a flat, not a garden house, and I don't have a lot of safety equipment or a huge budget to spend on safety equipment. Therefore, I have some questions:
Are LiPo batteries as dangerous as many people describe, or is the risk slightly over-exaggerated?
Is it too dangerous to store/charge batteries indoors and therefore not worth the risk?
If not, when charging/storing batteries indoors, how do I minimise the risk of one catching fire?
What should I do if one does start to smoke or catch fire?
Is a fire extinguisher absolutely necessary to have?
What are some things I can use (besides an extinguisher) to put out a LiPo fire?
How do I store, use and charge my batteries as safely as possible?
Is there any cheap safety equipment I could buy?
Any other advice regarding LiPo batteries?
Sorry if I seem a little paranoid, but it's better to be safe than sorry.
Thanks in advance.