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When I bought my first cheap drone a few years ago, I had absolutely no clue about the massive dangers of the lipo batteries it came with... looking back now, I did basically every red flag thing you could possibly do... I left them charging unattended all the time. I had absolutely no safe charging station, I just kinda laid them on my bed or desk, surrounded by combustible materials, while charging unattended with the cheapo charger that was included with the drone. I'd leave my drone and batteries in my car in the middle of summer in North Carolina. After a few months, one of them started to puff up pretty badly, I had no idea what that meant, the only reason I stopped using it was that it became so swollen that it could no longer fit into the drone battery compartment. I'd sit and play with the swollen battery, pushing around the bubble under the protective layer. I was so naive... Looking back now, I'm EXTREMELY fortunate I never burned down my house or car. I really wish they did more to explain the risks of careless use when it comes to lipo's.
Just bought Traxxas and the store I bought it from sold me 2 3S Batteries without even warning me of any of the risks. I did the research myself and I'm glad I found these videos. Didn't know these were such a huge liability. I'm coming from the nitro world so these are a complete shock!!
>without even warning me of any of the risks I always wondered why the US version of any manual of any kind contains things like: "Do not microwave your head in the oven!". Now I see.
RC Review ...the risk is huge! But the likelihood of the risk happening not so much. But - facing a huge risk, you want to do ALL you can to avoid the risk materializing....
This is one of the best videos you can watch on TH-cam imo. Especially if you happen to own a LiPo or five+. Absolutely essential information for keeping your family, yourself and your belongings safe.
Yep, when I first started using lipo batteries, I overcharged one and it exploded, almost catching fir to my house, good thing I was home at the time, always charge in a lipo safe battery bag, you can buy them online, or charge outside.
@@paulkandi Same here. This Traxxas truck came with NiMH batteries. I'll just be happy having a house and going slower. My 2S battery blew up yesterday and almost burned my buddies house down. When I got into this hobby, I didn't know this was a concern.
We forgot to mention that a very big threat to lipo batteries is charging them incorrectly as NIMH or NIcad. It is obvious and many chargers prevent this but charging a Lipo battery as the wrong type or cell count can push the battery's voltage beyond its safe limit. Even trickle charging it is a huge risk. Charging needs to shut off when the max voltage is reached (4.2 vots per cell)
Quite sage advice!! It amazes me how many people STILL don't know safe Lipo handling! 😳😖 I mean, we don't want to incite RIOTS... It's still a rare occurrence - but it CAN happen!! Like anything powerful, they demand respect. I try to NEVER stress my Batteries when charging. Even if the Label says that it CAN charge at 4S... I'll NEVER charge ANY of my Batteries more than 1S!! I'm never in such a hurry that I'm willing to risk it. Ever. One thing worth mentioning - if you do have a puffy Lipo, DON'T just throw it away. It'll just explode somewhere else!! Put the defunct Battery in a tub (pot, pail, ect...) of VERY salty water for at least an hour. It will stabilize the chemical reaction. THEN dispose it properly. Thank you for this! Carmine ✈🚂🚙
This is such a risk. I just bought my first LiPo, but have had LiFe batteries for a while. I'm not sure if there is the same concern with LiFe packs, but anytime you concentrate that much energy in a small location, the potential for disaster is there. I watched another video on LiPo bag tests, and the thing you need to realize is that once started, a battery fire will continue until the chemical energy is totally consumed. The fire also produces a lot of toxic gases. Those hot toxic gases ARE GOING TO ESCAPE your container no matter what it is. Steel ammo case, LiPo bag, concrete block, whatever. So you need to think about where the stream of hot gases is going to project out of the container, and make sure there are no combustibles in that area. Also need to think about what your battery container is sitting on. Needs to be non-combustible also. I like the idea of a cinder-block container. They have lots of mass, so they absorb a lot of the heat from the fire. They are porous, so the gases have a large area to escape from (directly through the cinder block material), so you don't get a huge jet of fire out of a small opening, like you see happening on some of the envelope style bags. Also, as the gases pass through the cinder block, they are cooled so by the time they exit the other side of the cinder block wall, they are not hot enough to ignite combustibles. As I write this, I'm thinking I should design a low-cost (DIY) charging and storage station. Great video. Solid facts.
Randy Sonnicksen ...it’s funny that most people obviously seem to think that a LiPo bag is an appropriate tool to protect them against LiPo burst...😂😂😂 pot. for 1S with 800mAh , all normal basher LiPos will tear it apart in a quite dramatic way.... you can’t protect yourself enough basically!
Thank you for addressing this issue! I recently bought my first LiPo (2s) for my new gen8. Funny thing was, I asked my local dealer more questions about LiPo safety than the gen 8 itself. lol
You opened my eyes to this issue and I tank you! Amazon is selling a nice Ammo crate for a little under 30 Canadian $ Thank you. I have a family, 2 kids. This is not to be taken lightly in my opinion.
I almost bought an Arrma Kraton @RCreview until I saw this video. I had no idea how dangerous lipo batteries were. While I’m sure any motivated RC enthusiast could do this pretty safe, it seems like a total headache to deal with and not worth the risk if you make a mistake. RC companies should really find a safer solution and less hassle free solutions with safeguards built in, like other electronics. Hopefully the future will get better for RC batteries, but until then, it’s not worth the effort. Thanks!
Someone might commented this already but I don't wanna read all the comments below. I just wanna add one more thing that is very important. Fire extinguisher for class C fire. Although there is a class ABC fire extinguisher, the best one should be the C for the specific fire since every class of fire has one best extinguishing agent. Thanks
Bj ....there are fire extinguishers specialized on taking down LiPo fires... if you have LiPos, you have to have a suitable fire extinguisher! Full stop.
Don't get complacent. Assume the worse will happen, then use every precaution. Over charging is dangerous. Like he said: never trust the charger never leave the lipo while charging.
I charge in my Weber kettle barbecue. This is thanks to the amount of similar warning videos. This one is really good because it goes over the main causes of fire so you learn why you need to mitigate.
Traxxas has good quality control on their batteries. I also should say I have never used any other batteries. Every Traxxas LiPo I have had has never swollen on me or ignited in 5 years. But I'm very careful with my LiPos so I: -Store in an ammo can (no rubber gasket) -Only use the EZ Peak ID charger -Always attend during charging - Always let the battery cool and put into storage charge after every run -Always balance charge, always -Maintain battery temp during use. Feel the battery, if it feels as warm as the hot water in your house shit it down immediately.
Videos like these are muuch needed! I made the mistake of not using my bat case while storage charging one of my 2S batteries(Like one the people in those embedded videos did while they left it to charge) a few months ago and i almoost lost everything in my room and I almost burned my house down because that battery decided to explode and burst into flames. I was lucky that I was able to put the fires out in time and not lose anything important.....shit was scary AF tho.. DO NOT CHARGE UR BATTERIES OUT IN THE OPEN NEAR FLAMMABLE MATERIALS!!!! USE A SAFE CASE AND BE NEAR IT! IT MAY SUCK HAVING TO WAIT YEARS FIR YOUR BATTERY TO CHARGE BUT ITS BETTER TO BE THERE FOR POTENTIAL ISSUES THAN TO HAVE TO GET OUT OF UR BURNING HOUSE &/OR GARAGE BECAUSE THE FLAMES ARE TOO MUCH!!! BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY!!!!
Again great video, but maybe you can do a video about how to safely dispose of them cause there is a lot of bad information out there about that and you seem very thorough!
This was a good video, the public needs to know how to be safe. I have 2 that got damaged and I will not charge them. One was a brand new 5s the blue one you have early in the vid. One crash and that was it. I'm terified of it.
Thank you for sharing that. It is a mysterious subject. We don’t want to cry wolf but want folks to be aware. And we don’t want folks to be crazy cautious either that they can’t enjoy this wonderful hobby
Great video! The problem with hard case is that it’s get hotter and that you need to open it to see if it’s get puffy. You could get some foam etc and use to make the battery be safe when using it and have protection
Some batteries also include aluminum plates. This option makes a compromise between fully exposed and fully enclosed. As for incidents, I've damaged a few cells without venting, and I had one cell of a 4S blow - but thankfully it simply left a small char mark. I've had more near-misses with old laptops than with my RCs. That said, I'm counting my blessings. I have a pack in front of me that the balance charger has to work pretty hard to re-balance. Not flying with this one anymore, it scares me.
Lithium polymer does not catch fire because of air, when you damage the cells or change it's form, thin layers of cathode and anodes touch each other and short, increasing temps in some places, which catches fire. And since any battery is flammable, it expands fast and blows it up
@@RCReviewChannel I have two of them they are awesome! I always tell guy's get one and most they say it's pricey but I say it's better to spend the $ on the batsafe than a couple hop up parts to save you from a disaster! 👍Check out my batsafe box video I made.
The batteries we bought for my girlfriend's Armma Nero are puffy as hell, they barely fit in the battery area's in the Nero. They've been like this from almost new. I know there in a bad state, I store them in a kevlar bag that's in a metal military ammo can to limit the amount of oxygen and potential damage. No Idea why they've been like this either? I have some pretty high end chargers and balance them regularly. I also use these in my Airsoft guns as well and haven't had issues with those, except one that didn't work at all when I bought it. These batteries always make me nervous and I've done electronic repairs for 30 years and have a decent amount of understanding of them. I think they should be more stable than they are. I can tell you from experience, never buy the cheep Chinese Lipo's are so incredibly inconsistent and not worth the risk. This is a great and need I say a necessary video to watch for people who use these batteries just for the heads up. I know of two people that actually lost their vehicle's to Lipo fires because they didn't know they batteries were compromised . So for me , the only time my Lipo's come out of the Lipo bags and ammo cans is for actual use. They are stored and charged in the bags and cans because I absolutely don't trust them. There are other better alternatives, but are more costly. Usually the same chargers for Lipo's have programs and settings for them as well. Sorry for the long post, again great video's and information, cheers!
I would have never known about these dangers if I hadn't watched this video thank you so much, sir. I have just placed an order to get some safeguard bags
Also buy a Lipo alarm. Set the alarm to 3.4 V When driving your RC car or flying your plane. When the battery discharge to 3.4 V the alarm goes off so you know it is time to get your battery out. Stay in safe limits.
Really appreciate your video. I would like to know where can I purchase a metal or a stainless steel big box for my batteries I have 8x 4S 6700 TRAXXAS lipo battery’s and the 2x 3S 14,000 and 2x 4s 10,000 Spektrum lipo battery’s i use the Traxxas and Spektrum smart chargers as well as the Lipo charging bags when charging them I normally do it on my kitchen island however, looking at this video that is a good idea to put it in my smoker I need a metal box or stainless steel to travel and keep in a safe place since these batteries are pretty dangerous, big and powerful
Spent a lot of time reading about lipo when starting back up in rc. So careful now when charging/ balancing/ storage. Also invested in a few Batsafe boxes, well worth investing
I had to run scared three times before I finally learned to immediately get rid of puffy lipo’s NOT WORTH IT! Didn’t loose anything besides a few charred spots on charger and work table. Whewww!
I have been using lipo battery's for 15 years. I have always understood the dangers of lipo's. However I have not understood the severity or the fact that when a call is damaged mear exposure to the air will cause an explosion and fire. I have been using a Venom multi chemistry charger and lipo batteries for Nine Years. Yes those batteries are nearly 10 years old now. I Have Been Lucky! I say this because though they are hard case batteries, at least two of them are bloated, and have been for a long time! I have thrown out some lipo's because they stopped working. I take them to the recycling center where they have a storage box for battery disposal. I have been running Traxxas 4tec 2.0s since the cars hit the market two+ years ago. Do to the Traxxas ID system of batteries and chargers that is what I have been using. I tend to buy cheap,BUT I have never used cheap lipos. The Traxxas system prevents me from from doing so. That is a good thing. I have been tempted to buy cheap lipo's but have not done so. I have what I believed was a safe charging station, but watching the video has prompted me to do some improvements, And stop using my old Venom batteries and disposing of them properly as I have always done. Ten years is a Good run for them, time to let them go!
Thank you sir for this informative video! I’ve been looking to get my first hobby grade RC car the last couple days at my local hobby shops. Before my first visit, I watched a video about what not to do with lipo batteries and one about the chargers and my head about exploded! They scared me from going with a brushless/Lipo truck like my friends and the hobby shop guys recommend. Thankfully they all explained it a lot of this to me and could answer my questions. I now feel OK with trying to use these batteries, and I happen to have some cinder blocks sitting next to my garage that will come in handy setting a charging station up in my garage.
Wow! I am a newbie haven't had an RC car since I was a kid. Just ordered a RC truck and lipo battery/charger from my local hobby shop online and after seeing this I just ordered a lipo fireproof charging/storage bag. on Amazon. Thanks for the info kind of nervous now but better to know the potential dangers.
Thanks for the explanation. Should I get rid of the battery with first signs of puffiness? Or some swelling after use is normal? And can I salvage the good cells, or is it a bad idea?
Exactly. It doesn't only apply to RC Cars. The big danger is cheap hoverboards, scooters and drones. They save money on chargers and trickle charge lipos. Many, many houses have burned because of this.
From what I understand you need a class D fire extinguisher for a lipo fire. I looked into a Class D and they wanted about 600 bucks! I wish the fire departments or Gov would subsidize some of that cost somehow to make safety affordable. Also apparently extinguishers have shelf life's and need to be replaced every so many years. I've found that the best place to store lipo's is a unused fireplace with the flew open and the batt's inside ammo cans or fire proof containers etc. This way they are away from heat in the summer and in a fire proof location with a vent.
This is so damn important. Literally today 2 Lipos just burned down in my car while driving and i was so lucky that I had a fire "resistant" bag. The bag still started burning but it really prevented the worst. In the end only the bag and my backpack was damaged. You should better be prepared beforehand. I would spent lots of money in advance to pretend such happenings, in order to safe even more money, to not burn your house or car down. Better be safe than sorry!
Great advice. I would also add to charge them at 1c rate which is slower but it's safer and the battery doesn't get heated. This is how I always charge my batteries.
Great video and VERY INFORMATIVE. After watching this I've been thinking about returning my lipo batteries that I bought for the first time. I've never used these batteries but after watching videos on these batteries I don't think I wanna keep them. I wished that I would of done more research before buying them. I can't have a ticking time bomb in my house. I think the danger out weighs the good in them. Just because they out last and run longer doesn't make it a plus and then have to worry about fires. I rather run my Ni-MH and NI-CD and be safe. Thanks for the video bud. Thumbs up on the video. 👍
Great and informative video! I went to Home Depot bought 4 cinder blocks for 4 bucks and 4 24'' ceramic tiles maybe 8 bucks. In my garage the blocks sit on the tile on the concrete floor and during charging I place tiles on top. This will help contain the fire but does nothing to minimize the large amount of toxic smoke that's released. I also have a bag of sand which will put out the fire quickly. I'm also looking into Spectrum's new smart charger and smart Lipos, the are pricey though.
The cinder blocks may be the best investment ever. The key is isolating the lipos each other too during storage and charging. One of the danger is they ignite each other.
@@RCReviewChannel Cinder blocks are made with 1 and 2 dividers that allow to separate the lipo's while charging. I do plan to test this out. They also make cinder block tops 2'' thick and the exact size of the block itself, perfect for a solid bottom or top with holes drilled in.
Hey Francis, my wife was wondering if it would be okay for us to store our lipo batteries in our shed outside, or would that be too cold overnight for the batteries? Thanks! Great channel man, thx for all the videos
This video opened my eyes to the dangers of this hobby. I'm considering this may be a little to much stress for just wanting to fly a few airplanes. Having the thought in the back of your mind of where the battiers are, and the conditions they are in. 😒
Thanks for the informative video. I have a question please; Can unused, brand new batteries that are ~3 years old (with a residual charge of between 20 and 24%) catch on fire?
I just bought a wltoys 144001 for my 12 year old nephew.... he is not getting it. I'm glad I didn't give it to him yet !!! It has no name 2s 2600 mAh packs . And a cheapo USB charger. I left them both unattended in my bedroom on my computer for 3 hours at a time. Thanks for this video
I don’t have a garage and it’s usually over 100° on my patio. Do you think it would be okay to store them in a metal insulated thermos while out of town or could that be worse and go boom!
Great video, thanks for sharing this valuable info. Definite food for thought, important to highlight the risks which seem small until something happens. Better to be super safe than super sorry. Looking forward to more in the series.
Right on. We were deep in research with C Ratings and MAH numbers but this fire issue stopped us in our tracks. It is definitely food for thought. To understand it is to control the risk.
Do i have to worry if the lipo battery is low batt and i just store it on the shelves is there tendency to explode even though im not charging it and how big is the damage .. because i have lipo battery for my drone and im gonna be out of time for a while do i have to throw them away and just buy a new one when i get home
When flying batteries should always be kept in your hand luggage. Never put them in you’re suitcase in the cargo hold. The cabin is pressurised the cargo hold isn’t which can lead to batteries swelling up.
Is it safe to have a direct serial connection? I have a 2x4s system that has a serial connection for 8s. There’s no master on, master on is when the serial loop is connected. They spark every time, but sparking is not inherently dangerous. Can this be bad?
If you still reply to comments i just bought a drone and it is a tiny lipo battery. I charged it it got to max and then the light turned off about 5 mins later my sister said whats that smell? It was the battery. But i used a UK charger head on it. The smoke came from the charger port to the battery head or wher the light is. Was the problem the UK power head or something else? Im in EU btw. And should i still use the battery?
Thank You for the video and valuable info... Questions. what is the margin to be considered unbalanced ? for instance, i just balance charged and cell 1: 4.21 cell 2: 4.18 cell 3: 4.16 is this considered balanced ? is it ok to balance charge every time as i do ?
.1 volt starts to get significant. To blow up a battery, it seems 1 extra volt per cell is what we’ve seen. It takes a lot The biggest danger is charging a lipo as the wrong type of battery like a NIMH
I underatand you are in the US, and you have your conventions and standard units, but as a member of the international community to whom your videos are made available, I would love to see some "international" thinking and awareness, especially in these types of PSA/safety videos. "140 degrees" is just... lacking. "140 degerees Farenheit" at least specifies the scale. 140′F or 60°C would be the best sfatement. I'm not trying to be dismissive, disrespectful or agumentative. This is a very important topic, and I think the topic would be best served by putting that little bit extra in your videos, which are seen around the world. You're presenting on a world stage, not your local theatre. Please, care about all of us? 🥰
If you add more content to this topic please adress the question, if a temperature sensor would make any sense while charging. My charger supports such function, but I couldn't finf a proper sensor so far. And. What kind of equipement in useful in case of fire. i guess, a pint (bucket) of Water woudn't do the trick. Anythink to recommend?
I have an electric skateboard battery. 12s4p 21,700. Is that a big explosion. I take care of my battery but my charge cable doesn't fit completely snug when I charge up the board. Is this really dangerous?. I been charging it like this for a while and no issues with heat
Not really. If it gets punctured while being transported, or if rat eats the wires and short them, then it fire can occur. But those events are out of the ordinary.
I have a question. My drone just crashed into the tree. Fortunately, LIPO battery didnt explode but the plastic cover is cracked. I just wonder how to dispose it properly and if there is any chance of explosion even if I just keep it somewhere, without touching it. Also, can LIPO battery catch on fire even when isn't being charged? Many drones come with a suitcase and after every flight I take the battery out of the drone but keep it in the same suitcase for storage,
I store my batteries in a sliding tool box.. i always charge on top a metal surface... only had 1 that burnt up during charging.. i had alot of brushless esc catch on fire about 4 so far lol
@@RCReviewChannel yes, and it shows all the info on the screen. My worry is that since it doesn't have a storage mode. I make sure all the cells are holding their charge in the meantime until next use
Due to my job, I own approximately 50 3s lipo batteries. I keep all of them in lipo bags (no more than 5 to a bag) and then put each bag in a seperate ammo can for storage. While charging it is simply not feasible for me to babysit charging batteries for 15hrs a day, so I charge the batteries in their lipo safe bags, with a smoke detector tight above the charging station, I also have alarms set on my equipment that if a charging fault is detected a loud af alarm goes off. Two half full metal buckets of sand are beside my charging station, along with a pair of long tongs. If there is a fire I can grab the lipo pouch and drop ot into a sand bucket, then pour the other bucket over top. This may spund over the top, but I have had to use the sand buckets before, and if I didn't have them it could have been a serious issue...
A lot of good information. But the large wires (load plug) are for charging AND discharging. The smaller connector (balance plug) is just to monitor the cells individually, by the charger while charging, and the user for maintenance purposes. Easy to remember "balance charge to play, storage charge to put away".
Always charge with a good quality charger. Always use balancer no matter what. The charger will notice when something is wrong and notify you/stop charging
Does charging a battery that has lost all its charge is it a risk? ...you didn't mention anything about it. I had a battery (2S, 7600 smh, 175C) that I leave it connected to the rc car for days, then when I realized it was 0 volts, then I just put it to charge to the lowest current (1 amp) and it didn't completed the cycle, as charger timed out, so I started another cycle to store charge and this time it completed. I have not use it yet again, do you think it is a risk to use it in an Rc Car or just to have it storedin my house? should I discard it? Thanks
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Is HRB a good brand for lipo batteries
Is HRB a good brand for lipo batteries
When I bought my first cheap drone a few years ago, I had absolutely no clue about the massive dangers of the lipo batteries it came with... looking back now, I did basically every red flag thing you could possibly do... I left them charging unattended all the time. I had absolutely no safe charging station, I just kinda laid them on my bed or desk, surrounded by combustible materials, while charging unattended with the cheapo charger that was included with the drone. I'd leave my drone and batteries in my car in the middle of summer in North Carolina. After a few months, one of them started to puff up pretty badly, I had no idea what that meant, the only reason I stopped using it was that it became so swollen that it could no longer fit into the drone battery compartment. I'd sit and play with the swollen battery, pushing around the bubble under the protective layer. I was so naive... Looking back now, I'm EXTREMELY fortunate I never burned down my house or car. I really wish they did more to explain the risks of careless use when it comes to lipo's.
1s?
@@Chadwinw Yeah, average drones have that, no big deal. But i think he would have done that with a 2s too if he had one 🤣
Just bought Traxxas and the store I bought it from sold me 2 3S Batteries without even warning me of any of the risks. I did the research myself and I'm glad I found these videos. Didn't know these were such a huge liability. I'm coming from the nitro world so these are a complete shock!!
>without even warning me of any of the risks
I always wondered why the US version of any manual of any kind contains things like: "Do not microwave your head in the oven!". Now I see.
Man, this video got me thinking: I need to put some protective measures in place! Thank you for the warning!
Right on. The risk is small but knowledge and precaution can deliver peace of mind.
RC Review ...the risk is huge! But the likelihood of the risk happening not so much. But - facing a huge risk, you want to do ALL you can to avoid the risk materializing....
This is one of the best videos you can watch on TH-cam imo. Especially if you happen to own a LiPo or five+. Absolutely essential information for keeping your family, yourself and your belongings safe.
Thank you for putting this out there! I have just begun in the world of RC and had no idea that this was a possible threat.
Yep, when I first started using lipo batteries, I overcharged one and it exploded, almost catching fir to my house, good thing I was home at the time, always charge in a lipo safe battery bag, you can buy them online, or charge outside.
Me too, just going to stick with Li - ion, after seeing this....
@@paulkandi Same here. This Traxxas truck came with NiMH batteries. I'll just be happy having a house and going slower. My 2S battery blew up yesterday and almost burned my buddies house down. When I got into this hobby, I didn't know this was a concern.
A friend who lives locally lost his entire house and contents due to a lipo battery fire....
We forgot to mention that a very big threat to lipo batteries is charging them incorrectly as NIMH or NIcad. It is obvious and many chargers prevent this but charging a Lipo battery as the wrong type or cell count can push the battery's voltage beyond its safe limit.
Even trickle charging it is a huge risk. Charging needs to shut off when the max voltage is reached (4.2 vots per cell)
Thank you very much for posting this. I am learning a lot right now. Alberto
If you trickle stop at 3 2 volts and change to lipo balance mode
Wish more people would do videos on this. Thank you for tackling this subject. Looking forward to more information in this series.
Quite sage advice!! It amazes me how many people STILL don't know safe Lipo handling! 😳😖
I mean, we don't want to incite RIOTS... It's still a rare occurrence - but it CAN happen!! Like anything powerful, they demand respect.
I try to NEVER stress my Batteries when charging. Even if the Label says that it CAN charge at 4S... I'll NEVER charge ANY of my Batteries more than 1S!! I'm never in such a hurry that I'm willing to risk it. Ever.
One thing worth mentioning - if you do have a puffy Lipo, DON'T just throw it away. It'll just explode somewhere else!!
Put the defunct Battery in a tub (pot, pail, ect...) of VERY salty water for at least an hour.
It will stabilize the chemical reaction. THEN dispose it properly.
Thank you for this!
Carmine ✈🚂🚙
This is such a risk. I just bought my first LiPo, but have had LiFe batteries for a while. I'm not sure if there is the same concern with LiFe packs, but anytime you concentrate that much energy in a small location, the potential for disaster is there. I watched another video on LiPo bag tests, and the thing you need to realize is that once started, a battery fire will continue until the chemical energy is totally consumed. The fire also produces a lot of toxic gases. Those hot toxic gases ARE GOING TO ESCAPE your container no matter what it is. Steel ammo case, LiPo bag, concrete block, whatever. So you need to think about where the stream of hot gases is going to project out of the container, and make sure there are no combustibles in that area. Also need to think about what your battery container is sitting on. Needs to be non-combustible also. I like the idea of a cinder-block container. They have lots of mass, so they absorb a lot of the heat from the fire. They are porous, so the gases have a large area to escape from (directly through the cinder block material), so you don't get a huge jet of fire out of a small opening, like you see happening on some of the envelope style bags. Also, as the gases pass through the cinder block, they are cooled so by the time they exit the other side of the cinder block wall, they are not hot enough to ignite combustibles. As I write this, I'm thinking I should design a low-cost (DIY) charging and storage station. Great video. Solid facts.
It's best to use fire block because a regular cinder block will shatter like a claymore mine if it gets hot enough.
n g I’m still here reading up on this subject
Randy Sonnicksen ...it’s funny that most people obviously seem to think that a LiPo bag is an appropriate tool to protect them against LiPo burst...😂😂😂 pot. for 1S with 800mAh , all normal basher LiPos will tear it apart in a quite dramatic way.... you can’t protect yourself enough basically!
Really great videos about lipo battery safety! These things can be very nasty when ignited! Keep you, your family and your property safe!
Thank you for addressing this issue! I recently bought my first LiPo (2s) for my new gen8. Funny thing was, I asked my local dealer more questions about LiPo safety than the gen 8 itself. lol
Yes, it is a dark cloud and being overcautious can be cumbersome. Thus understanding what the risks are exactly is good.
Just purchased my first RC and I was hesitant because of the batteries. Very informative. Thanks
You opened my eyes to this issue and I tank you!
Amazon is selling a nice Ammo crate for a little under 30 Canadian $
Thank you. I have a family, 2 kids. This is not to be taken lightly in my opinion.
Metal or Plastic?
@@RUZTY1311 all metal
@@MrRumBacardi Yea I thought about it and was like "Wait, plastic would melt. Why did I even ask?" Haha!! I bought myself a metal one 👍
I almost bought an Arrma Kraton @RCreview until I saw this video. I had no idea how dangerous lipo batteries were. While I’m sure any motivated RC enthusiast could do this pretty safe, it seems like a total headache to deal with and not worth the risk if you make a mistake. RC companies should really find a safer solution and less hassle free solutions with safeguards built in, like other electronics. Hopefully the future will get better for RC batteries, but until then, it’s not worth the effort. Thanks!
Someone might commented this already but I don't wanna read all the comments below. I just wanna add one more thing that is very important. Fire extinguisher for class C fire. Although there is a class ABC fire extinguisher, the best one should be the C for the specific fire since every class of fire has one best extinguishing agent. Thanks
Bj ....there are fire extinguishers specialized on taking down LiPo fires... if you have LiPos, you have to have a suitable fire extinguisher! Full stop.
Don't get complacent. Assume the worse will happen, then use every precaution. Over charging is dangerous. Like he said: never trust the charger never leave the lipo while charging.
I charge in my Weber kettle barbecue. This is thanks to the amount of similar warning videos. This one is really good because it goes over the main causes of fire so you learn why you need to mitigate.
Traxxas has good quality control on their batteries. I also should say I have never used any other batteries. Every Traxxas LiPo I have had has never swollen on me or ignited in 5 years.
But I'm very careful with my LiPos so I:
-Store in an ammo can (no rubber gasket)
-Only use the EZ Peak ID charger
-Always attend during charging
- Always let the battery cool and put into storage charge after every run
-Always balance charge, always
-Maintain battery temp during use. Feel the battery, if it feels as warm as the hot water in your house shit it down immediately.
WOW, never realised how bad this could be, thank you for this information, I have just ordered a BATSAFE for charging and storing my batteries.
Videos like these are muuch needed! I made the mistake of not using my bat case while storage charging one of my 2S batteries(Like one the people in those embedded videos did while they left it to charge) a few months ago and i almoost lost everything in my room and I almost burned my house down because that battery decided to explode and burst into flames. I was lucky that I was able to put the fires out in time and not lose anything important.....shit was scary AF tho..
DO NOT CHARGE UR BATTERIES OUT IN THE OPEN NEAR FLAMMABLE MATERIALS!!!! USE A SAFE CASE AND BE NEAR IT! IT MAY SUCK HAVING TO WAIT YEARS FIR YOUR BATTERY TO CHARGE BUT ITS BETTER TO BE THERE FOR POTENTIAL ISSUES THAN TO HAVE TO GET OUT OF UR BURNING HOUSE &/OR GARAGE BECAUSE THE FLAMES ARE TOO MUCH!!! BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY!!!!
Again great video, but maybe you can do a video about how to safely dispose of them cause there is a lot of bad information out there about that and you seem very thorough!
This was a good video, the public needs to know how to be safe. I have 2 that got damaged and I will not charge them. One was a brand new 5s the blue one you have early in the vid. One crash and that was it. I'm terified of it.
Thank you for sharing that. It is a mysterious subject. We don’t want to cry wolf but want folks to be aware.
And we don’t want folks to be crazy cautious either that they can’t enjoy this wonderful hobby
This is making me reconsider even getting into RC......
Great video! The problem with hard case is that it’s get hotter and that you need to open it to see if it’s get puffy. You could get some foam etc and use to make the battery be safe when using it and have protection
Thanks for the refresher on this!
💥
***THIS*** Should be MANDATORY for ALL individuals using these sorts of batteries.
Safety first folks every time 😎
Thank you for making this video, I did not realize that what safety measures I have currently are not enough.
Some batteries also include aluminum plates.
This option makes a compromise between fully exposed and fully enclosed.
As for incidents, I've damaged a few cells without venting, and I had one cell of a 4S blow - but thankfully it simply left a small char mark.
I've had more near-misses with old laptops than with my RCs.
That said, I'm counting my blessings.
I have a pack in front of me that the balance charger has to work pretty hard to re-balance. Not flying with this one anymore, it scares me.
Lithium polymer does not catch fire because of air, when you damage the cells or change it's form, thin layers of cathode and anodes touch each other and short, increasing temps in some places, which catches fire. And since any battery is flammable, it expands fast and blows it up
Thank you.
😁👍 BATSAFE lipo charging storage box best thing you can buy for your lipos!
I am with you on that. I got 2 of them.
We're about to try that. Nice and beefy?
@@RCReviewChannel I have two of them they are awesome! I always tell guy's get one and most they say it's pricey but I say it's better to spend the $ on the batsafe than a couple hop up parts to save you from a disaster! 👍Check out my batsafe box video I made.
@@RCReviewChannel I use them for 2-3 years now. Very good quality. Highly recommended them.
I agree, I also have 2 of those, will probably pick up a 3rd.
The batteries we bought for my girlfriend's Armma Nero are puffy as hell, they barely fit in the battery area's in the Nero. They've been like this from almost new. I know there in a bad state, I store them in a kevlar bag that's in a metal military ammo can to limit the amount of oxygen and potential damage. No Idea why they've been like this either? I have some pretty high end chargers and balance them regularly.
I also use these in my Airsoft guns as well and haven't had issues with those, except one that didn't work at all when I bought it.
These batteries always make me nervous and I've done electronic repairs for 30 years and have a decent amount of understanding of them. I think they should be more stable than they are. I can tell you from experience, never buy the cheep Chinese Lipo's are so incredibly inconsistent and not worth the risk.
This is a great and need I say a necessary video to watch for people who use these batteries just for the heads up. I know of two people that actually lost their vehicle's to Lipo fires because they didn't know they batteries were compromised .
So for me , the only time my Lipo's come out of the Lipo bags and ammo cans is for actual use. They are stored and charged in the bags and cans because I absolutely don't trust them. There are other better alternatives, but are more costly. Usually the same chargers for Lipo's have programs and settings for them as well.
Sorry for the long post, again great video's and information, cheers!
thank you, thank you. Your experience is golden info to us.
Lipos don't need oxygen to burn. If you lock the ammo can lid, you just built your very own IED.
Just learned something new today. I will create my own isolation charging station today. Thanks for the tips!
I would have never known about these dangers if I hadn't watched this video thank you so much, sir. I have just placed an order to get some safeguard bags
Thanks for the info! I might need a 2nd lipo safe because I got a few new batteries and they need to be safe any safes that I can use?
Hobbyking Bat Safe is the one amzn.to/2ELksz3
Thanks for this informative video. Stopped me from buying a (probably) sub par battery and cheap charger just to save money. Not worth it!
Also buy a Lipo alarm. Set the alarm to 3.4 V When driving your RC car or flying your plane. When the battery discharge to 3.4 V the alarm goes off so you know it is time to get your battery out. Stay in safe limits.
Really appreciate your video. I would like to know where can I purchase a metal or a stainless steel big box for my batteries I have 8x 4S 6700 TRAXXAS lipo battery’s and the 2x 3S 14,000 and 2x 4s 10,000 Spektrum lipo battery’s i use the Traxxas and Spektrum smart chargers as well as the Lipo charging bags when charging them I normally do it on my kitchen island however, looking at this video that is a good idea to put it in my smoker I need a metal box or stainless steel to travel and keep in a safe place since these batteries are pretty dangerous, big and powerful
Spent a lot of time reading about lipo when starting back up in rc. So careful now when charging/ balancing/ storage. Also invested in a few Batsafe boxes, well worth investing
I had to run scared three times before I finally learned to immediately get rid of puffy lipo’s NOT WORTH IT! Didn’t loose anything besides a few charred spots on charger and work table. Whewww!
Lose not loose. Loose means not tight Einstein
I have been using lipo battery's for 15 years. I have always understood the dangers of lipo's. However I have not understood the severity or the fact that when a call is damaged mear exposure to the air will cause an explosion and fire. I have been using a Venom multi chemistry charger and lipo batteries for Nine Years. Yes those batteries are nearly 10 years old now. I Have Been Lucky! I say this because though they are hard case batteries, at least two of them are bloated, and have been for a long time! I have thrown out some lipo's because they stopped working. I take them to the recycling center where they have a storage box for battery disposal. I have been running Traxxas 4tec 2.0s since the cars hit the market two+ years ago. Do to the Traxxas ID system of batteries and chargers that is what I have been using. I tend to buy cheap,BUT I have never used cheap lipos. The Traxxas system prevents me from from doing so. That is a good thing. I have been tempted to buy cheap lipo's but have not done so. I have what I believed was a safe charging station, but watching the video has prompted me to do some improvements, And stop using my old Venom batteries and disposing of them properly as I have always done. Ten years is a Good run for them, time to let them go!
Thank you for sharing the knowledge. I have just bought my son first electric monster truck. Totally had no idea this could happen. Cheers.
Thank you sir for this informative video! I’ve been looking to get my first hobby grade RC car the last couple days at my local hobby shops. Before my first visit, I watched a video about what not to do with lipo batteries and one about the chargers and my head about exploded! They scared me from going with a brushless/Lipo truck like my friends and the hobby shop guys recommend. Thankfully they all explained it a lot of this to me and could answer my questions. I now feel OK with trying to use these batteries, and I happen to have some cinder blocks sitting next to my garage that will come in handy setting a charging station up in my garage.
Wow! I am a newbie haven't had an RC car since I was a kid. Just ordered a RC truck and lipo battery/charger from my local hobby shop online and after seeing this I just ordered a lipo fireproof charging/storage bag. on Amazon. Thanks for the info kind of nervous now but better to know the potential dangers.
Thanks man, got my first lipo couple weeks ago since then I was using NiMH. It’s a hard case 5000mAh 2s.
Life saver about battery!
Wow. A new Dharma Initiative video. Nice upgrade on the video quality. Thanks Pierre.
Thanks for the explanation. Should I get rid of the battery with first signs of puffiness? Or some swelling after use is normal? And can I salvage the good cells, or is it a bad idea?
Good video and good advice. Yeah, I do not know what I’m doing so I balance charge all the time.
Thanks for this video, such important information could save our homes etc !
Exactly. It doesn't only apply to RC Cars. The big danger is cheap hoverboards, scooters and drones. They save money on chargers and trickle charge lipos. Many, many houses have burned because of this.
From what I understand you need a class D fire extinguisher for a lipo fire. I looked into a Class D and they wanted about 600 bucks! I wish the fire departments or Gov would subsidize some of that cost somehow to make safety affordable. Also apparently extinguishers have shelf life's and need to be replaced every so many years. I've found that the best place to store lipo's is a unused fireplace with the flew open and the batt's inside ammo cans or fire proof containers etc. This way they are away from heat in the summer and in a fire proof location with a vent.
This is so damn important. Literally today 2 Lipos just burned down in my car while driving and i was so lucky that I had a fire "resistant" bag. The bag still started burning but it really prevented the worst. In the end only the bag and my backpack was damaged. You should better be prepared beforehand. I would spent lots of money in advance to pretend such happenings, in order to safe even more money, to not burn your house or car down. Better be safe than sorry!
Great advice. I would also add to charge them at 1c rate which is slower but it's safer and the battery doesn't get heated. This is how I always charge my batteries.
1c charging is an easy safe way if one doesn't know what the history and charge rating of a battery is
thank you. going to buy a lipo case now. Wonder if they make ones that are protective but also carry an rc
Great video and VERY INFORMATIVE. After watching this I've been thinking about returning my lipo batteries that I bought for the first time. I've never used these batteries but after watching videos on these batteries I don't think I wanna keep them. I wished that I would of done more research before buying them. I can't have a ticking time bomb in my house. I think the danger out weighs the good in them. Just because they out last and run longer doesn't make it a plus and then have to worry about fires. I rather run my Ni-MH and NI-CD and be safe. Thanks for the video bud. Thumbs up on the video. 👍
Great and informative video! I went to Home Depot bought 4 cinder blocks for 4 bucks and 4 24'' ceramic tiles maybe 8 bucks. In my garage the blocks sit on the tile on the concrete floor and during charging I place tiles on top. This will help contain the fire but does nothing to minimize the large amount of toxic smoke that's released. I also have a bag of sand which will put out the fire quickly. I'm also looking into Spectrum's new smart charger and smart Lipos, the are pricey though.
The cinder blocks may be the best investment ever. The key is isolating the lipos each other too during storage and charging. One of the danger is they ignite each other.
@@RCReviewChannel Cinder blocks are made with 1 and 2 dividers that allow to separate the lipo's while charging. I do plan to test this out. They also make cinder block tops 2'' thick and the exact size of the block itself, perfect for a solid bottom or top with holes drilled in.
Hey Francis, my wife was wondering if it would be okay for us to store our lipo batteries in our shed outside, or would that be too cold overnight for the batteries? Thanks! Great channel man, thx for all the videos
This video opened my eyes to the dangers of this hobby. I'm considering this may be a little to much stress for just wanting to fly a few airplanes. Having the thought in the back of your mind of where the battiers are, and the conditions they are in. 😒
Very intetesting..thank you for your time and the vid..ill look for part two ...ron..ill be putting my lipo.s in a old metal ammo box today.. 4 cell.s
I store mine in a lipo bag inside an ammo can and charge/discharge them in them as well.
Charles B ...yes. It’s all about separation. The more layers, the better it is.... onion principle.
Thanks for the informative video. I have a question please;
Can unused, brand new batteries that are ~3 years old (with a residual charge of between 20 and 24%) catch on fire?
No, we don't believe so.
@@RCReviewChannel Thanks! That's a relief! On the other hand, should batteries in this state be storage charged asap so they don't get ruined?
So charging a 3s lipo battery.. do u charge it lower then the rates volts or just at the rate voltage....and do so in a fireproof bag..
I just bought a wltoys 144001 for my 12 year old nephew.... he is not getting it. I'm glad I didn't give it to him yet !!! It has no name 2s 2600 mAh packs . And a cheapo USB charger. I left them both unattended in my bedroom on my computer for 3 hours at a time.
Thanks for this video
I don’t have a garage and it’s usually over 100° on my patio. Do you think it would be okay to store them in a metal insulated thermos while out of town or could that be worse and go boom!
Excellent refresher video.
I bought a fire proof charging bag/carrier, it's like a lunch box big tough and i feel much more safe
Very good. Everyone should do the same.
Army ammo box is good, just be sure to latch the lid. Find good size ones for $15+ at surplus stores, peddler malls, gun stores and shows, ect.
Just remember to pull the seal out. If not your just building a bomb
If you can, it would be interesting to see how the LIPO sacks do in preventing fires and other problems. Just a thought.
Great video. This is information that needs to be out there. Thank You
You can’t go wrong with the Spectrum G2 batteries & chargers. They are better than any other charger & batteries I used before.
Is HRB a good brand for lipo batteries
thanks so much for this video!! I have made some changes for extra safety according to your suggestions!
Great video, thanks for sharing this valuable info. Definite food for thought, important to highlight the risks which seem small until something happens. Better to be super safe than super sorry. Looking forward to more in the series.
Right on. We were deep in research with C Ratings and MAH numbers but this fire issue stopped us in our tracks. It is definitely food for thought. To understand it is to control the risk.
Fun drinking game: Take a shot anytime he says "the number one". 😁
Do i have to worry if the lipo battery is low batt and i just store it on the shelves is there tendency to explode even though im not charging it and how big is the damage .. because i have lipo battery for my drone and im gonna be out of time for a while do i have to throw them away and just buy a new one when i get home
What do you think about sky RC chargers? I have the e450. Thanks for all the advice.
That's why use Nimh Batteroes
When flying batteries should always be kept in your hand luggage. Never put them in you’re suitcase in the cargo hold. The cabin is pressurised the cargo hold isn’t which can lead to batteries swelling up.
Loose batteries cannot be in checked luggage but lack of air pressure alone cannot cause swelling
Is it safe to have a direct serial connection? I have a 2x4s system that has a serial connection for 8s. There’s no master on, master on is when the serial loop is connected. They spark every time, but sparking is not inherently dangerous. Can this be bad?
If you still reply to comments i just bought a drone and it is a tiny lipo battery. I charged it it got to max and then the light turned off about 5 mins later my sister said whats that smell? It was the battery. But i used a UK charger head on it. The smoke came from the charger port to the battery head or wher the light is. Was the problem the UK power head or something else? Im in EU btw. And should i still use the battery?
Thank You for the video and valuable info... Questions. what is the margin to be considered unbalanced ? for instance, i just balance charged and cell 1: 4.21 cell 2: 4.18 cell 3: 4.16 is this considered balanced ? is it ok to balance charge every time as i do ?
.1 volt starts to get significant. To blow up a battery, it seems 1 extra volt per cell is what we’ve seen. It takes a lot
The biggest danger is charging a lipo as the wrong type of battery like a NIMH
@@RCReviewChannel so the measurements i mentioned above are within a good renge ? being that the highest offset i am showing is .05
To be perfectly balanced, they should all read 4.20 volts after charging.
No, that is not balanced within .01 is balanced thats what i get any more then that something is not right , might be poor quality LIPO.
Great video that every RC hobyist should watch
Hi. does lipo battery have an odor and it is normal or should there be nothing
thanks
Thanks man I appreciate. Now I'm more worried abt my puffy drone lipos.
Yes, good to know what the risks are.
If they’re puffy then that means they’ve already started failing and might be at risk for explosion someday
I underatand you are in the US, and you have your conventions and standard units, but as a member of the international community to whom your videos are made available, I would love to see some "international" thinking and awareness, especially in these types of PSA/safety videos. "140 degrees" is just... lacking. "140 degerees Farenheit" at least specifies the scale. 140′F or 60°C would be the best sfatement.
I'm not trying to be dismissive, disrespectful or agumentative. This is a very important topic, and I think the topic would be best served by putting that little bit extra in your videos, which are seen around the world. You're presenting on a world stage, not your local theatre. Please, care about all of us? 🥰
Nicely explained. well done.
Thank you. Not super satisfied because short on time but this will do for now. We'll make a much shorter, concise one next time.
If you add more content to this topic please adress the question, if a temperature sensor would make any sense while charging. My charger supports such function, but I couldn't finf a proper sensor so far. And. What kind of equipement in useful in case of fire. i guess, a pint (bucket) of Water woudn't do the trick. Anythink to recommend?
These are the most dangerous battery if damaged while charging/replacing it.So be careful to throw it after these cells are damaged.
I have an electric skateboard battery. 12s4p 21,700. Is that a big explosion. I take care of my battery but my charge cable doesn't fit completely snug when I charge up the board. Is this really dangerous?. I been charging it like this for a while and no issues with heat
Amazing video! Very informative!
Can fully charged n balanced smart batteries catch fire when not being charged and not in use?
Not really. If it gets punctured while being transported, or if rat eats the wires and short them, then it fire can occur. But those events are out of the ordinary.
I have a very small apartment with no place that is not flammable... What should I do?
Buy a lipo bag or lipo case like this snp.link/6d5d44e2
I have a question. My drone just crashed into the tree. Fortunately, LIPO battery didnt explode but the plastic cover is cracked. I just wonder how to dispose it properly and if there is any chance of explosion even if I just keep it somewhere, without touching it. Also, can LIPO battery catch on fire even when isn't being charged? Many drones come with a suitcase and after every flight I take the battery out of the drone but keep it in the same suitcase for storage,
I store my batteries in a sliding tool box.. i always charge on top a metal surface... only had 1 that burnt up during charging.. i had alot of brushless esc catch on fire about 4 so far lol
Very good advice.
Every now and then I like to go through my batteries with a voltage checker. Just to make sure everything is holding up healthy
Do you have a balance charger with display? It shows voltage of each cell every charge
@@RCReviewChannel yes, and it shows all the info on the screen. My worry is that since it doesn't have a storage mode. I make sure all the cells are holding their charge in the meantime until next use
Due to my job, I own approximately 50 3s lipo batteries. I keep all of them in lipo bags (no more than 5 to a bag) and then put each bag in a seperate ammo can for storage.
While charging it is simply not feasible for me to babysit charging batteries for 15hrs a day, so I charge the batteries in their lipo safe bags, with a smoke detector tight above the charging station, I also have alarms set on my equipment that if a charging fault is detected a loud af alarm goes off. Two half full metal buckets of sand are beside my charging station, along with a pair of long tongs. If there is a fire I can grab the lipo pouch and drop ot into a sand bucket, then pour the other bucket over top. This may spund over the top, but I have had to use the sand buckets before, and if I didn't have them it could have been a serious issue...
A lot of good information. But the large wires (load plug) are for charging AND discharging. The smaller connector (balance plug) is just to monitor the cells individually, by the charger while charging, and the user for maintenance purposes. Easy to remember "balance charge to play, storage charge to put away".
damny0utoobe pretty much what I said
im currently trying to revive a discharged battery by forcing charge into the dead cell, should I be worried
Thanks for that, just purchased one, going to send it back and get a Li-ion instead..!
You're the RC Professor!
What type of fire extinguisher?
Always charge with a good quality charger. Always use balancer no matter what. The charger will notice when something is wrong and notify you/stop charging
very true
Does charging a battery that has lost all its charge is it a risk? ...you didn't mention anything about it. I had a battery (2S, 7600 smh, 175C) that I leave it connected to the rc car for days, then when I realized it was 0 volts, then I just put it to charge to the lowest current (1 amp) and it didn't completed the cycle, as charger timed out, so I started another cycle to store charge and this time it completed. I have not use it yet again, do you think it is a risk to use it in an Rc Car or just to have it storedin my house? should I discard it? Thanks
Thank you so important to know, seems very risky and just a few know about this.