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[olly4950]

Hi to all.
There is a safe way and then there is an idiots way of charging Lipos.
Guess which way I charged my Lipos?

I now have several model planes and 1 much loved 6 metre yacht that have been burnt to a crisp.
Many boats of smoke damage that will take forever to repaint and clean.
Several thousand pounds worth of damage to my garage and the upheval this will cause whilst all the repairs are being done.
We where very lucky that a fire door saved the house.
Thankfully no one was hurt.

So please, please choose a safe way of charging these LIPOS.

[inertia]

Olly
This is awful news for you and your family. Not much I can say to console you, but do you know exactly where you went wrong? The usual precautions include checking the pack for damage or swelling prior to charging; using a fire-resistant bag to hold the cells while being charged; always use the correct charger (with a balancing lead for multiple packs), and never leave a pack unattended while it's charging.
DM

[Martin (Admin)]

 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gobFcNzGG9I


Maybe upgrade your charger to a reputable brand ..... and use a mains countdown timer.

[GAZOU]

Just like INERTIA

In more: store batteries lipo in a thick metallic container if it is possible

[Martin (Admin)]

.... even a metal biscuit tin will limit a fire / blow up.

[sparkey]

  You are right Martin,I always charge mine in an old biscuit tin with a hole nipped out for the leads,investing in good charger is never money wasted when you think of the cost of all the batteries in all your models,Ray.  

[essex2visuvesi]

ex army ammo crates make good lipo storage boxes

[Bob K]

Almost as dangerous as Semtex or mercury fulminate.  Why bother when there are good safe batteries with almost as much power?  At best your boat will stop abruptly in the middle of the lake, at worst it will burst into flame.  Charging using a constantly supervised heavy steel box in the garden is enough to earn an instant ban by Commander In Chief Home forces.  Put them in a plane and you could have an airborn fireball.

Damned things should be made illegal.

[Calimero]

Well it isn't much worse than that thing ... we commonly use.. damn how is it called again ? Petrol !

Even though LiPos require more care than NIMH, damage to the extent olly sadly experienced is still rare.

Maybe next gen LiFePo batteries will improve and take over LiPos but right now if you need high power there's not much else available.

[NFMike]

Tin boxes or ammo boxes are better than nothing, but they themselves will get very hot. The paint on the outside could then catch fire, or the heat of the metal could ignite something flammable nearby, eg. if standing on a wooden table.
Another point not mentioned is that any enclosure will reduce the dissipation of heat that batteries give off when charging, so the batteries will get warmer still which could increase the risk of failure. The pouch the video illustrated was obviously for transporting batteries - I'd be very dubious about charging them inside it. The Bunker was a great idea, as was the 'self-sanding' block pocket.

But unless you really need the performance (eg. aircraft or very fast boat use) it would seem to make sense to stay with less volatile battery types.

[Leaky Bottom]

lipo batterys are perfectly safe when charged with the correct charger, and as for putting them in metal containers to charge them, well, you wouldn't put your mobile phone in a biscuit tin to charge it would you, or perhaps you do!!

[Calimero]

Leaky Bottom, cellphones run on Lithium Ion batteries which are less "volatile".


But I agree, using a dedicated charger with balancing, and taking a look at independent cell voltage should remove 99% of the risks.


I agree with Plague: for lower power applications like scale boats where power to weight ratio (both in terms of capacity and max amp)  is not an issue, NIMH or even SLA are a better choices. Much less maintenance/care required. And they can handle a lot more cycles than LiPos.

[NFMike]

lipo batterys are perfectly safe

And that is why dreadful things happen. There is no such thing as a perfectly safe battery any more than there is a perfectly safe stretch of water.
All batteries are made up with poisonous and/or corrosive materials. All batteries can leak, overheat, etc., if handled poorly. Secondary cells (ie. rechargeables) can push very high currents into a short circuit - fire, heat, etc.


Just like the water we sail our boats on you should always be aware and respectful of the dangers that lurk just a moment's carelessness away.

[malcolmfrary]

Lithium batteries are very safe, but only when used in a carefully controlled environment.  Consumer appliances fall into this category (apart from well publicized cases like Sony and Boeing).  Batteries used in a user designed environment do not.  The former covers cellphones and laptops and full size aircraft, the latter is us modelers.  Boeing might be regarded as being a bit like us, well intentioned designer/users.
Perhaps we should be thankful that the liquid sodium cells that were being considered a decade or so ago never took off.  They needed an internal working temperature around 400C.

[RAAArtyGunner]

Almost as dangerous as Semtex or mercury fulminate.  Why bother when there are good safe batteries with almost as much power?  At best your boat will stop abruptly in the middle of the lake, at worst it will burst into flame.  Charging using a constantly supervised heavy steel box in the garden is enough to earn an instant ban by Commander In Chief Home forces.  Put them in a plane and you could have an airborn fireball.

Damned things should be made illegal.

 

[cos918]

here we go again all the stories on lipos. If i wanted to I could get a sla to go bang. I charge lipo on the tiled floor and thats it. Sorry there is so much BS doing the internet. On one of the internet vids the persion was charging at a stuiped high rate had the safety turned off and yes it went pop , but thats what he wanted.
john

[cos918]

Almost as dangerous as Semtex or mercury fulminate.  Why bother when there are good safe batteries with almost as much power?  At best your boat will stop abruptly in the middle of the lake, at worst it will burst into flame.  Charging using a constantly supervised heavy steel box in the garden is enough to earn an instant ban by Commander In Chief Home forces.  Put them in a plane and you could have an airborn fireball.

Damned things should be made illegal.

Are you sure about Semtex. airbore fireballs. on plant earth LIPO do not have the same power as Semtex,RDX C4 ,TNT or any other explosive. Was your research done from the daily mail


john

[TomHugill]

Are you sure about Semtex. airbore fireballs. on plant earth LIPO do not have the same power as Semtex,RDX C4 ,TNT or any other explosive. Was your research done from the daily mail


john

Here here! Yes lipos need to be treated with respect but many things do! Do you know what caused the fire?

[RAAArtyGunner]

Are you sure about Semtex. airbore fireballs. on plant earth LIPO do not have the same power as Semtex,RDX C4 ,TNT or any other explosive. Was your research done from the daily mail


john

 

[NFMike]

here we go again all the stories on lipos. If i wanted to I could get a sla to go bang. I charge lipo on the tiled floor and thats it. Sorry there is so much BS doing the internet. On one of the internet vids the persion was charging at a stuiped high rate had the safety turned off and yes it went pop , but thats what he wanted.
john

I somehow doubt olly (the OP) was trying to burn his garage down, so his story is cautionary regardless of any other 'stories'.

Yes, any battery can be dangerous, but some (of which LiPo seem to be one) are less tolerant of abuse than others and more likely to cause serious harm when they do fail - especially in a Boeing. Given their (LiPo) additional tendency to die if slightly over-discharged makes them in my mind a battery to avoid if something less tetchy will do the job.