how do you water proof a lipo pack

[frostyan]

how do you guys water proof you lipos (i was thinking of brushing rubber dip on the open ends)

[Flying Scotsman]

This question has come up before and the general consensus was not to try to waterproof as water or codensation may seep in and with no way for the water to evaporate you may have an explosion of the battery.

Douggie

[Eodman]

The obvious way would be don't get it wet!!

I'm sorry but I just couldn't resist!

[frostyan]

This question has come up before and the general consensus was not to try to waterproof as water or codensation may seep in and with no way for the water to evaporate you may have an explosion of the battery.

Douggie

so leave it as is.

[Tunda]

I wrap a balloon over it and the shrink wrap it and at the end use a rubberband to seal the end no problems yet........

[Darin Jordan]

The obvious way would be don't get it wet!!

I'm sorry but I just couldn't resist!

Actually... that IS the best way... I would suggest that you work on keeping the inside of your hull dry... that is the best way to keep your lipos from getting wet...

[SJFE]

Also. The first thing I look @ in a hull before I buy it is the hatch. If it can be taped clean fine. If not I won't buy it . I had a couple drops each time I ran the NS today. I noticed moisture seeping in from the blind nuts. They will be seeled before it hits the water again.

[motoxbob11]

My question on the whole subject is what happens to them if they do get wet? Are they wrecked or can you dry them out like a reciever and keep on going? I notice that some Li-Po sellers will waterproof them for a small additional fee. Is that the way to go?

[blakybob]

frostyan, I think you've not only asked a good question here but raised an issue on which most lipo owners have an opinion. Unfortunately there are two schools of thought to pick from. Alot of folks leave the batteries alone and make VERY sure water doesn't get in the boat. With my lipos, I chose to leave'em factory fresh and put a little piece of sponge under the coupler.

Other guys use the tool dip stuff you get at the hardware store to seal the ends or wrap'em up with balloons or both. Since your question was about waterproofing, here's a quote I saved from Brian Buaas on the subject:

Disclaimer: If you're not comfortable with openning up the LiPo packs, don't try this.

OK, here's how I waterproof the packs.
1. Cut the shrink off the pack (use bandage scissors, not a blade!!!) being carefull not to puncture the cells.
2. Carefully peel off the tape over the contact junctions, be sure to keep the contacts separated.
3. Spray all the contacts, tabs, tack welds and solder joints with silicone conformal coating (any good electronics supply). Allow to dry overnight.
4. Retape after drying, be sure to put all spacers back where they came from.
5. Respray the taped over contacts and spacers. Again, allow to dry overnight.
6. Reshrink the pack.

There you go.
__________________
Brian "Snowman" Buaas
Burnin' things up!!!
It's what I do...

That's all I got man. Good luck.

Blake

[FE_Chris]

A fellow club member uses the tool covering rubber stuff to close up his lipos. On the end with no wires, he dips it. The end with the wires, be brushes it on in many layers. Seems to work good for him and im pretty sure he has'nt blown one up yet!

[frostyan]

3333.JPG ok thanks for the help guys , did it with some rubber dip (for now) its better than nothing

[GregS]

My question on the whole subject is what happens to them if they do get wet? Are they wrecked or can you dry them out like a reciever and keep on going?

This is also my question. Since there are no guarantees they won't get wet no matter what you do (even with the most waterproof hull accidents and unexpected things DO happen) what are the consequences?

[Ctonez]

My question on this subject is...If you do seal them up with tool dip, what happens in the case that the cells need to vent and they can't?
could this ever be the case?

[Fluid]

LiPos don't "vent" like round cells - but they can burst into flames.

The question was raised, what if they do get wet? Well, they don't explode immediately. Unless the cells are punctured the water will just corrode the contacts - this creates high resistance and a possible future blow.

If you think your pack is wet, then remove the shrink. I do not use a blade or scissors - I start a tear in the shrink and peel it off spirally with pliers. Much less risk of a puncture. Once the shrink is off, dry thoroughly and re-shrink. This is a good time to add some more fiber tape to better secure the leads - if you pull too hard on them they can detach from the cells, etc. I've gotten cells wet and dried them as above - the cells are still running strong. :D

.

[motoxbob11]

Thanks Sir thats what I needed to know. Most likely mine will not get wet (I hope) but they can take it. I was concerned that they just become ruined when they get wet.