How to store a LiPo battery

[DoNoHarm]

I wouldn't do that

They’re arrma batteries man. It’s fine. They can take it.

You know it’d be pretty cool if horizon release an arrma line of batteries dedicated to heavy duty c ratings and being impact resistant.

 

[jondilly1974]

To noobs reading this thread....

@Peeeenuuutt is JOKING above ????

DO NOT DRILL A LIPO!!!

 

[Wheels007]

I always make sure to drill 3 holes in each battery before storing them in a lipo safe bag for ventilation.

I was talking about the fire safe...not the bags/battery.

To noobs reading this thread....

@Peeeenuuutt is JOKING above ????

DO NOT DRILL A LIPO!!!

Too late. Wait, something is burning in the other room.

 

[3d-rc.myshopify.com]

I hope there are breathing holes for gasses to vent. If not, you have a pressure cooker bomb on your hands.

Yes it is not locked it could easily blow open if needed fire safes are not airtight to begin with

 

[EwhoA]

I'm glad that I read through this thread. I'm about to order about 4 of the 2S lipo along with 2 charging bags, but I didn't realize that they should be stored in such a manner. I'm going to build a little ammo can battery storage system with the concrete board liners. As always, thanks for all the good advice.

 

[JtkBrew]

I just read through this entire thread and do have a couple of questions. I am going to go the lipo bag in the ammo can route for charging/storage.

I understand to always do a storage charge/discharge when I'm done using the battery, and not leave the unattended when connected to the charger. (To me this means stay in the same room or within eyeshot, not charging in the garage and I'm upstairs on my computer).

Ideally (for me) I would like to keep the can in the garage when not in use, but it can see some temperature extremes, both hot and cold. Is this okay? If I'm not using them for an extended period of time, should I do a voltage check on them every couple of weeks and recharge if required.

I'm sure it would be more ideal to keep them in a temperature controlled environment, but how "un-ideal" is it for the batteries.

EDIT - after doing some more research, I have a dedicated full size fridge I converted to a kegerator in the garage (I also homebrew). This stays at a consistent 38-39F no matter the ambient temperature. Thinking about storing them in here. I will let them warm up a bit before I charge whether it's needed or not.

 

[jkflow]

Lot of mixed info in this thread and easy to be misguided. Lipo bags are useless for car type batteries or anything above 500mAh. Might as well strap them to a gas can for safety (DO NOT DO THIS ) , just gives you a false sense of security.

Ammo cans - depends, sand bag on top is not working as you might wish.
Ammo cans need their seal removed or they could explode or vent violently.
Sand trap will not work, take a look at the video. You just have sand spewing everywhere, granted it does help a bit but not as I envisioned when I heard this idea many moons ago.

Bags, money is no objecct, they all suck for larger capacity batteries.

Anything closed will potentially do the same i.e. vent violently or explode and make it all a lot worse. The energy will come out.
You still have the gas venting and that smell will ruin your house for quite some time, think in years. How does it smell, try it outside on an old battery if you dare. SHouldn't be an issue in a garage or detached area.

That lipo safe container is vented and filtered, not a direct compare to the fire safe container for $20 but works better than bags.

Personal favorite, store it in your grill on the patio/garage, else build some fire safe enclosure or spend the money on those filtered lipo storage containers. I moved mine into a ammo case and store inside a grill on the patio. This is Florida, no issue with freezing,
Storage should be fine, even in Antarctica, as long as you do not use them. Bring them to room temp before you even think about charging or using, if they were frozen.

Always have batteries at storage level ~ 3.8V, they are most stable and have the least loss in capacity over time. Charged and discharged should be the out of the norm state. Max should a a couple days in either state or you will impact performance, highest risk at full charge.

I never had issues with either charged or stored Lipo's, all this is based on how much risk are you willing to take vs money spent.
Home insurance gets tricky on Lipo fires, wife gets tricky on smell

Every Lipo thread should have a link here:
https://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/how_to_prolong_lithium_based_batteries

 

[RCBro80]

So test #2 in the first video put 2x 5000mah 3S batteries in a LiPo bag, presumably ignited both, and it contained the fire. Last I checked, it did its job (and the surface was only at 206F). They are $5 on Amazon, did someone expect them to act like a nuclear fallout shelter? Charge in a bag on a non-combustible surface and you should be fine. Batteries kept at storage voltage are stable and happy, I think some of the suggestions in the thread are a bit overkill. Properly dispose of puffed batteries and you're highly unlikely to ever have an issue.

 

[SrC]

Lot of mixed info in this thread and easy to be misguided. Lipo bags are useless for car type batteries or anything above 500mAh. Might as well strap them to a gas can for safety (DO NOT DO THIS ) , just gives you a false sense of security.

Ammo cans - depends, sand bag on top is not working as you might wish.
Ammo cans need their seal removed or they could explode or vent violently.
Sand trap will not work, take a look at the video. You just have sand spewing everywhere, granted it does help a bit but not as I envisioned when I heard this idea many moons ago.

Bags, money is no objecct, they all suck for larger capacity batteries.

Anything closed will potentially do the same i.e. vent violently or explode and make it all a lot worse. The energy will come out.
You still have the gas venting and that smell will ruin your house for quite some time, think in years. How does it smell, try it outside on an old battery if you dare. SHouldn't be an issue in a garage or detached area.

That lipo safe container is vented and filtered, not a direct compare to the fire safe container for $20 but works better than bags.

Personal favorite, store it in your grill on the patio/garage, else build some fire safe enclosure or spend the money on those filtered lipo storage containers. I moved mine into a ammo case and store inside a grill on the patio. This is Florida, no issue with freezing,
Storage should be fine, even in Antarctica, as long as you do not use them. Bring them to room temp before you even think about charging or using, if they were frozen.

Always have batteries at storage level ~ 3.8V, they are most stable and have the least loss in capacity over time. Charged and discharged should be the out of the norm state. Max should a a couple days in either state or you will impact performance, highest risk at full charge.

I never had issues with either charged or stored Lipo's, all this is based on how much risk are you willing to take vs money spent.
Home insurance gets tricky on Lipo fires, wife gets tricky on smell

Every Lipo thread should have a link here:
https://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/how_to_prolong_lithium_based_batteries

Am I doing something wrong here? I am charging all my lipo bricks in my Hobbymate lipo bag right now. It is the larger lipo bag. I have approx 60,000 mah of lipos in my bag right now. All are full charged except the the last 7000mah battery that is still charging. Only one pack is swelled but it still works. So I am charging it now in the lipo bag with the rest. Should I take out some packs. I can't close the lid. Maybe I should take out one or two. To close the zipper??? The swelled pack will only charge with 4 C but it's been charging for more than 1 hour . I hate to throw it away because it was my very first lipo and I am sentimentAL about it. I am trying charge it properly. I have the Hobbymate matching charger. So I think I am fine.

 

[SrC]

Cardinal rule. Never charge lipos UNATTENDED. That is always the first and last mistake one can make.
Second rule: be prepared for a fire disaster to happen. Are you prepared for the worst case scenario when if it happens? Ready to act fast. Proactive to contain the fire or ready to bail.

 

[Bigjay23834]

I have the Onyx 40C 5000mah Lipo 4S 14.8V Model is ONXP50004S40 Batteries. I attached a picture of below and I have the Ultra Power UP200 Duo Multi Charger which I have attached a manual for below. I have been trying to get these batteries into storage mode all day. I have set the discharge current to 1C and its set to Storage mode. I have 4 of them and they are all on full charge. I had to put my Kraton 8s in the shop before I could use them. Horizon phone support is basically shut down I suppose. I imagine I am in for a long day since they are fully charged. Does anyone know if I need to change the voltage from 14.8V to something else? Any suggestions?

 

[slick2500]

I have the Onyx 40C 5000mah Lipo 4S 14.8V Model is ONXP50004S40 Batteries. I attached a picture of below and I have the Ultra Power UP200 Duo Multi Charger which I have attached a manual for below. I have been trying to get these batteries into storage mode all day. I have set the discharge current to 1C and its set to Storage mode. I have 4 of them and they are all on full charge. I had to put my Kraton 8s in the shop before I could use them. Horizon phone support is basically shut down I suppose. I imagine I am in for a long day since they are fully charged. Does anyone know if I need to change the voltage from 14.8V to something else? Any suggestions?

Do you have a lipo alarm? You could always make a discharger and manually discharge them.

 

[Bigjay23834]

Do you have a lipo alarm? You could always make a discharger and manually discharge them.

I will look that up just trying not to burn anything up . You tube has to have something on it

 

[jkflow]

@Bigjay23834 Your charger has a maximum discharge capability of 10 Watt (per channel). At 4S and 5000mAh that equates to something like:
4(S)*4V = ~ 16V; 10Watt/16V = ~0.6A (~600mA) discharge. At 5000mAh it will take 5000/600 = 8h, storage you will probably be in the 6h range per battery.

You must be in discharge mode to do anything in this case, storage mode will only work if you are below storage levels from the get go.

Pg 17 of your manual, set to the S of your pack (4S) and maybe 1A, if it doesn't work set it to 0.6A and try again.
Leave them connected until it's done but like I said, it will take ~ 6h per battery (per channel).

Charging you can do at the recommended C rate of 5A but discharging has significant limitations on your charger.
Hope that helps.

You might want to invest in a dedicated dis-charger if you don't want to wait that long.
The one below can do 80W i.e. 80/16 ~5A (5000mA), it will do this in ~ 45min per battery. There are others out there as well.

https://www.amazon.com/ISDT-Dischar...lipo+battery+discharger&qid=1593558815&sr=8-4

 

[Bigjay23834]

@Bigjay23834 Your charger has a maximum discharge capability of 10 Watt (per channel). At 4S and 5000mAh that equates to something like:
4(S)*4V = ~ 16V; 10Watt/16V = ~0.6A (~600mA) discharge. At 5000mAh it will take 5000/600 = 8h, storage you will probably be in the 6h range per battery.

You must be in discharge mode to do anything in this case, storage mode will only work if you are below storage levels from the get go.

Pg 17 of your manual, set to the S of your pack (4S) and maybe 1A, if it doesn't work set it to 0.6A and try again.
Leave them connected until it's done but like I said, it will take ~ 6h per battery (per channel).

Charging you can do at the recommended C rate of 5A but discharging has significant limitations on your charger.
Hope that helps.

You might want to invest in a dedicated dis-charger if you don't want to wait that long.
The one below can do 80W i.e. 80/16 ~5A (5000mA), it will do this in ~ 45min per battery. There are others out there as well.

https://www.amazon.com/ISDT-Dischar...lipo+battery+discharger&qid=1593558815&sr=8-4

WOW ! This is the best info ever man. I will buy a dedicated discharger I really appreciate that info feels legit @jkflow didnt know they made these

 

[slick2500]

@Bigjay23834 Your charger has a maximum discharge capability of 10 Watt (per channel). At 4S and 5000mAh that equates to something like:
4(S)*4V = ~ 16V; 10Watt/16V = ~0.6A (~600mA) discharge. At 5000mAh it will take 5000/600 = 8h, storage you will probably be in the 6h range per battery.

You must be in discharge mode to do anything in this case, storage mode will only work if you are below storage levels from the get go.

Pg 17 of your manual, set to the S of your pack (4S) and maybe 1A, if it doesn't work set it to 0.6A and try again.
Leave them connected until it's done but like I said, it will take ~ 6h per battery (per channel).

Charging you can do at the recommended C rate of 5A but discharging has significant limitations on your charger.
Hope that helps.

You might want to invest in a dedicated dis-charger if you don't want to wait that long.
The one below can do 80W i.e. 80/16 ~5A (5000mA), it will do this in ~ 45min per battery. There are others out there as well.

https://www.amazon.com/ISDT-Dischar...lipo+battery+discharger&qid=1593558815&sr=8-4

I think he should be able to set it to 10a to discharge instead of 1a as that is 2c and the battery is rated at "40c" discharge, I would never try to discharge any battery at 40c that's just asking for trouble.

 

[Bigjay23834]

I think he should be able to set it to 10a to discharge instead of 1a as that is 2c and the battery is rated at "40c" discharge, I would never try to discharge any battery at 40c that's just asking for trouble.

I hope to get more advice as the evening goes on if not I try and pick my car up from the shop and discharge them

 

[jkflow]

No argument from my side that you can set to 40C discharge rate, with this battery, but the charger above can only do ~0.1C, that is based on the math and the listed spec in the manual. Some chargers will simply refuse and not work if you select a higher value that it can't achieve.

I hope to get more advice as the evening goes on if not I try and pick my car up from the shop and discharge them

That is always the more fun way of discharging and goes by way to quick!

 

[slick2500]

No argument from my side that you can set to 40C discharge rate, with this battery, but the charger above can only do ~0.1C, that is based on the math and the listed spec in the manual. Some chargers will simply refuse and not work if you select a higher value that it can't achieve.

That is always the more fun way of discharging and goes by way to quick!

Oh shoot sorry I didn't read your post right, I thought you said 10a discharge and I see that you said 10w my bad.

 

[Bigjay23834]

Oh shoot sorry I didn't read your post right, I thought you said 10a discharge and I see that you said 10w my bad.

So the discharger is a bad idea I appreciate your guys help I am picking the car up and discharging them tomorrow all they was doing is installing Speedo and heat sensor I will just bring it home thanks again