Where do you store your batteries?

[mikiek]

I understand the volatility of our LiPo batteries somewhat. Don't leave them around charged, don't leave them around discharged. Storage mode right?

I even picked up some of those Bat-Safe boxes. The problem is those are sort of big and they shouldn't really be stacked or stored away in a cabinet. My garage will hit 90 degrees in the summer so I suspect that is not the best location. And I don't really have a good place in the house where I can lay out a bunch of boxes (4).

So I'm wondering where you put yours when you're not going to use them for a week or so?

[NativePaul]

In the fridge. I am single.

[fweasel]

In the fridge. I am single.

Very important foot note.

[fweasel]

I store mine in my basement, in cases on the concrete floor. I have a ceiling mounted smoke alarm directly above.

Someone mentioned recently that they picked up a used mini-fridge at a garage sale that they intended to use to store their Lipo packs when not in use.

[T.S.Davis]

I'm using Bat-Safe now.

[mikiek]

I like the mini fridge idea. I imagine it doesn't have to be too cold. Just not 90 degrees.

T.S.Davis - I have those boxes as well. The problem I'm seeing with them is you shouldn't stack them or store them in a cabinet. Laying them out side by side (someplace cool like indoors) takes up a considerable amount of room.

[Lone-Wolf]

I store mine in an old cleaned out BBQ under my deck, holds everything and is of course flame-proof! A couple months ago I had a serious fire while parallel charging a bunch of 6S packs, had I not been right there it would have been game over, what a mess too. Now I am super paranoid and charge at 1C max rate and never parallel charge. Once you have a fire it changes you forever, while I was putting the flames out I was thinking "that's it for this crazy hobby"...an hour later I was feeling better but I don't like even keeping storage charged lipo's inside my house anywhere. I believe this is a place where overkill is OK.

[mikiek]

Lone-Wolf - is the BBQ kept outdoors? I guess BC is British Columbia? Don't know if your summer temps match us here in Texas - 90+ most days. I'd be afraid that was too hot.

I hear ya re: the fire. I watched a house in my neighborhood burn to the ground this weekend (not due to LiPo) so I am very aware right now and want to get this battery thing under control while I am thinking about it.

I'm sorry for your accident but it does help hammer home the need for proper battery management.

[Lone-Wolf]

Yes BC is British Columbia and yeah we don't get your temps for sure! The BBQ is under my deck, ceiling is over 8' but in the shade, do you have a place in the shade outdoors?

Other than regular maintenance on my boats it now seems I spend the most time just taking care of my lipo's, always checking them after running and before charging etc... I'm pretty hard on my packs because I run some huge boats so the need to keep tabs on not just packs but each individual cell is really important I now know well. Try and develop a strategy that becomes a habit for charging, storing and checking/testing packs. The fury a 6S pack can emit in under 30 seconds is intense, still etched in my brain, probably a good thing.

I toyed around with the various ideas of steel toolboxes and ammo boxes but in the end a free full sized BBQ is perfect for me, I can even charge on the grill and have the other packs neatly under the grill...but I usually charge on a cement floor beside the BBQ...not too close ;-)

Looking forward to what you come up with and hope this helps.

[TheShaughnessy]

pick up a mini fridge they are cheap enough.

[boatsrnew2me]

I store mine in my basement, in cases on the concrete floor. I have a ceiling mounted smoke alarm directly above.

.

very similar here ,big round galvanized tub with shatterproof glass tray in the bottom to put the lipos on . middle of basement ,nothing around it .smoke alarm not far from it .stays cool down there year round .always stored at storage charge .

[mikiek]

Basements - must be nice.

The ugly trend I am starting to see is what Lone-Wolf mentioned. More time spent maintaining batteries that could burn my house down than running the boat.

I do believe I saw a display of mini fridges at the big W.

[Prodrvr]

A couple months ago I had a serious fire while parallel charging a bunch of 6S packs

How in the hell did that happen?

[Bigford]

I guess under my wife's side of the bed is the
Wrong answer!! .50 Cal ammo box holds mine

[Lone-Wolf]

How in the hell did that happen?

Was charging with my brand new but now scorched to hell expensive Revo charger, has two channels and was running two parallel boards, one/channel of course. Each board had 4x Revo 5000ma 70C 4.20 Gopacks connected, only a few runs on the packs, I would run all 8 packs total in my 73" Mystic at 12S2P/side...so was nice to be able to charge everything at once. Anyways, was charging at 2C so each pack would see up to 10 amps, 40 amps total/channel. Near the end of the charge cycle I can hear a "ticking" sound that I already know from other packs exploding but not catching fire from a year prior. I immediately ran into the room where I was charging and turned everything off but I was petrified to unplug the packs without a face shield so I just stood well back...a minute later KABOOM!!!...cell ruptures and almost immediately a roaring inferno erupts out of that pack with flames literally to the ceiling!!! Man alive that was the worst thing to experience. Luckily I have a garden hose right around the corner outside so doused the flames and they went out in under 30 seconds but the smoke was nuts!!! The 12'x12' room was solid smoke and had to breathe through my shirt while down on my knees while holding the hose. I know that having a fire extinguisher or sand is a nice thing to have nearby but a garden hose running full blast worked very well...but the smoke!! All I can say is it was total carnage and a huge mess, I ended up losing 6x6S packs, 2 went up in smoke while the other 4 were just damaged from the heat and no way am I going to run them again plus burned all my chargers and my nice work desk, I would say I lost $1000 easily in packs, a charger and a power supply plus cleanup. Took hours to clear the smoke, wife wasn't too impressed and you can imagine how many times I heard her nattering in the background about quitting this silly hobby LOL! Anyhow, was a terrible experience but I am thankful nobody was hurt and I was there just in time. Honestly guys, had it been only 60 seconds more it's possible I would not have had that fire under control, 3 minutes later?....game over. I hope this can stick in all your minds and you'll take the time and spend a little bit of money to keep things safe for you and your family.

In the end, to answer the original question, I a certain what actually happened was one cell in that one pack that was "ticking" was not coming up to the 4.20v threshold while all the rest were, time and continuous charge caused the cell to rupture and blow, the blow is pretty violent when it happens and usually that's all that does happen but in this case it must have caused a short in the pack and BLAM! I now always use my cell checker before I charge a pack, was obviously far more important to do this if you are parallel charging but should you see a cell that is well under voltage of the others it's pretty suspect as most of you should know, I would not take the risk. It's really too bad that even the best cells money can buy with a top charger is still not enough to keep you safe. I hope one day we can look back at these times and be thankful we have technology that is totally safe but until then figure something out ASAP!