Drone LiPo Battery Safety Tips and Maintenance – LiPo batteries can be extremely volatile and dangerous, and you should always observe and ensure you follow the following top 10 tips.
LiPo batteries have an expect lifespan of up to 2.5 years or 300-500 cycles! If your drone has batteries getting close to 2 years, or you have noticed a massive degradation – or if your battery is swollen – correctly dispose of your battery as soon as possible.
LiPo batteries can be highly volatile, and you should aways inspect them thoroughly. If a LIpo battery is older than 2 years, or shows any signs such as swelling or degradation – Correctly dispose of the battery to reduce risk to a volatile incident!
These top 10 drone battery tips are as important as each other and are not in order of importance and
- Always BALANCE charge a LiPo battery – each cell must be balanced individually perfectly.
- Never discharge the LiPo battery below 3 Volts per cell, this will cause degradation and reduce the batteries life expectancy.
- Always monitor the LiPo during charging and never leave them unattended. Always use a fireproof LiPo bag or box while charging, and if possible, keep a fire extinguisher handy.
- Never store a LiPo in a fully charged state for long periods of time or less than 22.8V for a 6S battery and 15.2V for 4S, this can cause the battery degradation quickly and cause the battery to swell or puff up. If a LiPo battery swells or puffs up immediately discharge the battery fully and dispose of it safely.
- For the best battery lifespan always run a LiPo storage function after use – the optimum storage level is 3.8V per cell.
- Never buy a used LiPo battery, you have no idea how the battery was maintained or if there are any previous issues with it.
- Always store LiPo batteries in a cool and dry place, and never leave a LiPo in direct sunlight or in a hot car. Always keep your LiPo batteries stored in a fireproof LiPo bag or box.
- Never charge a LiPo directly after use while it is still hot – wait for it to cool down first.
- If the protective film surrounding the LiPo is damaged or if it has had contact with water dispose of the LiPo in a safe manner. Lithium is highly volatile when in contact with air and water.
- Never dispose of a damaged fully charged LiPo battery in your bin – this is a bomb waiting to go off and it could cause serious damage or injury.
Please watch this video carefully to see how incorrect LiPo battery use and care can result in highly volatile explosive situations: Top 5 causes of Lipo Battery Fires – Lipo charging mistakes
