When you set up your charging
station, think about your cell and charger
layout. If something happens, what are
you going to do? Is there any risk of
collateral damage? Are your items
logically placed to where any other FE
Racer would know what to do if you are
on the drivers stand? Did you go over
your equipment and your plan with your
co-racer or pitman?
Store your LiPos safely. Many use
some type of fire resistant “LiPo Sack”
or ammo cans. There’s debate here as
well regarding what is a best practice, so
check your LiPo manufacturer’s
recommendations or get in touch with
me or another FE racer who has a good
working knowledge of LiPos to discuss a
storage practice that may be suitable for
you and your needs. With that said,
LiPo’s should not be stored fully
charged.
Manufacturers recommend a 50
percent charge state for long term
storage. I personally don’t have a
problem with a 30 percent storage
charge. Having an appropriate storage
charge greatly increases their life span
and if you take away the full power that
can be otherwise stored in the packs, you
greatly diminish the risks. Lastly, store
in a cool, dry place and away from
combustibles.
This is not intended to be an all-
inclusive list of recommendations as
there are other processes and opinions
about the proper use, charge, and storage
of LiPo’s. As I mentioned earlier, even
some LiPo manufacturers have different
recommendations. However, it’s
important to investigate and implement a
safe LiPo handling procedure that fits
your needs. Race organizers will have
proper equipment at the event, but don’t
rely on it. You need to take personal
responsibility for your procedures,
equipment, and the overall safety of your
pit area. It’s important that safety be on
the forefront of our minds come race day
and hopefully with proper LiPo handling
practices being used by all racers, we
can greatly reduce or even eliminate the
risks of LiPo batteries. And, if we do, we
will be prepared to handle it quickly. If
you have any questions, please send me
an email.
PROPWASH
November 2012
3
LiPo Batteries: Respecting Our Power Source
By David Newland
NAMBA FE Chairman
On day two of the 2012 FE
Nationals, we were reminded
that we must diligently respect
our power source. LiPo
batteries store an impressive
amount of power and it’s
important to constantly review
our procedures to ensure our
safety and the safety of
others. Fortunately, we were
quick to respond with multiple
racers having fire extinguishers
and the only damage was to a
few LiPo batteries, a small
section of counter top and a
plastic light cover. Though
these situations are rare, they
do happen and we need to be prepared. Please know that I certainly don’t make myself
out to be a leading expert on LiPo handling and usage. I’m just racer that likes FE as a
power source. My intent with this article is to foster (or rekindle) a sense of respect for
LiPo batteries, and to help motivate you to make sure you have procedures in place
that ensure a safe experience with FE.
Though there are many different opinions regarding some of the safety procedures
for LiPo batteries (even between manufacturers), many safety items are no-
brainers. For instance, using quality batteries and quality chargers and balancers
provides the best assurance that your batteries will charge properly and be in top
shape. I have noticed that balancer usage has dropped off lately (me included) because
the newer cells stay balanced very well. We need to get back on track and use the
appropriate cell balancers as they provide the first alert to a problem if a battery is
having an issue while charging. Balancers can also cut charging power to the battery
in the event of a problem. It may not be the end all/be all to LiPo safety, but we all
need to acknowledge that balancers play a very important role regarding battery
charging safety and we need to be consistently using them.
Do not use or charge packs that are damaged, or that you suspect are damaged.
Discharge them to 0 percent and store safely until you can dispose of them properly.
Charge packs out in the open
and away from other
combustibles. Also, make sure
there is clear separation between
your packs while charging. In
the rare event a battery enters a
thermal runaway condition, you
don’t want there to be any
collateral damage. That’s where
your focus needs to be
(collateral damage), because,
quite frankly, there’s not much
you can do about the battery
that’s in a thermal runaway
condition. Know where the fire
extinguishers are located. Better
yet, have your own. Have a
plan.
A LiPo charging table with good separation between
packs, high quality equipment with balancers, one
inch bits of fuel tubing to cap an exposed battery
connector, a cell volt checker and a fire extinguisher
Warm packs perform better, but there are better and
safer ways to do it. If you put packs on your
dashboard, make sure you carry comprehensive
coverage on your vehicle insurance policy, have 911
logged on your cell phone, and a friend at the pond
to drive you home.