Big Rock Lipo Fire

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Mavro Drakos

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Arrma RC's
  1. BigRock
So I finally find a new spot where I can do some good jumps at a near by BMX track. 15 minutes into the session smoke starts streaming out of my BRCC. I managed to get the cover off quickly, disconnect the battery and then throw it clear of the truck.

I then managed to pick it up with a long stick and move it to sand pile where I covered it and let it go out.

Maybe that was pretty stupid and in hindsight it was probably safer to leave well alone and say good bye to my truck. I guess it could have exploded at any point.

In the process I inhaled a lung full of the smoke. Turns out the stuff coming out of a LIPO fire can be seriously toxic. The fumes are as much of a risk as the flames.

That properly freaked me out. It all happened so quickly. From to fun to oh crap in seconds.

It occurred to me I’ve been charging and storing this thing in the house where my kids sleep and I’m not keen to repeat that.

I definitely made a couple of mistakes. It wasn’t a hard case. I always assumed the battery was pretty safe and secure in the chassis. Maybe a hard case would make difference but I struggle to see how it would significantly reduce the impact.

This was the battery for info. https://www.overlander.co.uk/lipo-batteries-5000mah-3s-11-1v-35c-supersport.html

Actually as I write this I remember there were a lot stones flying around. If one got in and under there battery pack it might have pierced it and started the fire. I’ll never know.

My charger is pretty basic. It plugs into the control lead the Lipo had but doesn’t give me any info on the charging state of the cells or the ability to discharge slowly if I need to.

If I go down this road again (and I’m seriously thinking twice about it) I’ll set up a charging station outside and under cover and I’ll store the batteries in the shed. I’ll also get a better charger, a hard case battery and I think a fire extinguisher to have on hand.

Is this overkill? Did I just get unlucky or is this quite common? How many of you guys had a LiPo fire and how did you deal with it?
 
Many of us have only read the stories, and probably still believe it won't happen to us. I'm sorry to hear that you had to take a lung full of the smoke, and that it hasn't affected you negatively in any way. Safe charging and storage have always been stressed in almost all lipo literature, but many just don't take it seriously. I do store and charge mine in a metal box, but nothing that would truly contain an explosion. New bag on it's way courtesy of a link posted by @crimsonfancy ?, and your story will definitely have me paying closer attention in the future. I do keep I fire extinguisher near my work bench, but that probably wouldn't help if something happened while I was asleep. Outside storage is definitely on the agenda.
 
You were seriously unlucky. Many RC owners will thankfully not experience that. I ran hard packs only but many do soft without issue. I keepmand store my batteries in the shed. Formstorage they are in an ammo box and som eg just make charging stations out of them also. I haven’t done that but do most times keep the batteries in a Lipo bag when charging.

Sounds like you were seriously unlucky, don’t let one bad experience pu you off the hobby.......how is the BRCC BTW?
 
Pics please or it didn't happen "sarcasm";). I want to see how bad a fire would mess up a truck if it happened to me.
 
Wow. Talk about bad luck. My packs have been beaten, poked and bent but remain satisfyingly unignited. Don't know anyone personally that had a lipo fire either.

I keep them in clay flower pots on a marble table in the shed, BTW.

Get a good charger that lets you storage charge and check the voltages on your packs.
 
Thanks guys. Amazingly my truck is OK. It had a bad smell but I gave it a spray with some muc-off and water and it’s fine. I got a lot of smoke coming off but didn’t see any flames. So maybe I was unlucky and lucky. It’s good to know it’s a rare occurrence.

I’ll take the precautions I mentioned and get back on the horse. Just need to work out an outdoor charging set up.

Thanks for the concern and be careful :)
 
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