How are you storing your batteries? I need some peace of mind...

[ithink2020]

One of my fears about getting into the hobby is the risk of a lipo fire in the house. I'm beginning to believe lipo batteries should be RESPECTED. However, as long as you are following safety precautions, they shouldn't be FEARED. Correct me if I am wrong.

I have read some great posts regarding Lipo batteries. For example, this one (https://forum.flitetest.com/index.php?threads/understanding-batteries-101.437/), which is excellent, by the way! I've also seen YT vids which cover the same thing. Basically, the most dangerous part is the charging. Followed by discharging/flying, well, and crashing (damaging the battery).

I plan on charging in the garage on the concert floor by the garage door (in the shade). Maybe with a fan blowing over them toward the outside. Seems like the safest place I can think of. I plan on discharging via flying. However, I'm looking at getting one of these, in case I need to discharge a battery (doing so in the garage).
View attachment 252420

From my understanding, once they are between 3.7 & 3.85 volts, they are safe and happy to be stored long term. So, how and where do you store your batteries? For example, let's say they are at 3.8v. Where do you keep them in your house? In your workshop/basement, office, by an exterior door? How do you store them? In a lipo bag? Lipo bag, inside a larger lipo bag? Etc.

What about when they are fully charged? Say I'm charging them a day or two in advance of flying. Does that change where you keep them?

Thank you for taking the time to settle my nerves. I know millions of RC'ers use lipos, and fires do happen. But I think I might be overthinking things...

 

[Mr Man]

I charge mine on a concrete floor, and in a lipo bag when charging. When storing, I keep them in an ammo box, or another metal box that is 1/4” thick steel, no clue what it was used for. I keep all of my dangerous batteries in a ammo box outside, because one of them had a itty bitty hole, and is leaking sulfuric acid gas, I have NEVER had a fire, and that’s coming from a speed guy!

 

[ithink2020]

I charge mine on a concrete floor, and in a lipo bag when charging. When storing, I keep them in an ammo box, or another metal box that is 1/4” thick steel, no clue what it was used for. I keep all of my dangerous batteries in a ammo box outside, because one of them had a itty bitty hole, and is leaking sulfuric acid gas, I have NEVER had a fire, and that’s coming from a speed guy!

Where do you keep the ammo box when in storage charge?

 

[Foamforce]

I keep mine in a metal toolbox in the basement on a concrete floor. I only put storage charged batteries in it.

Most (but not all) lipo fires happen during charging and discharging, and usually (but not always) involves physical damage or prior abuse (being over discharged or over charged).

I’ve seen a couple lipo fires and both happened when an RC plane crashed. One only involved smoke, the other had small flames. I had one risky incident where a bad wiring connection on the balance lead caused one of the cells to be charged to 4.4v (way too high). Nothing bad happened, but it taught me not to ignore unusually voltage readings on my charger.

 

[Mr Man]

Where do you keep the ammo box when in storage charge?

Just on the concrete floor, away from anything flammable.

 

[Shurik-1960]

For more than 10 years, I have been storing ALL my batteries in a storage mode in a household refrigerator on a separate shelf. During the entire time of use, I did not have the opportunity to see how the battery was burning. I charge the batteries only before the flight. I have 4 identical chargers. The charging current is 0.8A.

 

[Mr Man]

Charging current needs to be different with every battery…

 

[Houndpup Rc]

One of my fears about getting into the hobby is the risk of a lipo fire in the house. I'm beginning to believe lipo batteries should be RESPECTED. However, as long as you are following safety precautions, they shouldn't be FEARED. Correct me if I am wrong.

I have read some great posts regarding Lipo batteries. For example, this one (https://forum.flitetest.com/index.php?threads/understanding-batteries-101.437/), which is excellent, by the way! I've also seen YT vids which cover the same thing. Basically, the most dangerous part is the charging. Followed by discharging/flying, well, and crashing (damaging the battery).

I plan on charging in the garage on the concert floor by the garage door (in the shade). Maybe with a fan blowing over them toward the outside. Seems like the safest place I can think of. I plan on discharging via flying. However, I'm looking at getting one of these, in case I need to discharge a battery (doing so in the garage).
View attachment 252420

From my understanding, once they are between 3.7 & 3.85 volts, they are safe and happy to be stored long term. So, how and where do you store your batteries? For example, let's say they are at 3.8v. Where do you keep them in your house? In your workshop/basement, office, by an exterior door? How do you store them? In a lipo bag? Lipo bag, inside a larger lipo bag? Etc.

What about when they are fully charged? Say I'm charging them a day or two in advance of flying. Does that change where you keep them?

Thank you for taking the time to settle my nerves. I know millions of RC'ers use lipos, and fires do happen. But I think I might be overthinking things...

Yeah i just store mine in a fire safe and just charge them by the desk where I work so as I can keep an eye on them....And when their cells start dropping over night when they get old or damaged I discard them...Never had a fire!😁😁

 

[ithink2020]

Yeah i just store mine in a fire safe and just charge them by the desk where I work so as I can keep an eye on them....And when their cells start dropping over night when they get old or damaged I discard them...Never had a fire!😁😁

Like a safe to protect files or a bat safe?

 

[Houndpup Rc]

Like a safe to protect files or a bat safe?

Just one to store files....I figured a fire safe would be "safe" enough! LOL

 

[Zoom Master]

Cant believe the extreme precautions everyone is out here taking while charging their lipos..........I usually just charge my lipos on my desk while im working so I can keep a eye on them.....

 

[Houndpup Rc]

Cant believe the extreme precautions everyone is out here taking while charging their lipos..........I usually just charge my lipos on my desk while im working so I can keep a eye on them.....

That's what I do, and then I store them in a safe.

 

[Zoom Master]

That's what I do, and then I store them in a safe.

I just store them in this big metal box if was able to find it isn't an ammo box but it's pretty solid ! Looks like this.

 

[Mr NCT]

Cant believe the extreme precautions everyone is out here taking while charging their lipos.........

It only takes once to be extremely cautious. It's a balance between what precautions cost and the potential risks -

Lipo battery fire turned into Garage Explosion - HeliFreak

6s 5000mAH Zippy lipo being chared on an Astroflight 109 version 2 blinky balancer charging a 2 amps I had just charge 3 6s Thunder power 5000mah and

www.helifreak.com

 

[Zoom Master]

It only takes once to be extremely cautious. It's a balance between what precautions cost and the potential risks -

Lipo battery fire turned into Garage Explosion - HeliFreak

6s 5000mAH Zippy lipo being chared on an Astroflight 109 version 2 blinky balancer charging a 2 amps I had just charge 3 6s Thunder power 5000mah and

www.helifreak.com

True aware of that but most lipo batteries wont just randomly go off.......the battery will start showing signs that it is gonna go ka boom way before it actually does but most people are to inexperienced to know what those signs are......

 

[Piotrsko]

Outlier here, somewhere between battery safe and sitting on my desk. Been doing lithium batteries since 2012, including my 16 million mah car pack. Cursory empirical data says they are dangerous mostly during charge or discharge or storage above 3.95v per cell, or if there are physical changes to the battery/cell size (typically expansion or damage scenerios). Certain high output power chemistries are more prone to edge case problems, looking at you Lion scooter batteries in NY city with extreme rapid charge. But that's just me. You do you. Brother who is fireman says once they ignite, they are going to burn until the lithium is all oxidized, so firemen just keep the chemicals contained and cool all the other burnables..

 

[Zoom Master]

Outlier here, somewhere between battery safe and sitting on my desk. Been doing lithium batteries since 2012, including my 16 million mah car pack. Cursory empirical data says they are dangerous mostly during charge or discharge or storage above 3.95v per cell, or if there are physical changes to the battery/cell size (typically expansion or damage scenerios). Certain high output power chemistries are more prone to edge case problems, looking at you Lion scooter batteries in NY city with extreme rapid charge. But that's just me. You do you. Brother who is fireman says once they ignite, they are going to burn until the lithium is all oxidized, so firemen just keep the chemicals contained and cool all the other burnables..

Yeah im well aware of that I dont wanna end up in a TikTok edit with "Nothing beats a jet to ur holiday and right now u can save 50 pounds person" playing in the background If ur on TikTok a lot (which I doubt it) u will understand.

 

[Bricks]

Nothing to be afraid of mostly common sense and paying attention if a battery has any damage. I will charge batteries a couple of days ahead of time with no problems, stored in either a lipo bag or metal ammo can.

Have one friend if his batteries have been charged he never puts them back into storage mode or brings them back up to storage mode after use He has batteries that are 5 plus years old doing this and never a hiccup and he runs them hard.

 

[LitterBug]

I will not be a good example of what to do, so I will not share my bad habits even though I have not been bitten by them yet. I DO store them in metal Ammo boxes on a concrete slab in the garage, and preferably at 40% or less. If they have sustained phisical damage, I will run them completely down and dispose of them. No use taking a risk. I usually only balance charge at 1C or less and only after they have cooled down.

I have seperate ammo boxes for charged and discharged, and I have several battery bags to use in case of damage.

 

[Dutch Breeze]

i charge and store mine in a belted .556 ammo can. It’s a little boxier than a .50bmg can. You can close the lid and half latch it so that the whole charger is inside with the battery. The cord can go through without being pinched and there is just enough of the latch holding the lid down. Plus with the lid “cracked”, it allows anything that is off gassing or just straight deciding to shed its mortal coil to do so in a controlled environment. And guess what guys?! I learned this first hand from my buddy who does RC rock crawlers (yuk 🤢) we were standing in his garage designing a water tank to make his scale Deuce-and-a-half into a functioning rc, well, water truck. he was charging a well used 3s and accidentally set it at like 10 amps or something ridiculous. few minutes later we heard a couple little pops (like if one of your really big dogs decided to gas out your living room), we looked at the can just in time to see the smoke and what i can only describe as a brief road flare like flame shoot out from around the lid. There were some rags and papers near enough. Thankfully the flash was brief so it didn’t ignite anything. He unplugged the charger and just scooted the can out of the garage door onto the driveway and pulled the charger out just enough so he only had to make new main leads.