I always say goodbye to my family before I go out to charge a LIPO. You never know if you'll get out of there alive. A little hint. never look directly into the eyes of the battery

In my 10 years flying helis & planes I've never had a issue with charging my lipos. If any lipo gets slightly warm during a 1c charge it's immediately retired! Be safe guys.

I'm a firefighter and a lover of rc planes. I have charged my lipos in a .50 cal ammo can for years, but I've never heard anyone recommend it. Thanks for spreading your knowledge on safe charging

Story time, I have bags of lipos and thought just in case something happened while we were away, I put them in the oven, when we came back I forgot about them, I went to work and then my wife turned on the oven, coming home from work seeing my wife standing on the driveway with smoke coming out of the house, we had to call the fire department, luckily the house didn't burn down, and cooking the lipos didn't set them off, just the smoke from the lipos bags melting. Anyways lesson learned, I now have a batt-safe, and when I charge it's only on top of the oven these days.

Thanks, man your always around when I need you. So I wanted to show you my appreciation for your efforts. I know I can be a pain in the butt, your patience is unmatched.

We fly RC and my next door neighbor never took care of his lipos. If he crashed he reused the battery. He charged his batteries in his garage in the storage room. He ran home one day and plugged in a battery to charge as he was flying that day. He drove off after setting the battery to charge. We were not home at the time but the security cameras caught the time line after he left as the smoke started coming out of the garage at about 45 seconds after he pulled out. The garage doors caved in at the 3 min mark and the fire dept showed up at the five min mark. Bottom line is his home was destroyed. We live in a min lot line subdivision and the fire dept told us what saved our house was the winds that day were blowing in between the houses and not against them. He has a tremendous amount of gilt from this and him and his wife are now living in an apartment waiting for the house to be rebuilt. My lipos now live and are charged outside as this was a hard lesson to learn for our flying community here. Pay attention to this video please!

A tip: Put a smoke and a heat detector in your lipo bag. Although these are made of plastic and therefore combustible, but on the other hand you have a faster alarm, before the detectors on the ceiling.

I have to say, That content and information regarding the FPV hobby is plentiful, but Mr. Bardwell constantly provides us with useful, pertinent and "demonstrative" (retrieving quad from a tree quite humorous) information regarding the hobby. Much appreciated. Thanks again.

you should do a follow up showing quickest ways to put it out, like throwing kitty litter over it and things you maybe shouldn’t use; showing what happens with each one.

Beginner here, got myself a Traxxas udr and your one is the only one that explains Li-pos clearly and concisely, Thank you for the video! and the science experiment.

Hey Josh, great video!! I just upgraded my drone, and am switching from 1S to 4S batteries. This video was super helpful!

Very cool - we have the same wood stove! Never thought of using it to charge lipo's but thats a great idea. My chargers have a temperature probe that straps to one of the batteries you are charging and you can set the safety parameters so it will shut off charging if it gets too warm,

You sound like a teacher. I like how you explained everything so clearly. Now I understand why it's such a big deal when a battery lights on fire in an airplane.I didn't know dangerous charging a lipo can be. I used to just charge 2 rc car batteries on the sink and walk away like there is no possibility of an explosion. You may have saved my house or even my life. Thank you. It's scary to think about how some people will leave their batteries charging overnight in the house. 😮

Good thing I'm binge watching your videos while I'm waiting for my first diy kit to arrive. I really didn't know about the batteries. Definitely gonna mod one of my ammo boxes to charge batteries.

Thanks for this video. The last time I flew was back in the days of frequency crystals, NiMH batteries and flybar helicopters. There's a lot to learn about the current state of tech and equipment

This should be a mandatory video to watch when getting into Rc/fpv. I charge mine in a lipo bag, just in case and never unattended.

9:50 When you want that your EV can be quick charged in 5 minutes, you're basically asking for 12C charging for it. Remember, it also has li-ion or LiPo cells inside it. There's no way it can be charged that fast without damaging the battery.

It took me a while to learn something today . I can sometimes recharge faster in a grill and lipo bag outside and be able to fly more maybe if i know what I'm doing . You guys are always ahead of me 10 years.

Your fire 🔥 safety tips, are Psychologically, very sound. Your message/point is very well received, with respect to myself. Continue with future projects. Looking forward to seeing them

Very informative video, didn't leave anything out. Anyone getting into charging batteries on a daily basis need to see this, even if they already know all this info it's a good refresher.

When I was in the votech electronics program during highschool my first year project was making a power supply from scratch and I enclosed it in an ammobox, so when I saw that you also had a Frankenstein powersupply in an ammo box I really smiled at that. Good man.

I'm so glad you mentioned the BatSafe. I can't recommend these enough, they are worth every penny if you can afford them. We don't charge anything without them. I have 4 standards. The XL's unless you use huge batteries are very inconvienent.

Joshua,absolutely great informative video. I am more of the attentive type battery charger. What really sucks is the lack of sleep I get the nite before I fly!

The problem with LiPo compared to Li-ion in the format 18650 (cells in ebikes e.g.) is that Lipos don't have any safety precautions and are made for extremly high energy density. Li-ion cells get safer when they are not too energy dense - thats always a compromise. 18650 have 2 extra safety features: the CID (current interruption device) that cuts the connection on the positive side when pressure builds up inside the cell. The 2nd is the PTC element integrated in the positive side that works like a recoverable fuse. When the current is too high it gets hot and its resistance increases rapidly, lowering the current. Not all cells have the PTC elements, esp. the high current cells don't have them any more as they cost some power. Very cheap cells from china sometimes miss both features - 'trust fire'! ;-)

Happy to see you didn't skip the safety slippers when messing around with fire.

This video most likely saved my body and my house, as one of my lipo batteries today just exploded, very informative, and thanks!

Thanks a lot for this lecture!

Excellent vid on this important subject. Tnx for uploading.

Very detailed, helpful and super important video!!! Thank you so much!

Very good and very video Josh. This is a virtual one stop shop for anyone with questions about lithium batteries. 😎👍

Worth noting also that any "safe" charging container has its limits. if you store all your batteries in said container and then one of them goes off while charging..... well, you then got a MUCH bigger fire on your hands. Hedge your bets and keep batteries in separate safe containers.

I think this is one of the most informative and educational videos on the internet. Love the extremely detailed explanations! Thank you! Learned a TON!

I love how comforting it is when he says hi I’m Joshua bardwell and you’re going to learn something today

Your intros just keep getting better over the years, JB. Love your sense of humor, that little explosion effect when you dropped the battery was priceless 😂

Changing the moment you charge is probably the best way. Storing should be between 3.7V and 3.75V per cell( I set the charger at 3.72V). Why? They do not hold enough energy any more to even have a thermal runway as you demonstrated. It is like a candle next to a gas tank with a little bit of gas (3.8V) and when it goes you lose the car, or a candle next to a completely empty gas tank (below 3.75V) and there is no fire and your car survives. Best management is to store and transport at storage voltage, and charge ON SITE. Its almost always outside, and your always supervising, while at home you might need to go to the toilet or have a meal. It is better for the LiPo to be charged and discharged the same day, when they are warm, and store them on storage voltage at low temperature, this way they age a lot less. Stepping away from the whole mindset of charging at home before you go out, minimises the risks tremendously, and you don’t run the risk of fires at home or in your car at all. I would rather use two Lipos in one season, charging them at 2C or 3C and get all their life out of them recharging two or three times per day, then have six Lipos fully charged in my house or car, and having to store them over the winter. Lipos love to cycle, having less of them and using the crap out of them is way more safe then trying to keep a whole lot of them and using them several seasons. Lipos age with storing and getting older as well, that also increases the risk of fires. I also like the idea more of having as minimal as possible number of Lipos in the house, that also reduces the risk a lot more. Store safe at home and during transport, and charge and use them extensively on the field, then the risk is only there, not at home. What the fires concern, they are intense and short, your charger survived standing next to it. A piece of cement board usually holds a 1000Celsius for half an hour, the Lipo burns 1 to 2 minutes max. It is the smoke that is dangerous, especially the Hydrogen Fluoride (HF), and the Bat Safe does not filter that out. The Bat Safe is a tin can with some mineral glass whool inside, it only filters soot. The only product that actually filters the HF are Cirrux cushions, they are also used in the certified Zarges boxes, the only ones allowed for air transport. Bat Safe is a nice consumer product, but in case of a fire, get the hell out of your house, the poisinous gases are still dangerous! Stay and sleep safe!

Masterfully explained Brother, thank you 🙏🏼

Was building a huge 24s6p lifEpo4 pack for an ebike & a couple of my balance leads shorted. I ran the whole thing outside projectile smoking and flung it on the lawn, 4 cells went off like m80s and I'm very lucky I didn't lose more. They're $12 each when new, and the a123cells are out of production!

i never forget my first fckup, it was silent in my room and i hear a TICK, later again a tick and then some more. it was the sound of expanding plastic that the lipo is wrapped in. i looked at that buldging lipo and that sinking feeling i never forget. for like 5 sec i froze and i could only stare at the lipo, i quickly grabbed it and threw it out the window. it was on fire when i got outside with a bucket of water

i feel like you deserve some recognition from a mythbuster for that lipo fire.

Great video that's worth watching by anyone who charges them, One thing I think is important to mention, Avoid buying second hand equipment that comes with a lipo battery unless you know the history of the equipment your buying, Too many people try to sell on faulty repairs that should really be recycled not sold.

i am using 2 steel army ammunition boxes. Works great. Inside wall has been plated with fireproof isolation.

Thank you for this demonstration and a lot of info. I can't understand why there is no additional safety features in LiPo batteries. I think the simplest improvements could change life of many. Two things come to my mind. One is thermal sensor to measure temperature inside during charging - turn off charging if exceeded specified value. Second is simple tension fuse, a battery pack wrapped with thin wire - if battery increases size, then wire is breaking and charging stops. The second one is the cheapest solution. Could you also tell something about battery safety of commercial drones eg. DJI?

A really easy to obtain fire resistant liner would be "Hardy Backer Board". For years, I have used a piece of 1/2" "Hardy Backer Board" as a fire/heat block to torch weld on with little damage. You can get this stuff in the ceramic tile flooring section at any Home Improvement store. I would use floor tile but it is too brittle, conducts heat and will crack.

good video. glad you didn't Spike the battery. very dangerous. another safety issue with lipos is the bench. must keep the plugs from accidentally shorting on stray wires and such

I've been using LiPos since 2010 or so. I've never had one explode or even catch fire. I did have one swell a bit after a hard crash but I disposed of it immediately so that I wouldn't have it explode or catch fire. Like with all things, proper care and maintenance are important.

Yet another very informative video, thank you Joshua for making them

Nice video. A long time ago, I had a Lipo ignite in my hands while I tried to add a piece of bicycle tire around it for protection, oh the irony. The pressure of the rubber caused the Lipo to ignite and instantly caused a burn the size of a dime, so deep that in few days it became a fairly deep hole. Be very, very careful when handling Lipos.

Wow - had no idea there would be that much flame... kinda like watching a xmas tree light up. Thanks for the safety vid! Lol I store my lipos in the fireplace when I go on vacation.

Great instructions sir!! Very very useful 🙌🏻 thank you 🙏🏻

Best video I’ve seen yet on this subject - thank you! My only observation would be if your battery pack is starting to snap crackle and pop - that is NOT the time to go pick it up. Cut the power to the charger and put something like a pot over it until it settles back down. Now if we’re all charging in a steel container like we’ve just learned anyway this isn’t required. Plus if you carry a battery from an area of relative safety like your workshop through the house full of less safe materials such as carpets, furniture, etc etc. you may make the situation worse if it suddenly goes off. I think that’s probably why fire departments tell you not to lift a pot full of burning food off the stove to carry it outside.

Great info. Thanks for sharing 👍

Thanks Joshua for underlining all the stuff I knew. Charged a suspicious LiPo on frying pan with low current and got attracted to it by this "fruity" smell xD luckily it just popped and didn't get on fire, but since that time I charge responsibly

Great video! Couple two cents if I may....All sheet rock/drywall is fire retardant up to at least 1hr, but I would still use the type that's actually labeled fire retardant like Joshua said, it's usually 2-3hrs. Lithium Polymer/Lipo batteries statistically let loose more often when discharging on a charger than charging, so if you're putting a bunch of lipos into storage level voltage, be just as attentive as when charging them. Lastly the fire proof/oven gloves are almost a must and a great idea if charging indoors, another, almost free, item to have right next to your charging area is a bucket, half full of salt water. While it won't fully stop the lipo from letting loose, and it does increase the smoke output, it will contain an open flame. This doesn't change the fact that you should also immediately take the bucket outdoors as soon as you toss the lipo in the water, whether it lets loose or not, it will just keep your hands from getting burned on your way outside. For anyone interested, I'm not selling anything, just bored over quarantine in 2020 and made a video of a DIY self extinguishing (or lessoning chance of house catching on fire) lipo bunker, that you can make for about $30-$45. ukposts.info/have/v-deo/nXtzhIKtja1_030.html

I had a 2 cell catch on fire. It was on a wooden surface and started cracking. Luckily I was within hearing range and heard it because I wasn’t watching it. I was able to grab it by the leads and throw it on the gravel driveway where it burned up. I was lucky! YOUR VIDEO IS SPOT ON AND HELPFUL.

I also use ammo cans to charge lipos, and keep them in there for storage. Also put your lipos in storage mode/storage charge if you won't use them for more than a few days.

I can neither confirm nor deny that I’ve done something similar. +1 for the helmet (and of course the T). Charge safely 👍👍👍

in switzerland we can get Lipo bags made out of fabric. U can also get granules which melt and enclose the battery

Been flying Lipo’s for more than 20 years and have yet to experience a single fire - I even punctured retired batteries to see the fire but never got one to light up. *Touching wood*

Great video, very informative ✌Thank you!

I'm really impressed with how resilient hobby-grade LiPo batteries actually are. One of my batteries got a small dent in one cell through a crash. I was already preparing to throw it away. I discharged it to a safer voltage level and checked it regularly for any signs of heat, swelling or voltage fluctuations. As nothing was happening even after some hours sitting in a LiPo bag, I measured the internal resistance of all cells and compared them to a healthy battery. It was not showing any signs of damage. I measured the thickness of the battery and let it sit longer in the LiPo bag. Over multiple days I checked the thickness, resistance and voltage level. It kept constant voltage and internal resistance over all cells and it did not swell or deform a bit. So after a week I was confident enough to charge it up again and fly with it. I checked it during the charging process and nothing happened, everything was normal. I then used in in my quad and it performed perfectly like all my other batteries. It did not get hot, it did not swell, it did not catch fire or anything. It just has that slight dent in one cell, but performs absolutely perfectly. So I am prepared that this battery will probably get bad sooner than the others, but so far it's doing much better than I would have expected. Another battery suddenly dropped voltage very quickly during flight and I had to do an emergency landing. According to the logs, the battery was discharged down to 9V (6S battery). I checked the cell voltages with a LiPo checker and they were all over the place, some even at below 2V, while others were around 3.6V. I repeatedly measured it and monitored it for any puffing or heat. It just continued to self-discharge with nothing happening. Of course it's dead and can't ever be charged, but it didn't cause any problems at all. You should always be careful, but I guess you would have to be really unlucky or abuse your LiPos to have them catch on fire. Don't charge any puffed LiPos, don't overcharge them, charge them with an appropriate current and at least measure individual cell voltage with a LiPo checker or your charger. If just one cell goes bad, it can screw your whole LiPo.

I have 7 Bat Safes, one big one for charging (safe up to 200Wh) and 6 smaller ones for storage/transport (max 50Wh each). My LiPos are either in a quad or in a Bat Safe, and kept outside so the smoke doesn’t contaminate everything if they go off - no exceptions. There is no way I’m risking a fire like that indoors.

thanks for theses friendly advises

Thank you. A must to watch.

Josh, your recent videos have been on point. I like that you’re exploring some different aspects of fpv! Thank you!

I always charge at 2c. No problems so far

Six months ago, I had a Canon camera battery ignite in my RV. Fortunately I was in the RV and was able to extinguish the resultant fire with minimal damage. The flames out of that little battery were very intense.

Thanks for the informative video. 👍

I used to keep one of those little charcoal kettle grills in my room for lipo storage, it works but ive replaced it with a lil metal filing cabinet.

I find as long as you gave good quality batteries and follow the procedures they are quite safe.

Thx a million Joshua for another great video:) High five from Norway

Thats One of The Best Tips Ive ever herd Bro For People like me who Don"t know what there Doing Charge it in the wood Heater For Peace of Mind problem solved Thank you

I’d like to see the same experiment but from a battery inside one of the bags that they sell on places like Amazon that are supposed to help keep them safe while like traveling and such. Great video!

Great stuff. The more times you hear and see good sense the more chance some of it will sink in. Think you down played how bad toxic smoke and the residue can be.

Awesome informative video as a newcomer, this has taught me alot 👍😊

The wood heater in the basement is where I charge and store my batteries,. BUT!!!!!... since this is a new hobby or new venture from GlowFuel to Batts. I will need to find a different location come colder weather. Probably a metal trash can or Drum/Barrel modified., sorry I'm not butchering my beloved metal ammo cans. ANOTHER IDEA,..! metal tool box,. metal 5 gallon buckets have become harder to find the last few years. Great video

I've never had a fire, but I charge in an ammo can, then transfer to a separate ammo can. That way if a battery ignites while charging, I only lose one or two as opposed to all of them. I figure the whole process takes a few extra minutes compared to charging on a countertop, but given how I live in a pretty dry area dense with old, wooden houses, it's worth it. If I have a small fire I don't immediately catch, it isn't unlikely (though not likely either) that the whole side of the street could burn down. There have been some pretty large fires recently where thousands of homes near me have burned down, and I don't want to be the one to cause another fire.

Great video! That battery popping is a fantastic demonstration for folks who don’t take battery care seriously. Since this was aimed at new-ish flyers, it might have been useful to discuss lipo bags in comparison to ammo boxes.

what a great informative video!! Thank you!

Interesting stuff, good to know what the signs of a pack on the brink of lighting up are, thx for that! When you did the experiment, though, you had such a short lead from the charger to the battery pack, weren't you worried about damaging the charger?

Getting back into FPV. Your intro reminded me why I sub to you. Hahaha

The problem is that charging, use, discharging, storage and disposal of lipo packs requires knowledge and determination to do the right things consistently. This video is a great attempt to spread knowledge. People still refuse to use seat belts, adhere to speed limits and refrain from texting and not drinking and driving despite all the warnings and horrible consequences.

Great Video! 👍👍 Thank You.

I have a old round Weber briquette bbq I store batts in. Rack in place to set the batteries on, give space in-between. Big pin Hinge on one side and a hearty latch on the other. Some carefully placed high temp Woodstove/Fireplace bricks. 1" holesaw holes in the lid. 5 of them. Each hole covered in single layer squares squares of tin foil for a burst panel(s). Place away from any structures. For charging?, any thick wall metal container that is tall, to be sure to vent any flame and explosion upwards, and NOT outwards. Especially if charging unattended like we sometimes do. Vent the gasses and flame UPWARDS, not outwards. If your charging "in your model", Pack it all outside or to an outside area or keep xray eyes on it, along with a temp gun. You wont be able to get that blazing pack out of the model before calamity sets in, so be ready wherever you charge. I use a 50 cal ammo box circa 1969 to place my trunk mounted Blue Top Optima in my 56 Chev. A perfect fit for a Optima Blue Top 1000cca. Double locked the lid, marked it "TNT" in red, and added the required vent. Those heavy wall Ammo cans are are handy as well.

I built a Nomex box for charging and storing batteries in. I use it every once in a while.

Good info. Thanks. My personal experience with LIPOs comes from me trying ON PURPOSE to make them ignite or explode once they get pretty puffed up and no longer acceptable for use in an airplane. Using fully charged 3 and 4 cell packs, I have smashed them and cut them with a 20 pound steel digging bar, and I have used 12 foot long car jumper cables to short the the + and - leads together. Yes they puffed up really big and hissed and smoked BUT I have never seen ANY flames even after torturing probably a dozen packs over the last few years. I feel like such a failure. 🤣 BTW I think I have found the safest place to charge my batteries. I put then inside my big outdoor BBQ grill with the lid closed. If they ignite or blow, who cares. Won't hurt the grill at all.

The rage against the machine shirt is great just noticed it on second watch :D

Surprised you didn't mention when using a parallel charging board. Lots of important safety rules for parallel charging. The only battery I ever had blow up was when there was a bad cell in a small 4S. I wasn't over charging. I realized what was happening because it got very warm. I didn't get it outside before it blew. It was very hit and I hat to hunt down a pair of pliers to hold the lead. It could have easily burnt my house down. I ordered two Batsafe boxes that day.

Another one that people with young kids should consider is placement. I had my lipo charger on the garage floor a few years ago while we were hanging out outside. My four year old was in the garage playing with toys in there while me and more brother were standing in the yard. Next thing I know, the fire alarm is going off and my kid is screaming. It went out quickly and when I checked it afterwards I found a 3S battery plugged into the charging board which was also charging (and set up to charge) a 4S battery. My son thought he would just plug batteries in like he saw me doing--which I don't blame him for, four year olds are supposed to mimic the adults they know to build a mental understanding of the world around them. Big fuckup on my part, I still charge my batteries on top of my huge workbench now even though my son is seven now and old enough to know better.

I always store my Lipo’s individually in a clay flower pots, after watching this video, it seems like that’s what I need to do when charging it as well.

Excellent video. Thank you

internet loves a good lipo fire. I got two of the normal bat-safe. I like them a lot. Parallel boards dont fit very nicely inside, I made a squid style parallel wires inside the bat-safe.

The music when it went off got me. Good shit

Spread the word, maestro! Lipo safety is always a nice subject.

I had a e-bike battery burn up in my detached garage without any warning. I noticed the odor of a electrical fire and then found the plastic top of the battery on the floor and it was still warm when I went in the garage that evening to make sure I had turned the lights off when I left about a 1/2 hr earlier. Wasn't fully charged or being charged but it was a really hot day near 100 outside. The doors were closed all day and I think this was temp related. Got totally lucky that the bike was on a concrete floor and not close enough to anything else that could have ignited. Now I keep the new battery in a 81mm ammo box which sits on concrete and away from anything flammable when I'm not using the bike. Hopefully the ammo box will prevent a disaster if it's ever tested.

Outstanding video, subscribed!

Thanks!

I ride diy lipo battery in my ebike for like 9 years already (16s 10Ah). Made around 80000km and its still going strong. I dont wanna say they are safe, but so far work very good. I try to treat them good, not discharge them fully and not charge to more than 4.1v so they dont get swollen.

Thanks Man !

Loved this intro 👍

i absolutely love your shirt Back to the Bando!!! i must get one ....