Pop goes the LiPo!

[Greywolf74]

Didnt catch on fire but it did swell and vent on me. PEEEEEEEEEEE-EWWWWWWW!!! Dont breathe that stuff what ever you do! Granted it didnt smell as bad as when they actually catch fire but it still aint good! Took me an hour or more to ventilate the house. I need to find my respirator and make sure its handy in case that ever happens again. Pretty sure I shave a year of my life off breathing that stuff in opening windows in the basement in order to air the place out. One of the cats was just chillin' down there in the basement the whole time like she didnt even care. Pretty sure she has cancer now

 

[Doom!]

Glad it didn't burn, but yeah that smell is harsh. At least you didn't have any smoke damage.

 

[Cheez ‘n’ Quackers]

Lesson learned

 

[Jamr]

Any idea what caused it?

 

[Addict Rc]

Ooh that sucks

 

[WickedFog]

I was on the phone with him when it happened. It was scary

 

[Greywolf74]

Any idea what caused it?

it was damaged during high amp discharging so I was trying to drain it down to make it safe to dispose of and it puffed up to the point where it vented. I've discharged a lot of lipos to get rid of em. Thats the first time I ever had one do that. You just never know.

 

[DavidB1126]

high amp discharging

How many amps tho.

One of my used maclan shorties are getting really puffy after running the buggy. I might go into the ESC settings and put the LVC higher since after each run the batteries are around 3.1/3.2 /cell and thats really risking the battery right there. I think I have it on 3.3/cell right now in the ESC. That battery still has great IRs.

 

[WickedFog]

How many amps tho.

One of my used maclan shorties are getting really puffy after running the buggy. I might go into the ESC settings and put the LVC higher since after each run the batteries are around 3.1/3.2 /cell and thats really risking the battery right there. I think I have it on 3.3/cell right now in the ESC. That battery still has great IRs.

Any batteey that is starting to puff has a lot higher chance of venting than one that isn't puffing. The puffing is the cells venting flammable gasses, and since the cells are sealed, they swell up like a balloon. I get rid of any battery that starts to puff. Better to toss a used LiPo that has lived it's life rather than risk burning up your RC or home.

 

[DavidB1126]

Any batteey that is starting to puff has a lot higher chance of venting than one that isn't puffing. The puffing is the cells venting flammable gasses, and since the cells are sealed, they swell up like a balloon. I get rid of any battery that starts to puff. Better to toss a used LiPo that has lived it's life rather than risk burning up your RC or home.

Today Ill see what the IRs are and see how it is. I might get a couple more runs on them. Been looking into gensacearespammers Redline or Reedy Zapper batteries.
Also that reminds me that I still have 2 batteries charged from Saturday. I might run them after school instead.
Also another thing to note is that the batteries do get hot after each run. not like hot hot like nimh batteries were but they were a little hot. I took a video at the track showing the batteries.Ill post them later.

 

[WickedFog]

Today Ill see what the IRs are and see how it is. I might get a couple more runs on them. Been looking into gensacearespammers Redline or Reedy Zapper batteries.
Also that reminds me that I still have 2 batteries charged from Saturday. I might run them after school instead.
Also another thing to note is that the batteries do get hot after each run. not like hot hot like nimh batteries were but they were a little hot. I took a video at the track showing the batteries.Ill post them later.

You should look at Grey's LiPo thread for good batteries. And if the batteries are getting hot... I wouldn't run them. The actual C rating is probably too low for the vehicles you're running them in, causing them to get hot, and puff.

 

[Greywolf74]

How many amps tho.

about 90A continuous

What temps are the lipos hitting?

 

[DavidB1126]

about 90A continuous

What temps are the lipos hitting?

Not sure. My uncle has a temp gun which I'm going to see if I can use to temp my motor and batteries at the track.

 

[DavidB1126]

 

[DeathMetal Junkie]

The more I see of LiPo batteries the more I'm feeling like I want to just get rid of the battery trucks I have and go back to nitro. Without being able to store them outside because I live in New England and the cold weather, just not sure these are worth the one mishap. Having to buy multiple fire-safe containers for each battery is not practical. And when they do go, it is so violent, once it's going there's no stopping it or tossing it outside. I know many people seem to have no problems but it just takes the one..

 

[WickedFog]

The more I see of LiPo batteries the more I'm feeling like I want to just get rid of the battery trucks I have and go back to nitro. Without being able to store them outside because I live in New England and the cold weather, just not sure these are worth the one mishap. Having to buy multiple fire-safe containers for each battery is not practical. And when they do go, it is so violent, once it's going there's no stopping it or tossing it outside. I know many people seem to have no problems but it just takes the one..

To be fair... Grey was punishing the hell out of that poor battery when it died. I have been in this hobby since '83, all electric, and never had a single battery vent on me. I have had lightning strike so close to me I had my arm hairs standing on end, more than once. And that's not very often that happens. So I'd say they are as safe as storing a jug of nitro fuel in your home.

 

[Greywolf74]

Yeah, it was totally my fault that the battery vented toxic gases but it didnt catch on fire. I was doing stuff with that battery I shouldnt have been doing indoors in the first place. Storing them inside isnt really a problem. Theyre not going to spontaneously combust. If something catastrophic is going to happen to a LiPo its going to be while its in use. If you store them inside but charge and discharge them outside then youll be fine. Just let them sit outside for about 20 minutes before bringing them inside to store just to make sure the LiPo isnt puffing.

 

[DeathMetal Junkie]

To be fair... Grey was punishing the hell out of that poor battery when it died. I have been in this hobby since '83, all electric, and never had a sinhle battery vent on me. I have had lightning strike so close to me I had my arm hairs standing on end, more than once. And that's not very often that happens. So I'd say they are as safe as storing a jug of nitro fuel in your home.

Get your point. And makes sense. I've only been running LiPos for a year or two and my learning cuve has been steep. Thanks for the insight.

Yeah, it was totally my fault that the battery vented toxic gases but it didnt catch on fire. I was doing stuff with that battery I shouldnt have been doing indoors in the first place. Storing them inside isnt really a problem. Theyre not going to spontaneously combust. If something catastrophic is going to happen to a LiPo isnt going to be while its in use. If you store them inside but charge and discharge them outside then youll be fine. Just let them sit outside for about 20 minutes before bringing them inside to store just to make sure the LiPo isnt puffing.

Good to hear. Like I said above, I've only been doing LiPo for a short time and the learning curve has been steep. Plus watching the exploding battery vids on Youtube doesn't help!