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

[Dutch Breeze]

Also some of us have specifically said this, others have not. I didn’t so i am now. I don’t mean to state the obvious but this is also something i witnessed with our other friend. He asked the same question, we gave him the same answer. He got a plastic ammo can. 🦆🤦‍♂️🤣

MAKE SURE THE AMMO CAN IS METAL!!!

Sincerely,
D.BreezeCooper
Lead “Saftey 3rd” Officer
Pirate Pilot Airways

 

[Merv]

I use a metal ammo box lined with dry wall, but I think any metal box will work. I have also made dry wall dividers to keep each pack separate. My thinking if one pack goes, maybe I can contain the fire and save the rest. I keep a plastic sandwich bag of sand on top of my batteries. If there is fire, maybe it will melt the plastic, release the sand and contain the fire.

A word of caution to other ammo box users, be sure to remove any rubber gasket. If a battery goes, you do not want to trap the venting gasses. Let them vent.

I got my inspiration from this video. With my box it was better to have my compartments vertical, not laying down.

 

[Houndpup Rc]

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.

I have been wondering...Where do you dispose of them?

 

[Houndpup Rc]

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.

Wow! What an experience!

 

[Mr Man]

I have been wondering...Where do you dispose of them?

I know Home Depot will do it…

 

[Houndpup Rc]

I know Home Depot will do it…

Will your local garbage pickup?

 

[Mr Man]

Will you local garbage pickup?

I doubt it😂

 

[LitterBug]

How to Safely Dispose LiPo Batteries for FPV Drone and RC Hobbyists - Oscar Liang

Safely dispose of LiPo batteries with these expert tips. Learn how to handle damaged or old LiPo batteries and keep your home and environment safe.

oscarliang.com

Disposal should be at a battery recycling or or hazardous waste center.

 

[Mr Man]

My local hobby shop recommended Home Depot, but it might vary store to store.

 

[randyrls]

This is what can happen when you charge a battery at the flying field in a trailer during a meeting. Fortunately a few people heard the WHOOMMPPP! Ripped the battery from the trailer and flung it onto the grass.

 

[bisco]

i keep mine in a metal trash can in the basement. charge them while i'm in the room. biggest pack is 2200mah, which i don't use because i pulverized my aeroscout 😭

 

[Houndpup Rc]

i keep mine in a metal trash can in the basement. charge them while i'm in the room. biggest pack is 2200mah

My biggest pack is 6500.....

 

[Houndpup Rc]

This is what can happen when you charge a battery at the flying field in a trailer during a meeting. Fortunately a few people heard the WHOOMMPPP! Ripped the battery from the trailer and flung it onto the grass.
View attachment 252440

But I think that is VERY rare....

 

[ithink2020]

i keep mine in a metal trash can in the basement. charge them while i'm in the room. biggest pack is 2200mah, which i don't use because i pulverized my aeroscout 😭

I'm sorry to hear that!

 

[bisco]

thanks. it was a great plane, and lasted a long time. but too many crash and repairs finally made it difficult to fly.
it even spent the winter in a tree with no ill effects.

 

[Piotrsko]

Rapid charging lipos is dangerous, rapid charge nicads is more dangerous. Definitely when near the huge front room plate glass window.
You want to limit where the parts head off to, and something that won't contact catch or spread fire and is relatively cheap to buy. Ammo can meets all those requirements, but so do cinder blocks. Keeping it cold in the freezer don't work, it's an internal non oxygen kind of fire: all the combustion components are initially inside the cell. Putting it out requires supercooling it or running it out of fuel by burning all the components. Unless there's a tank of LN2 handy you just get to watch. Anndd it will restart until all the fuels are oxidized.

betcha YOU dont experiment with old cells.

 

[tamuct01]

I'm probably in the minority here. I usually charge my batteries in my home office at 1C before heading to the flying field. I always return the batteries to storage charge within a day (or so) of flying. I keep them in a couple of LiPo bags under my desk.

My reasoning here is that TX is so blooming hot that I'm likely to cause damage to my batteries in the 100+ degree summers than storing them inside the house. I only charge conservatively and monitor the batteries while charging for any weird heat issues or other dangerous problems.

 

[bisco]

that's why mine are in the basement. too cold or too hot outside for much of the year

 

[Piotrsko]

Unsure about high temp or low temp storage affecting battery life. 14 years on my Volt pack outside in Reno. Hot 100f, cold under 33. Not much degrading outside of the expected and anticipated losses, or at least they are so small I cant measure them. Have lost a mile or two range, maybe. Battery is much happier above 80f

 

[Foamforce]

Unsure about high temp or low temp storage affecting battery life. 14 years on my Volt pack outside in Reno. Hot 100f, cold under 33. Not much degrading outside of the expected and anticipated losses, or at least they are so small I cant measure them. Have lost a mile or two range, maybe. Battery is much happier above 80f

Fellow Volt owner! I initially leased a 2013 from 2012-2014. I like it enough that I bought a 2014 in 2014. Going on 11 years in it now. Absolutely a fantastic car! My only repair so far (besides consumables) was a wheel bearing. Still gets great range. I estimate about 10% reduction, but it’s really difficult to tell because I switched to non-low rolling resistance tires and my commute changed from ~30mph the whole way to about 70mph. I now get about 36-38 miles of range. Not bad for a car that was rated at 38 miles when new!