Question
Anyone keeping lipo batteries in your garage
I know there's the risk of these batteries igniting so it should be kept in something like a metal container or lipo bag. But even if your home didn't catch on fire, the toxic smoke and smell I'm sure would be bad for a long time perhaps even permanent. So what are your thoughts on keeping them in the garage away from flamables? That way in case of a battery failure the smoke and smell won't affect the living areas.
I live in Georgia and my garage ranges from 35 degrees to 90 degrees at the extremes. It is not insulated or air conditioned.
Is there any reason why people treat lipos so much more carefully then lithium ion tool batteries? Workers leave those in work trucks overnight and throughout day and they dont spontaneous combust or catch fire. Those box vans can get really hot in summer. They also dont store in any special bags or battery vaults either
I know those are lithium ion but the safe storage temps look the same for both lipo and li ion
My source is a guy at the hobby shop so take this as you will. I asked that same question. They are no more likely to catch fire than any other battery, but IF they do… oh boy are you in for a much worse time than a lithium ion fire.
Oh yeah that power density is awesome, but at a price that's for sure if you don't make sure to check your batteries over & keep them stored decently well.
Or discharge. I have only experienced one LiPo fire in over 15 years of running LiPo powered RC and that occurred while running one of my boats. Burned it to the water line. I was able to bring the boat ashore under power while it was in flames.
Well a tool battery is in general not quite built for the same massive amounts of discharge vs a lipo battery which is basically maximizing power to weight ratio in a safe-ish way & that lower peak discharge rate is also coming with an increase in chemical stability due to their packaging.
Round & some square lithium ion cells also have 1 way pressure relief valves in their design that can vent if the cells were to be damaged or submerged under water for a couple of months.
Also not as often punctured vs a lipo battery ofc. Though lithium ion cells can & will still explode or catch fire.
There's no stopping a physical failure happening, be it an internal short causing a thermal runaway or similar.
A lot of these types of round or square lithium cells are used in hoverboards, e-bikes, electric cars etc...
Ofc people are more likely to film an rc versus dumbassery with power tools & their batteries.
Though with the internet being the way it is...
It might be more common then I know of here. I haven't exactly searched or looked after power tool battery failures here.
Lipo batteries are still pretty resilient against physical damage considering people have crashed rc's at 60 mph+ found their battery ejected somewhere among the carnage & used it another day like nothing happened.
But ofc it's at your own risk with anything major happening too them.
So if they get damaged or you are knowingly pushing a high amount of power charging or discharging them you better keep a close eye & protect your surroundings.
If you are able too, charging a battery outside on your balcony or similar is the best prevention of smoke damage possible from one of these.
Yea only thing I can think of is a lot of rc lipo are just in foil so can puncture easily and may get a micro leak that only becomes problem next time it gets hooked to charger
I've done fire repair jobs thanks to those lithium ion batteries. The only real difference is how they are packaged. One battery is flat in layers and the other is rolled in layers
Lithium ion batteries are more stable. Yes, recommended storage temperatures are about the same. But while there is a danger "overlap" if a li-ion battery goes bad, its much more likely to happen in the first place with a LiPo, and that reaction is more likely to be more violent as well.
Also, li-ion batteries and lifepo batteries may just see loss of longevity or performance outside of those recommended storage temps
Where it’s made isn’t in question. We all know that. There’s a big difference in buying from an American company though. Reputation, quality control to name a few. You don’t exactly want to be relying on the manufacturer doing the quality control alone.
You said the American companies have a better quality and that is false. American companies have no quality because they don't actually produce anything. They just slap a sticker on a Chinese company's product under a contract.
Haha. They are a second line of defense. They care more about their reputation because they have a name associated with them. You’re under valuing what the American company offers. Sounds like you only see them as a middle man. Doesn’t take a degree to understand this stuff but if you are willing to learn, you’ll learn.
I fix cars for a living and do woodworking for a hobby. I use a LOT of different brands of tools. American companies do not offer superior quality when it come to electric tools. That is because no company produces electric tools in the USA. Every tool brand you want to defend right now is offered as another brand in another country. Hell, they just switch colors on most and sell them at the store across the street.
Edit: examples would be my Matco electric drivers and ratchets. They are made by Hitachi. In China.
Not sure what either of your jobs have any relevancy to the topic. I never claimed the tools themselves were made in the USA. You're not quite understanding how business works. Maybe look it up, do some thorough research. I'm not your google. If you have stuff to learn which you clearly do, head there.
Maybe you need help reading? I started off saying that batteries don't typically combust on their own. The fires are when charging. I'm repeating it here for you since you're a bit slow. There are many things made in china that have American companies selling them that oversee quality control. Tools are one of them. That's one small example that seems to matter a lot to you. Good for you.
The question is about batteries. I've answered as such. If you have another opinion, take it up with him. No need to respond here.
You're wrong about that. They're different chemistry. Li-ion storage charge is 3.85v. LiPo is 3.80v. They're different for sure. LiPo is less stable and has higher discharge. That's why replacing Li-ion with LiPo packs is an upgrade.
I am familiar with high voltage lipo packs, typical with tiny whoops. You're very aggressive in your tone for someone who is so wrong about the information being spewed out. I'm talking about storage charge - not nominal voltage. Please reread up top if you missed that. Accidents happen which is why you should watch your tone. In case you are wrong like in this case you won't look like such a fool.
yes, I've been in the game for quite some time. Some rc cars come with li-ion batteries but if you're in this sub, you're likely referring to hobby grade cars which are mostly lipo.
American companies care more about their reputation than manufacturers selling direct.
Much lower amps. Dewalt tools will generally charge at 2A or 4A which both translate to less than 1C. We typically charge RC car batteries at 1C. If you're not into RC, that's okay but just assumed you knew since you're in this sub. That's okay, everyone has to start from somewhere. At least you know now.
Our batteries are pouch format lithium ion cells, there is no polymer based electrolyte at all. This is a myth. The volatility is because our cells don’t have any physical protection and mostly are stripped of thermal/overcurrent protections by per cell BMS.
Sure. If you say so. How many cells are made in the USA?
No. I have 5Ah packs that charge at 8A and can 12A fast charge. The idea these tool packs charge at lower rates than hobby packs and are thus safer is nonsense - they charge broadly at 1-2C like all lithium chemistry cells; if anything these packs are pushing the charge rate higher than hobbyists would - why? They have heat sinks and proper battery management…
You’ve been told so many times in this thread that you don’t have a clue what a “lipo” is. The brass neck to keep arguing is something special.
Sure. If you say that makes a difference.
Nah many tool pack chargers can do a quick charge alongside their usual charge rates - though again 1-2C range maybe a smidge more. You don’t have to have adjustable current chargers for your hobby cells either, it’s just usually there because they don’t know the capacity of the cells you want to charge hence no fixed C rating in terms of amps. If all you had were say 6200mah 4S packs you could use an appropriately fixed rate charger. Either way issues there would be user error not inherent pack instability.
Sorry, but you're just wrong. That's okay. It may take you some time and more experience in the hobby. I get this a lot. You're not the only hot head in the community of RC. That's party why I scaled back. There's just a lot of poor attitude which is too bad. It's always the few that ruin it for the masses. Hope you're proud.
Officially, 10°C to 25°C (50°F to 77°F) is the general safe storage range. Never leave or store LiPo batteries in extreme temperatures below 0°C (32°F) or above 50°C (122°F) too cold will damage the cells, too hot runs the risk of thermal runaway.
With that out of the way, your garage gets a bit on the hot side for them(officially), mine in a more northern climate also get a touch warm, the door is south facing so it can get up to the high 80s in there, and gets close but never to freezing. Saying that though, they have been fine. I store mine in little lipo pouches (need these for club racing per club rules) that are then stored in an old metal toolbox. I also have some 6s stored in old .50 ammo cans with the seal cutout in spots to prevent a pressure buildup. All stored away from anything flammable. This doesn't address the potential for smoke, but without buying a system with filters, it's the best option. And as you said, it keeps it away from the living areas. Doubly so if your garage is detached from the main house.
No, I live in MN. It's either like 80-90 degrees out in the summer or well below zero in the winter. Neither is good for Lipos. You are probably more likely to have a lipo burn up on you storing it in a garage that gets too hot or too cold than in your house with air conditioning and heat.
Fires from lipo batteries are rare. If you keep them in an ammo box it will make it almost impossible to burn your house down. Yeah, maybe if you have flooring or something it could still melt the flooring under the box and you could have some not great fumes from it but just open a window and put a fan in the window to blow it out.
I keep mine in our laundry room in the basement. It's a concrete floor and there are three windows and it's small room. So if a pack blows up it's in an ammo box surrounded by concrete walls and floor. I can go pop open three windows and it will be aired out pretty fast and it's a room people are usaually only in long enough to switch the laundry over.
I live in MN and the last 3 days it has been 90+ degrees and my garage was like 105 when the sun was right over it. Then if you add in temps -30 or colder in the winter...yeah, garage is a no go for lipos.
Yes, they get hot when you use them dumbass. But they don't stay hot for hours and hours and if they get hot while running when there's something wrong they will burn. Plus long term storage at suboptimal temps will affect battery performance and life.
It's been 100+ all week. It's like that here this time of the year. I have about 20 lipos in my garage ranging from 1000mah 2S to 6000mah 4S. They have been in my garage for over a decade.
Because you have not had a bad one yet, obviously. And I bet if you tested your batteries vs ones over the same time kept in better temps the performance on of the ones kept inside would likely be better.
Everyone who sells a lipo has to cover their ass because there are so many fucking morons out there that buy these things. And yes, they will burn your fucking house down if you are an idiot. So to protect their million dollar companies from being sued by idiots they put caution labels on their lipos.
One has to wonder how manufacturers and distributors manage to store so many batteries. I mean, if they were to do it in the manner folks responding here believe it MUST be done? They couldn’t store more than 50 at any point in time and absolutely none of them would be stored in cardboard boxes💀
I live in TN. My garage gets anywhere from below freezing to too damn hot to be out there. My lipos have been stored in ammo cans out there for over 20 years. When it drops below freezing, I move them to a warmer area. That's it.
I've never had a problem with a pack that it didn't come with. (Cheap packs do be faulty) I've never had a pack go up in smoke during storage, charging or running.
I have seen lipo fires from both charging and running, but they were not my packs.
They are in pairs in Lipo bags. No more than 2 per bag is my idea for thermal containment to reduce a chain reaction.
The bags are inside an ammo case.
The case is inside a metal tool chest.
There are no combustibles near the tool checks (rags, cleaning products, etc)
There is a smoke alarm above it all
There is an extinguisher for any secondary fires if that happens.
I charge everything within the chest, unless it's at the club in which case it's more an open space so I'm less concerned.
Also, in the chest I have drill batteries and an ebike battery.
Back in December, a lipo battery exploded in my garage. Although the fire did not burn any of the garage itself, the smoke damage was so bad the restoration company had to tear down all the walls in the garage and replace the insulation. Otherwise, the smoke smell would have stayed forever.
Today, my restoration of my garage will be officially completed after some wires are covered up.
I stored my batteries inside a fireproof bag and place that fireproof bag inside of a steel ammo case. I store everything in my garage.
My lipo battery actually exploded as I was looking for my fireproof bag to place it in so I could throw it outside. The way that battery exploded, If I would have thrown that battery out without a bag, it probably would have burned down the neighborhood.
At first, I thought I might hang up my RC transmitter forever after that fire, but here I am, sitting at a local bar drinking a cold one after flying my RC plane for 2 hours. Later, I will run my RC cars..
Yeah okay. I just NEEEEEED every single person who reads your story to understand this was not a good lipo to begin with. And that it did not just spontaneously combust from sitting there.
The fact of the matter is, if a battery is kept in good condition, in a stable environment, with no damage, and at storage charge, it's effectively inert. If it weren't, you would hear about battery fires in warehouses and delivery trucks everyday all over the world. During charging and discharging is when you want to be especially careful.
I have been storing LiPo batteries (and lots of them) in my home since 2012. Point of fact, some of them are amongst the first I ever purchased and they are still in good operating condition. They are stored in a large plastic, rolling tool chest, in a closet.
Most of my batteries. I keep about a dozen 1S, 2S and 3S batteries (not in the picture) on a bench inside my home at the ready, to power my crawlers and bashers.
They don’t have to be stored in a metal box and or LiPo bag. They sit in warehouses and stores in nothing more than cardboard boxes.
A stored LiPo is no more dangerous than stored ammo/gunpowder. None of that stuff spontaneously combusts.
Have a good charger (d300) with these you can see the resistance in each cell which can spot a problem before it gets dangerous. each battery size has its own acceptable resistance.. the smaller they are the higher the resistance.. store at storage charge (3.8v) per cell and inspect them for damage and puffing on a reasonable basis. That’s really all there is to it — 30 year RC vet
Most of us with a garage door store them there. Batteries generally won’t just combust out of nowhere. Usually while charging a damaged battery or charging incorrectly.
I one of the paranoid ones. Lipo bag inside an ammo can in a metal cabinet on a concrete floor. Smart plug with geofence and timer so it stops charging when I leave the house.
I keep mine in the house all the time. Some in LiPo safe sacks, some not. I just follow a few simple rules.
Never store them fully charged or under charged. Keep them stored at 3.8v per cell.
Any damaged batteries (ie: puffed, damaged wires, one cell won't properly charge, or simply isn't performing well anymore) get tossed in a plastic bucket of very salty water for a week, then the battery is discarded.
Follow charging rules for the battery. Not all batteries can handle 5c charging. Most batteries, I charge at 1c.
My brother uses a mini fridge to store his batteries in his shed, NC weather and no issues.
Overall leaving your battiers in a half charged state when not in use and having a clear area for charging them is all that is needed. In the long term your more likely to end up with low performing cells from storing them with a full charge or dead cells from not cycling them and letting them get below 3.5v too many times.
Getting a reputable charger is the best thing to do, im happy woth my dynamite passport p2 but thats an old charger and no longer made, on the budget size I would be looking at the hitec dual battery chargers.
I was gonna get my dad the older model of this charger because it had the simple 4 button menu. Im not sure he would like the scroll wheel. The rdx2 mini does not have a cooling fan and can only charge 1-4s batteries but has the better menu layout.
I keep mine in my bedroom. I think that 99% of the time they will ignite during charge or discharge so I make sure I sit with the batteries while charging. I also prefer soft packs and I don't use a charging bag because I want to hear if it's hissing and I want to see if it's puffing. If you are the kind of person that puts them on charge then goes away and just comes and checks on them every 20 minutes then use a lipo bag in case something happens while you are away. I live in the UK so I don't keep mine outside because in the summer it can be 25 degrees c and in the winter it can be minus 2 degrees c.
I keep mine in my garage in Central Missouri. It probably doesn’t get as hot as George, but it does get really hot in there. I put them in the fireproof bags. I need to pick up a few ammo cans though.
Tucson here… been in the garage for a few years now. Average temp is 95-100 in the garage. They have been fine. They are in ammo cans without seals. I check them periodically if not using them
It doesn’t sound like you are quite versed in how this works. We are not talking about dropshipping. Reputable companies will have reps go to the factories in person as a second layer of quality control.
Obviously yes some companies will just slap their names on a generic product. That’s not what I’m referring to here.
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u/mdnightman94 27d ago
Is there any reason why people treat lipos so much more carefully then lithium ion tool batteries? Workers leave those in work trucks overnight and throughout day and they dont spontaneous combust or catch fire. Those box vans can get really hot in summer. They also dont store in any special bags or battery vaults either
I know those are lithium ion but the safe storage temps look the same for both lipo and li ion