To ensure your safety, please read and carefully follow the guidelines in this section and any safety
information included with your LiPo battery.
It’s important that you follow these warnings closely. LiPo batteries are significantly more volatile
than Alkaline or NiCd and NiMH batteries.
Charging Safety: The LiPo battery must be charged with a LiPo balancing charger or fire will result.
Do not use or charge your LiPo battery unattended.
LiPo Explosions/Fire: All energy storage devices are dangerous. They contain stored (potential)
energy, which ifmishandled, will cause failure, and in some cases that failure can be very dangerous.
Avoid all conditions that cause battery failure. These conditions include, but are not limited to:
Severe Heat - Anything over 50 degrees C can limit the battery’s life. If heated to extremes (with
fire, a soldering iron, etc.), the battery may fail and/or explode! Severe Damage - Examplesof severe
damage would be: breaking the battery or putting a hole in the battery.
Over Charge - The charger is either the wrong type or it simply fails and puts more energy at a
higher voltage than the battery is designed to handle. LiPo batteries must never be charged above
4.2v per cell.
Over Discharge - This usually comes from an improper ESC that allows the voltage to go well under
3.0v per cell. Also, this term is sometimes used to mean exceeding “C” discharge rating. If the
battery is rated for 6000mah (6Amps) continuous discharge, do not discharge it at a continuous rate
of 7 amps! This will destroy the battery.
Warning Signs that Failure and Possible Explosion Might Occur: If you cause or observe any of the
conditions listed above, you can experience battery failure, so if any of these things do happen, be
prepared that the battery could fail.
a. Swelling of the Battery - Swelling is caused by internal pressure that goes beyond the
normal amount of pressure in every battery. This pressure makes the cell swell up like a
balloon. Do not use a SWOLLEN battery! A SWOLLEN battery is a battery that has failed and
needs to be discarded before explosion or fire results. Here is what to do with a battery
that is on the verge of exploding or is starting to show signs of exploding: Do Not Handle
Directly - The material spitting out (if it comes to that) is spitting out at as much as 1000ºC.
b. Try to Contain the Fire - We recommend always charging your LiPo battery using a LiPo
safety bag (available separately). If you don’t use a LiPo safety bag, we recommend a fire-
proof container with a lid be kept near the proximity of any battery being used or charged.
Fill the bottom with sand. Have this ready to use at a moment’s notice. If the battery looks
suspicious, put it in the container and drop another large amount of sand on top, then drop
the lid. Let it burn out. It will smoke and fume, but the sand will contain the sparks and
reduce the transfer of heat. A fire extinguisher will help, but it will not stop the chemical
reaction. The only thing that can be done is to contain the fire until the fire goes out.
