Does getting lipos wet ruin them?

[MonsterMaxx]

My original plan was to use my 6s30c2650 flight batteries in the boat.

I don't have the hardware to use them in the boat (will only handle 4s) so I used my friend's boat batts in the ul1 this weekend, he ran the sv27.

After each cycle all the packs were dripping wet in both boats. No issues, but wet. We thought we had the tops well secured with tape, but still, there was water inside.


Flying machines don't like power failures. Not like a boat where you just send another boat out to get it, a major failure in power in a flying machine usually leads to the death of the flying machine. We are pretty careful to make sure 'all's right' before going up. I'd say 75% of crashes are mechanical/electrical failures. This of course is not true for those who are just learning, but for experienced pilots who aren't prone to 'dumb thumbs' this is likely a fairly close statistic.


I'm left wondering if using my flight batts in a boat is smart. If this as bad an idea as I now begin to think it is it will probably change everything about how I complete and hop up these boats.

on the other hand...I may just do the same 'rolls downhill' thing I do with computers. That is the CAD station is the fastest thing in the building, when something faster comes along the hardware takes on another life as a daily driver or assistant's machine or...the 2001 CAD station is today's mythtv frontend and it had several other lives in the middle.
Could do the same with batts, use the freshest ones in the air and once they get a little old mark them as marine use only.
That's one idea anyway.

A quick calculation shows that a 6s2650 has nearly the same energy as a 4s5000 and is lighter by 75g.

[AndyKunz]

I fly and boat with the same packs. You want to make sure there isn't any water to corrode the contact areas. I just flush some isopropyl through the end of the pack with all the connections after a day of running and then set them in the sun to dry. It's the same thing I've been doing with radios and servos for 15+ years, and it hasn't let me down yet.

Andy

[NorthernBoater]

My boats will occasionally get a tiny amount of water in them. It sounds like you have a leak somewhere.

[sailr]

A friend of mine's boat was under water, completely flooded for more than 2 hours. The batteries were fine. However, it is best to spray them down with some Corrosion X after they get wet to prevent corrosion on the contacts.

[Flying Scotsman]

I think it depends on the material of the contacts, If your battery gets wet remove the covering ASAP and dry the cells with a hair drier or a fan.

Douggie

[tharmer]

I ended up just taking off all the shrink wrap and using a small band of wrap to hold the cells together. My theory is that they're going to get wet, so make it easy for them to dry.

-t

[detox]

I just flush some isopropyl through the end of the pack with all the connections after a day of running and then set them in the sun to dry. It's the same thing I've been doing with radios and servos for 15+ years, and it hasn't let me down yet.

Andy

Unless it is 99.9% pure Isopropyl most Isopropyl Rubbing alcohal contains water... cheaper denatured alcohal does not contain water.

[AndyKunz]

Yes, but the water evaporates along with the IPA. It's called a "dryer" in the industry. The water doesn't stay behind (unless you have a very cold temperature). It is dissolved in the alcohol and they leave together.

Having a brother who is a chemist and a father who ran a chemical plant (high pure acids and solvents, primarily) for years certainly helps.

Andy

[sailr]

Isopropyl is the stuff you get at the drug store. Denatured is what you buy at the hardware store. I never use Isopropyl because it contains water. I keep a gallon of Denatured on hand all the time. It is also what you thin epoxy with. Great Stuff!

[Brushless55]

I was unaware you could get lipos this wet..
I freak out when my get alittle damp, but no failures yet..

[sailr]

Exactly correct. It is also the only ingredient in the stuff you buy at the auto store called Dry Gas, gas treatment, etc. They're killing you selling you a small amount of alcohol for a big price haha.

Yes, but the water evaporates along with the IPA. It's called a "dryer" in the industry. The water doesn't stay behind (unless you have a very cold temperature). It is dissolved in the alcohol and they leave together.

Having a brother who is a chemist and a father who ran a chemical plant (high pure acids and solvents, primarily) for years certainly helps.

Andy

[AndyKunz]

Ain't that the truth! I get it in 5 gallon cans. Acetone, methanol, denatured, IPA, MEK, etc.

Andy

[MonsterMaxx]

So, you are saying at the end of the day just dunk it in denatured and hang to dry?

[sailr]

I wish we had a source for quantity purchase here in Tampa. Back in Wichita, my home town, it seems we could get anything. Down here in the south, they don't seem to do as good a job. haha.

Ain't that the truth! I get it in 5 gallon cans. Acetone, methanol, denatured, IPA, MEK, etc.

Andy

[sailr]

that'll work. don't soak it, just dunk it quickly and remove.

So, you are saying at the end of the day just dunk it in denatured and hang to dry?