Puffing Lipos

[Taff]

Hi All

No doubt this has been covered before But....what causes lipos to puff up/swell ..and can anything be done to reverse it...is it dangerous to carry on using in this state? I have 2 lipos 2200 not very old ,not many flights ,that have just gone this way,being a bit wary have decided to keep them out doors in a fire proof container !!!! should i disgard them ? or is there life in them yet....all views welcome

Regards Taff

[Andy Green]

They're wrecked Taff.

Use a light load and discharge them completely, and in the bin with them.

Andy

[Former Member]

[This posting has been removed]

[Devon Flyer]

Posted by Tom Sharp 2 on 06/03/2012 22:24:37: Idealy you should aim to have 20% of capacity left at the end of a flight.

I always aim to draw no more than 80% of the theoretical maximum current out of a pack and no more than 80% of the theoretical capacity.

ie.2200mAh pack rated at 20C would be approx 35A current drain and approx 1700mAh capacity drain.

I've done this for a number of years now and very rarely have any problems with packs dying or puffing up.

Edited By Devon Flyer on 06/03/2012 22:32:07

[Ben B]

A little bit of puffing that settles once the battery has cooled (and re-absorbed the gas) is fine. Goes hand in hand with hot cells and high amp discharge. If it's permanently puffed it's a different matter. Ive got some Turnigy Nano's that get well and truly puffed when discharged but give them 10 minutes and they're rock solid. Still going strong approx 50 flights later.

So first describe your puff! IF they're still puffed once they've calmed down you're in for some trouble.

[Former Member]

[This posting has been removed]

[PatMc]

Hi Taff,

Don't panic, just charge & use as normal. But do be a little more vigilant charging & carefull where they're stored. The performance may be a little below their normal in use (but not necessarily).

The attached photos are of ones I got from HK in 2007. They were part of a bad batch distributed world wide at the time & mine were replaced FOC on the strength of the photos. I continued using them together with the replacements.

Two of the 2200s became unuseable about 18 months ago the other two have also swollen & noticably lost capacity but are still useable. Both the 1300s are now swollen but are useable though they have never been hard pushed as I've always used them in low current demand vintage models.

Edited By PatMc on 06/03/2012 23:02:34

Edited By Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator on 28/04/2013 12:38:58

[Mac Duberia]

Hi,

Can anybody advise, i have a overlander 5000mAh lipo 14.8v 25c, i havent had much use of it say i've charged and balanced it about 4-5 times, but now its showing signs of slight swelling, should i be worried about it. I also have other lipos which i have charged and balanced number of times and they look normal compared to the 5000mAh. I've kept the lipo in a tin at the back of the garden just in case.

Thanks

Mac

[Tim Mackey]

SLIGHT swelling is fine.

[Simon Chaddock]

This is the sort of swelling that means the LiPo should not be used.

It still charged but one cell had much reduced capacity and was thus likely to be almost fully discharged before the LVC 'kicked in' so harming the weak cell even further if it continued to be used.

[crispin church]

if the battery works use it

if it dont work bin it

do you throw everyone out thats abit swollen around the middle ?

[Allan Bowker]

I can't add any more advice than has already been said, other than:

• Please be careful with Li-Po's, they are more of a fire hazzard in their puffed state.

• Please consider taking your battery to your local municipal recycling centre (waste tip).

[Stevo]

Mine are slightly swollen, they are never over-discharged and always balance charged at 1C. However get it wrong and...

http://youtu.be/SwQcgyoNz3s

I have tried embedding the video as direceted but it comes up with a blank space on Google Chrome but OK in IE.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited By Stevo on 28/04/2013 18:00:52

Edited By Stevo on 28/04/2013 18:02:13