Will I destroy my LiPo's?
 

Hey guys,

I picked up a brand new pair of Turnigy 3s 40c 5000 LiPo's for my Savage. I charged them, balanced them, and then mother nature took over here in the North East.

Due to endless snow they have been sitting in my truck fully charged for 2 weeks. With more snow in the forcast they will most likely be sitting for a long time.

Do I need to discharge these and charge them 50% or can they hang on with a full charge.

Thanks!

From what I have read a fully charged lipo can undergo corrosion if left fully charged.

Now that being said I have always stored my lipos fully charged. Never had a problem.

I would say 2 weeks is ok for them to sit, but any longer than that and i would put a store charge on them. Most lipo chargers have a store function.

Yeah put them back on the charger and select store function. I read that leaving lipos fully charged for long periods of time increases their internal resistance and there fore they wont be able to give their best. Whether that is correct or not there probably is a good reason why manufacturers send out their lipos with store charge only.
My Tx lipos stay stored with full charge for much longer than two weeks (haven't flown my plane for more than six months) and never had an issue with them but they don't exactly work hard in a transmitter. All my big lipos that I use in my cars I always store charge if they are going to sit around for more than a few days.

Storage charge is best.
 

Besides using the recommended storage charge if I were you I would never leave them sitting in your R/C vehicle. For storage I would place them into some kind of metal lock box like an old Army ammo box that is sealed just in case one of them does decide to let go. If that were to happen your R/C vehicle would be pretty much toast within seconds. Also make sure that you do not store them anywhere near any kid of flamable material. Remember that if one of them suddenly becomes unstable it can do a lot of damage if left out in the open.

Good point^^

I'll do a storage charge and put them in a LiPo bag.

Thanks guys.

I thought the lipo had to be connected to something (ESC, charger, something to strain it, activate it.) in order to have a chance to explode.

Powercell
 

Lipo's are a chemical powercell that can be somewhat unpredictable. Just sitting on a shelf they should be pretty stable for the most part 99% of the time, but there is always a chance for a rogue internal short, or a chemical anomally that could cause a fire. Just like the wiring in your home if done right it should be relatively safe, but yet failures still happen and houses burn to the ground because of faulty light fixtures, receptacles & switches. Besides Lipo's have not had the best record for quality control either. Why take any risks when it comes to your home, right?

here is a great lipo article that most people seem to agree with.
http://www.tmenet.com/pdf/LithiumBatterySecrets.doc.pdf

Cold storage.
 

SO in reading that it sounds as if cold stoage would be the best place to keep Lipo's when not in use. During the winter months I would say keep them in a sealed ammo box stored some place in the garage where it will more than likely remain quite cold 24/7. I have even seen some guys keep theirs in the BBQ grill to protect from any fire issues spreading in the event that one cell decides to let go. Good article, but too small for reading in that format.

I have mine in lipo sacks in the back of the fridge, lol
let em thaw for a day, charge em up and run em (if the snow melts that is)