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CAUTION ..I REALLY mean it !

Posted by Earl on August 15, 2013 at 11:30pm
3 years charging these lipo battries and no problem. 8-16-2013 my luck ran out. I was charging a 3 cell 2200 mah lipo while I worked at the computer.<br /
3 years charging these lipo battries and no problem. 8-16-2013 my luck ran out.
I was charging a 3 cell 2200 mah lipo while I worked at the computer.
It caught FIRE near me. Got it out the door just in time.
It burns HOT and long.
Could have burned the place down to the ground.
Be CAREFUL.....PLEASE !
Earl
It Caught FIRE near me. Got it out the door just in time. It burns HOT and long.
Be CAREFULL.....
Tags: battry, caution, charging, lipo, safety
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Comments

  • HeliStorm August 16, 2013 at 7:13am
    I have been cautious with lipos, but I will be more so now. Question though, with more consumer electronics and kids toys using lipos to power them, I wonder what is being done to prevent this sort of thing in them?
  • Earl August 16, 2013 at 6:14am

    @TJCiii Your sooo right. VERY good advice. I will NEVER use a pack that has swelled again. Penny saved, Pound lost !

    I regularly used swelled packs never giving thought they were dangerous. They ARE.

    If you misuse a lipo battery by running it down too low in voltage and it swells, discard it. It is bad now and could be dangerous if you try to charge it.

    I regularly misused lipos, but after the fire last night, I will be much more aware of battery safety now.

    I sure wasn't expecting this ! Fires DO happen with swelled packs so be aware. I will from now on.

    Thanks to God things turned out ok.

    Earl

  • Moderator
    Roberto Navoni August 16, 2013 at 6:14am

    Happen also to me last year . but normally i recharge the battery out of my home and inside an aluminium case .. so if i close it the fire don't have oxygen to burn. Keep atention about battery .. happen in 3-4 second .

  • Chuck August 16, 2013 at 6:00am

    Just out of curiosity, what charging method and amps were you charging at? 2.0a on balance? Scary stuff, glad everything worked out OK.

  • Jesse August 16, 2013 at 5:57am

    I suppose you could make your own template TJCIII?  just cut out a piece of wood that your pack fits neatly through and when it stops fitting neatly through it, replace...

    There is a range of lipo charge bags out there that are designed to contain a fire caused by a lipo.  Glass jars will break with the heat and make the situation worse, not a good idea to use...

  • Admin
    Thomas J Coyle III August 16, 2013 at 5:28am

    A template can be purchased that allows a LiPo user to objectively determine when a LiPo is at the end of its life. The template has rectangular slots for the various sizes of LiPos and all a user needs to do is select the correct size slot and see if the LiPo will pass through it. If it won't make it through the correct slot, then it is time to dispose of it even if it will still take a charge.

    I always charge out in the garage which has a concrete floor and have a small bucket of sand handy to douse the flames if one should decide to catch fire during the charging process.

    Regards,

    TCIII Admin

  • Pablo Torres Carreira August 16, 2013 at 5:22am

    That never happened to me, but for safety I put my batteries inside a thick glass jar while charging.

  • R. D. Starwalt August 16, 2013 at 4:17am

    If you will, please tell us the brand of battery and the charger you were using.

    It would also be helpful to know the charge rate, stop voltage, etc, if the charger is one of the newer 'smart type'.

    Glad you caught it even if just in time.

    -=Doug

  • Jesse August 16, 2013 at 2:38am

    Any clues as to why it burst into flames?  was the pack swollen at all?

    LiPo's scare me for exactly this reason.  I do however make sure that I always balance the pack, every single charge. and I have already thrown a couple of packs out that began to swell a little bit...

  • Moderator
    Gary Mortimer August 16, 2013 at 1:56am

    I'm busy charging batteries right now, made me go check.

This reply was deleted.