when to charge pack ?

[rol243]

Guys, is it ok to charge lipo packs the night before boating the following morning ? i have 6 x 4s packs that take some time to charge and if it is ok to do this the night before use it would make things alot easier for me. i will take your advice.

[rayray9]

Never charge when sleeping
Use a Lipo bag
Install a CO / Smoke Detector right above the charging area
Me - if I need to walk away, always at 1C

[Bp9145]

Guys, is it ok to charge lipo packs the night before boating the following morning ? i have 6 x 4s packs that take some time to charge and if it is ok to do this the night before use it would make things alot easier for me. i will take your advice.

Yes it's ok to charge them overnight. I do it all the time when I run my boats the next day. When I have a day to run my boats I usually have 5-15 boats to run back to back with friends and family. So I charge all the necessary batteries and some duplicates for the same boat. I have a pond in my backyard so it's an all day fun thing to do when they come over. I line up all the boats and we all take turns. . .so yes you can definitely charge them the night before but keep in mind, if you have unused batteries left make sure you go back and put them on storage mode. Also, I have kept batteries as long a 3-4 days before I even used them and some are 2-4 years and still going strong.. . .just remember to put unused batteries on storage mode if you don't have plans on using them within a few days. To further add, I mostly charge on 1C and 2C. . .rarely do I charge above 2C. Also, never charge your batteries right after use. Let them cool off and keep an eye every now and then when charging. If you're able to put them in a lipo bag while charging that's recommended. However, I watch mine when charging and only put them in lipo bags if I walk away for awhile. Remember, if you take great care of your batteries it will last you a long time.

[rayray9]

If you going to watch the packs, agreed - overnight is good

[fweasel]

I don't charge overnight per say, but I do usually charge them the night before a weekend morning run when possible. I don't like to leave a battery full charged for more than 24hrs and will put it back to storage voltage if I can't/won't use it in that time period.

[rol243]

sorry guys i did mean Night time not over night , yes i charge my packs outside on a large floor tile and always at 1c rate maybe this is why things take so long to charge up , all the packs are 4s / 5500 to 5800 mah / 65c. just wasn,t sure if it was ok to have fully charged packs sitting over night [ outside ] thinking cell damage could occur.

[srislash]

I don't charge overnight per say, but I do usually charge them the night before a weekend morning run when possible. I don't like to leave a battery full charged for more than 24hrs and will put it back to storage voltage if I can't/won't use it in that time period.

This is basically my system as well.

[Mxkid261]

I don't charge overnight per say, but I do usually charge them the night before a weekend morning run when possible. I don't like to leave a battery full charged for more than 24hrs and will put it back to storage voltage if I can't/won't use it in that time period.

Ditto. If I want to run a boat Saturday morning at 8am there's no way I'm getting up at 5am to charge a bunch of batteries Lol.

[martin]

If your going to use the batteries the next morning its ok to charge the previous afternoon/evening, I always discharge to storage if I don't use the battery the next morning so battery is only fully charged for less than 24hrs.

[fweasel]

I'll add that I charge my packs at 1.5C which is just a touch faster and takes the frustration edge off when I've got a lot to get done at once. I break in new packs at 1C. I try to be as easy as I can on my packs, but I do have my limits! 😁

[CraigP]

I have 5200mah packs and charge at 4 amps. So I'm below 1C. I think fast charging LiPo is a path to early cell degradation. I like to get up early to start the charger on run day.

[Peter A]

There is no problem with charging the night before, or even a couple of days before. Lipos do not suffer from being charged for a couple of days, some have even left them stored for months fully charged and not had problems, although others have. They are however best at storage voltage when not being used for longer periods. Fast charging withing manufacturers specs is no problem easier, personally I do not go over 2C when charging. From all I have gleaned it is not charging that degrades lipos but discharging, or over discharging, whether over amped or overdrawn on capacity. However lipos also begin to degrade from the time they are made and that is why they do not last forever. There are always good ones and bad ones from every manufacturer too. Treat them well and you get the best use from them.

[R2315]

I'm paranoid and wake up early to charge but I use a Bat-Safe for storage/charging and I can say that if I had to I would be comfortable leaving charged lipos in there overnight, just a little more substantial than a lipo bag.

[rayray9]

Balance charge, fast charge, standard charge guess it relies on the charger.
i.e.:
Just called Hitec tech rep this afternoon, got an issue. Venom 2200 maH, 50C, 3S not getting satisfactory maH on recharge before running. Tech suggests discharge to 3.0v and the re-charge. Running a Hitec X2 AC Plus.

[NativePaul]

I often charge the night before, and it is no problem, theoretically you are degrading the battery a tiny bit all the time it is fully charged, but for the added convenience a few overnights makes little difference to me when I know I will be raping my cells the next day and degrading them many times more. I run LiPos in my TX, and don't ever put them into storage I think those are the best R/C upgrades I have ever bought as now all my TX are ready to go at a moments notice all year round, to me that convenience is well worth having to change the battery every few years when the capacity has dropped too far.

I charge at 1c, as do most of my group, Most of the cells I have bought over the years have recommended it. Some of my cells say I can charge at 2C and some 5C, but I have to wonder if there is a decreased cell life or a risk associated with charging faster that they are not advertising, the only LiPo fire I have seen was on a charger at about 4C (I am not saying it is cause and effect, but it is a bit of a coincidence)

I know Australia is huge and has different climates so this may or may not apply to you where you are, but if it freezes overnight and your batteries are outside they will permanently lose capacity very quickly, and they must not get over 60C so if it is hot and sunny in the mornings before you get to them they may need shading to stop them getting too hot and puffing.