Lipo fire, keep your stuff locked up guys.

[Valkrieys]

Left work last night after locking up my tool container. Its a (26 foot insulated box from a box truck). Came in to work this morning and found my lipo bag had went up overnight. All my batteries are always left at storage charge so im confused how everything happened. Thank goodness nothing else caught fire. Coulda lost 80% of my cars.

Looking through the pile it looks like it came from one of my 9500 CNHL batteries. Any idea if they would warranty something like this, and if so how?

 

[Robbbbbb66]

Left work last night after locking up my tool container. Its a (26 foot insulated box from a box truck). Came in to work this morning and found my lipo bag had went up overnight. All my batteries are always left at storage charge so im confused how everything happened. Thank goodness nothing else caught fire. Coulda lost 80% of my cars.

Looking through the pile it looks like it came from one of my 9500 CNHL batteries. Any idea if they would warranty something like this, and if so how?View attachment 218303View attachment 218304View attachment 218305View attachment 218306View attachment 218302View attachment 218307

That's sucks.

As for the Warranty @Boggs3010 got a couple free packs for the damage to his charger and desk.

 

[SrC]

Wow...
Yeah crap happens this way.
You were lucky to say the least.
From the looks of it, user error was not the cause there.

 

[3x9rtse]

Maybe with all the batteries crammed into that bag, a positive from one battery touched a negative of another

 

[Valkrieys]

Maybe with all the batteries crammed into that bag, a positive from one battery touched a negative of another

Just making contact with one end of a lead will not cause a short. And I severely doubt both ends of two different battery leads managed to contact each other.

 

[TL01magic]

Just making contact with one end of a lead will not cause a short. And I severely doubt both ends of two different battery leads managed to contact each other.

yea that would seem unlikely to me too. also looks like just one cell failed (hmmm thinking this through more; manufacturing defect / damage to balance lead soldering within pack shorting just the one cell?) does that fit the use before storing it? I doubt it but guessing.

all i can think of is the material used to "separate" the charge (potential) failed however partially, and the issue was of the self fulfilling / run-a-way type.

would have NEVER guessed the other batts to NOT also breakdown.

perhaps because was JUST storage voltage; and that because such large cell did manage to create a fair bit of heat; however not enough to get other cells failing.

I don't need to tell you but props to ya for lipo handling / storage! (your property insurance company owes you a dinner! lol)

 

[3x9rtse]

With how intense a Lipo battery fire can be, I am impressed that that bag contained it
So is a Lipo battery bag better than using a metal container?

 

[TL01magic]

With how intense a Lipo battery fire can be, I am impressed that that bag contained it
So is a Lipo battery bag better than using a metal container?

I think a primary concern is to contain heat, and be able to vent the pressure.

just my opinion but imagine the venting is the tricky part for a bag. I envision plasma coming out the bag where it folds to seal / close. a metal container that can latch and has a mechanical vent would prob be safer / more fool proof than a fireproof bag.

probably lots of demo vids out there of each doing their thing

 

[Smilinbri]

Holy Lipo fire Batman! That is always my worse fear. I have 3 med Batsafes and 2 minis. Also tons of bags. Glad it was contained to your bag and no real damage! Def appears manufacturer defect. Glad to see the bag worked!!!

 

[Valkrieys]

?proper? Lipo disposal

 

[Doom!]

And this is why safe battery storage is important. Sucks about the other batteries but much better than what could have happened.

 

[KnowAir]

Left work last night after locking up my tool container. Its a (26 foot insulated box from a box truck). Came in to work this morning and found my lipo bag had went up overnight. All my batteries are always left at storage charge so im confused how everything happened. Thank goodness nothing else caught fire. Coulda lost 80% of my cars.

Looking through the pile it looks like it came from one of my 9500 CNHL batteries. Any idea if they would warranty something like this, and if so how?View attachment 218303View attachment 218304View attachment 218305View attachment 218306View attachment 218302View attachment 218307

Oh snap!! Sorry to hear. Thank goodness the bag did it's job!! Right now, I have about 15-20 lipos sitting in a Ryobi tool bag in my garage.. I feel for you and hope you can recoup something from CNHL..
This has me feeling like I gotta go home and do something like right NOW!!
Sad thing is I literally have a coal AND a wood stove sitting in the garage doing absolutely nothing..seems like a good storage space for lipos if nothing else?

And this is why safe battery storage is important. Sucks about the other batteries but much better than what could have happened.

Amen to that!!

 

[TL01magic]

I literally have a coal AND a wood stove sitting in the garage doing absolutely nothing..seems like a good storage space for lipos if nothing else?

WOW! That's like 100% safest method! brilliant idea imo!

 

[Adiabatic]

With how intense a Lipo battery fire can be, I am impressed that that bag contained it
So is a Lipo battery bag better than using a metal container?

This was at storage voltage (~50% SoC) so the reaction is much less energetic. It's usually quite difficult to make these batteries thermal runaway at all at a low state of charge, and when they do it's nothing as dramatic as what you see in the online demonstrations where people intentionally overcharge to something like 200% SoC to trigger a violent fire.

As for the cause of this incident, I would guess it's a rare case of mechanical damage inside a cell or puncture of a cell pouch leading to delayed thermal runaway at low SoC. Usually an internal short at storage charge won't generate enough heat to set the whole thing off and the fireworks happen sometime after you put it on the charger, but here it looks like enough built up over hours to melt it down. You're probably lucky in a sense in that if you had tried to charge the battery it would have self-destructed more energetically at a higher SoC and caused more damage.

It does appear the bag did a decent job containing it. I feel pretty comfortable recommending these for storage, but not for charging. A 100% or near SoC fire will almost certainly burn right through or at least produce enough heat to set nearby things on fire. Bags for storage, Bat-Safe for charging IMO.

 

[Monster Dork]

How many amps should I use to charge my new Lipos? They're supposed to really help the vehicle explode off the line...

 

[Adiabatic]

Not very many assuming they gave you the electric caps that are supposed to go with them. An amp or so for reliable firing? I don't remember.

 

[Vulthraxis]

How many amps should I use to charge my new Lipos? They're supposed to really help the vehicle explode off the line...

Looks like the 4c charge rate.

 

[Rainger40]

I keep my batts in an old pot after wife got new ones. If it can handle the stove and oven it should be able to handle the lipos if they go up. Lid fits nice enough to not give a ton of oxygen for fire, but would easily vent higher pressures.

 

[Valkrieys]

So after checking the only 3 batteries with no visual dama found that my Zeee 9000 4s and my Hoovoo 5200 4s were still balanced and at storage charge. Gonna clean those off and test them in a car i don care for... lol

However my other 9500 CNHL had all 4 cells unbalanced. Between 3.7 to 4.0 volts.

 

[Boggs3010]

Glad everything is ok. Still dealing with my mess. Cnhl I asked for 500 in free batteries, just received the last of them today. 2nd issue on the forum with cnhl. Mine granted I am not 100% may have been the charger.