safe battery storage
- Thread starter Chick
- Start date
This is a really great question! Has FT done a video on this? If not, it would be a most excellent show suggestion!
Cheers!
LitterBug
French
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If its going to be days between flying sessions, you should use a storage function on your charger (hopefully it has one). A storage charge will put them a relatively safe 3.8V/cell. You should be able to store most lipos at this voltage for months without issues.
After putting my unused batteries at storage voltage, I always store them in a fireproof bag like:
https://store.flitetest.com/flite-test-lipo-bag/
or
https://www.amazon.com/HOBBYMATE-Ba...UTF8&qid=1510417189&sr=8-12&keywords=lipo+bag
Even though they are in a fire safe bag, you'll want them to be stored away from flammable items (carpet, wood, paper) as if one decided to ignite, the bags still get very hot. Additionally, a flaming lipo puts out a lot of bad smoke, so be aware of that.
Recently FT did a review of the Bat Safe - a very well build battery bunker
FT has also posted videos in the past regarding DIY battery bunkers:
After putting my unused batteries at storage voltage, I always store them in a fireproof bag like:
https://store.flitetest.com/flite-test-lipo-bag/
or
https://www.amazon.com/HOBBYMATE-Ba...UTF8&qid=1510417189&sr=8-12&keywords=lipo+bag
Even though they are in a fire safe bag, you'll want them to be stored away from flammable items (carpet, wood, paper) as if one decided to ignite, the bags still get very hot. Additionally, a flaming lipo puts out a lot of bad smoke, so be aware of that.
Recently FT did a review of the Bat Safe - a very well build battery bunker
FT has also posted videos in the past regarding DIY battery bunkers:
Safe battery storage
I saw the FT video on exploding batteries and Batbox. I'll look at the other video you attached. I keep my batteries at the storage voltage unless I've charged some to fly. Guess I outa at least keep those in the Flite test bag that they sent me with a power pack.
I saw the FT video on exploding batteries and Batbox. I'll look at the other video you attached. I keep my batteries at the storage voltage unless I've charged some to fly. Guess I outa at least keep those in the Flite test bag that they sent me with a power pack.
Videos of batteries exploding viloently are usually under absolute worse case scenerious. Geneerally lipos are very safe. Infact local club members at my local club have been pretty disapointed when trying to purposely make lipos fa.
Lipo fires are rare, but they have cuased massive damage and eeven los of life in rare circumstances.
Lipo fires are rare, but they have cuased massive damage and eeven los of life in rare circumstances.
I store my Lipos in a 50 Cal ammo box (Steel). They have them on e-bay and Army/Navy surplus stores in the $15-20 range.
My lipos are in a Lipo Bag and then in the 50 cal ammo box. While blowups are actually rare, I'd rather have them contained when stored.
For charging, I use a steel base (had some laying around, a single Cinder block (the one with 2 holes in it, and a small metal cover. The charger is outside this....if a battery goes while charging, it may release a bit of smoke, but at least the heat and fire are contained to a small area.
The ammo case not only contains any issues, but also protect he batteries from any physical contact....so nothing is falling on them or shorting the wires. An ounce of prevention.....
My lipos are in a Lipo Bag and then in the 50 cal ammo box. While blowups are actually rare, I'd rather have them contained when stored.
For charging, I use a steel base (had some laying around, a single Cinder block (the one with 2 holes in it, and a small metal cover. The charger is outside this....if a battery goes while charging, it may release a bit of smoke, but at least the heat and fire are contained to a small area.
The ammo case not only contains any issues, but also protect he batteries from any physical contact....so nothing is falling on them or shorting the wires. An ounce of prevention.....
PsyBorg
Wake up! Time to fly!
I grab a can of seasoned sunflower seeds each month to snack on. Those plastic containers work perfectly for battery storage and transportation. I even use them in my back pack when I go out to fly I can take 6 flight packs and the DVR / goggles battery in them perfectly. I can fit 5 3s 450 mah and one 2s 450 mah in one canister when I take the Gremlin out to fly which works out perfectly. You just have to alternate where the plugs and balance connectors are when you put them in to minimize chances of them touching which is pretty slim since all exposed connections are recessed anyways.
This is an older pic when I originally started doing this well over a year and a half ago.
This is an older pic when I originally started doing this well over a year and a half ago.
I've been somewhat paranoid about this as well, so here's how I store it:
I have the FT lipo bag that I got when I bought my Sea Duck and power pack. I've thrown my batteries in there, and then put it into a metal ammo box.
Now, is this 100% safe? No. Lipo bags are fire resistant. The threads used to stitch the bags closed can burn, and the bags can come apart. The rubber grommets in the ammo boxes can melt from the heat of a lipo fire. All that said, it's better than leaving the batteries out and exposed on a wood table where they can cause a fire.
One of my club members recently lost his den due to a lipo battery that he forgot was charging; the battery went up while connected and took off, ruining his desk. He was able to get it put out before it took out his home, but the entire den and about 30 planes that he had went up in the process, and there was smoke damage throughout his home.
I myself recently had a close call with a bad lipo; I won a plane at our annual raffle & auction last week Thurs, and it came with a 2s lipo. I charged it up, connected it to the ESC in the plane, and it smoked the ESC and the battery immediately started getting hot and puffed. I was able to get the battery unplugged, but it was still pretty hot. I threw it in a lipo bag, then into a fire bucket that I use for ash from my fireplace, and then put the bucket IN the fireplace with the flue wide open. I figured if it was going to go up, the fireplace would be probably the best place for it - the smoke would hopefully draw out the chimney, and the brick and mortar of the fireplace wouldn't burn. The battery didn't ignite, but needless to say, I don't trust it and am in the process now of getting it discharged with a light bulb on it. Once it's dead, I'm disposing of it - better to be safe than sorry!
I have the FT lipo bag that I got when I bought my Sea Duck and power pack. I've thrown my batteries in there, and then put it into a metal ammo box.
Now, is this 100% safe? No. Lipo bags are fire resistant. The threads used to stitch the bags closed can burn, and the bags can come apart. The rubber grommets in the ammo boxes can melt from the heat of a lipo fire. All that said, it's better than leaving the batteries out and exposed on a wood table where they can cause a fire.
One of my club members recently lost his den due to a lipo battery that he forgot was charging; the battery went up while connected and took off, ruining his desk. He was able to get it put out before it took out his home, but the entire den and about 30 planes that he had went up in the process, and there was smoke damage throughout his home.
I myself recently had a close call with a bad lipo; I won a plane at our annual raffle & auction last week Thurs, and it came with a 2s lipo. I charged it up, connected it to the ESC in the plane, and it smoked the ESC and the battery immediately started getting hot and puffed. I was able to get the battery unplugged, but it was still pretty hot. I threw it in a lipo bag, then into a fire bucket that I use for ash from my fireplace, and then put the bucket IN the fireplace with the flue wide open. I figured if it was going to go up, the fireplace would be probably the best place for it - the smoke would hopefully draw out the chimney, and the brick and mortar of the fireplace wouldn't burn. The battery didn't ignite, but needless to say, I don't trust it and am in the process now of getting it discharged with a light bulb on it. Once it's dead, I'm disposing of it - better to be safe than sorry!
