Don't Keep Your Lipos in an Ammo Box...

[StatiK RC]

Don't Keep Your Lipos in an Ammo Box....

You might want to check out this video I made before keeping your LiPo Batts in an Ammo Can. It's not as safe as I would have thought....

 

[StatiK RC]

If you value your home you won't charge your LiPos in a harbor freight ammo can lol. I was just curious as to how effective a plastic ammo can be at stopping fires, but I guess I need to keep looking for a good alternative to a Li-po Safe Bag.

 

[Userofmuchtape&glue]

Great video, but please don't cross post.

 

[StatiK RC]

sorry! I'll Delete it. which thread would you recommend keeping it in?

Edit: Never mind about deleting it... I can't quite figure out how to do that, but I won't cross post again!

 

[Snowblind]

I use a reasonably heavy steel locking box lined with a half inch layer of silicone-imbibed heavy fiberglass cloth.

Firstly, attach a good, secure latch or two to the lid if it doesn't already have a secure latch; No spring detent latches, if the LiPo pops off you want the lid staying shut.

Soak the fiberglass cloth in RTV silicone from your favorite hardware store and stick it to the inside of the box. Use a plastic shopping bag between the door and body of the box while the silicone is wet to allow it to release easily and close the door for 2 days. Open the box, remove the bag, and allow to cure for a week.

 

[Userofmuchtape&glue]

Yeah no worries... lol look at me, a 13 year old bossing pros around... :black_eyed:

 

[StatiK RC]

Very cool! Thanks for the insight. I'll have to give that one a try

 

[StatiK RC]

userofmuchtapeandglue XD

 

[Bricks]

Hate to tell you but common sense would tell you PLASTIC will melt with heat.....what happens when a Lipo catches FIRE HEAT, I see it as a no brainer. Try using the metal ones which will work.

 

[LitterBug]

I agree with Bricks. Please redo this with a metal ammo box....

Cheers!
LitterBug

 

[Fyathyrio]

What other possible result would you expect from a plastic box?

Real ammo cans are made of metal, have a seal, and will become a bomb if a battery goes off while closed. Drill some ventilation holes to relieve pressure if using steel ammo cans.

 

[JimCR120]

StaticRC,
Like your test and that you did it in an open sandy area. Like the others I would like to see the test done using the metal ammo cans that Harbor Freight also sells and I'd also be curious hom much the LiPo safe bags protect each of those cans, plastic and metal.
Thanks for posting.
—Jim

 

[WBLteen]

I removed the seal from my ammo box. I too thought it would become a bomb if a lipo failed. I store my batteries in a lipo sac in the ammo box

 

[Snowblind]

If the metal ammo can doesn't work unmodified, it most certainly would with the lining I mentioned in my earlier response, and I would very much like my insulation method to be tested, but have no dead LiPos, nor do I want to make another box just to test one. I'm fortunate enough that the floor of my blacksmith shop is dirt, and have no need to worry about my batteries taking anything with them.

Another thought I've had, is that with the lid sealed well enough, I would think that a LiPo would run out of oxygen to react with. Not before damaging a plastic box, but maybe before the box gets hot enough to melt.

One of the people that frequents a local track had a LiPo go off in a metal ammo can, it barely left a skid on the neighboring battery, barely leaked any gasses into his garage. He opened the box in the spring to use a battery, and found his surprise, barely remembering that day a month before when he thought he smelled something electronic burned.

I don't like the idea of having a bare metal (paint doesn't count in this case) interior for battery storage, it's conductive to both heat and electricity, and the plastic on a battery failing from heat is what helps a LiPo's thermal runaway be so spectacular at times. (insulation goes out, and things start shorting)

 

[LitterBug]

Another thought I've had, is that with the lid sealed well enough, I would think that a LiPo would run out of oxygen to react with. Not before damaging a plastic box, but maybe before the box gets hot enough to melt.

Part of what makes LiPos so dangerous is they produce their own oxygen supply. I have several batteries to dispose of, and may do some tests out at the flying field with a metal Ammo can, with and without a lipo bag inside. Lid closed and latched vs open, etc...

Cheers!
LitterBug

 

[Snowblind]

I apologize, I sorta forgot that the puff of a LiPo is because the medium oxidizes, and off-gasses (just how electrical energy storage works). I retract my statement about external oxygen supply.

For example: Lead acid batteries release hydrogen, oxygen, and water vapor when used or charged, and is why they have vents, is why you shouldn't connect or disconnect a car battery in any way that sparks, never connect or disconnect a battery to a lead acid charger that's plugged in to power, even if it has an off switch.

 

[TazRC]

Part of what makes LiPos so dangerous is they produce their own oxygen supply. I have several batteries to dispose of, and may do some tests out at the flying field with a metal Ammo can, with and without a lipo bag inside. Lid closed and latched vs open, etc...

Cheers!
LitterBug

And let's not forget, TOXIC gas when they burn! Not very responsible hobbyists here.

 

[TazRC]

You're doing a "safety" test by releasing toxic gasses into the atmosphere!?

Note: This reply was on a second identical topic that StaticRC had posted so it looks like a moderator has combined all posts into one topic.

 

[PsyBorg]

You're doing a "safety" test by releasing toxic gasses into the atmosphere!?

+1 I think the same thing every time I see someone setting a lipo on fire.

But keep it up... Word is Global warming is closing the hole in the ozone layer..

 

[StatiK RC]

Thanks for all the ideas! I love criticism, especially in the opening stages of my channel. I made that video to SHOW what would happen if you put lipos in one of those cans. I can be lazy and put things in containers thinking that they will be more safer. I meant for this to be a video that people look at and say "I wonder if the way im storing my batteries is safe?" looking back I shoould have voiced this clearer, and left it more open ended like "How are you storing your batteries?" Maybe this would have worked, maybe not. I will definitly look into testing metal ammo cans though! Im curious as well

edit: Besides the test, what do you think about the video?