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simalarion

Lipo & Rain

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When i first started really reading myslf up on Lipo Batteries i could see all the comments  about how boring it was when it started to rain and the Lipo battery had  to be Discharged, first i thought this was just becouse ppl do not want to get out in the rain, But as i saw this was showing up at random all the time i googled more and found out some is saying Lipo Batteries should not be Wet, so is this yet another thing you need to watch out for with Lipo?.

Lipo Batteries are either wraped in Shrink plastic or hard cover plastic, why should water be a problem?, if yes cant you just wrap them in a small plastic bag?. 

Last im thinking it can not be that critical?, even in dry weather it will happen that you hit a pound or other source of water (all the time really)... So are you afraid do use Lipo if its Wet outside, or when its raining only, or both?. 

I have taken Agrios with 3S Lipo out in the snow many times now, and ofc the battery then get wet ... 

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There is a lot of paranoia around LiPos which is really unfounded. Anything electrical will misbehave if you treat it carelessly. Nothing electrical likes water.

You probably have a 3000mAh+ LiPo battery in your pocket right now. And lots of people drop their pocket LiPo batteries in puddles without any explosions.

In normal use a LiPo is really no different to a NiMH battery. In fact I have seen more NiMH's explode at RC race meetings (several) than I have ever seen LiPo's on fire (none).

If you are planning to submerge your battery packs, then pierce them with nails and then shoot them with a rifle - you are probably going to have a problem.

If you run your car like a normal RC enthusiast you will be just fine. Just like all the thousands of other RC enthusiasts out there.

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Indeed. A couple of weeks ago my 4 Yr old and I went to our local park with our 2 lipo powered madbulls. 

It had been raining for days on end and I knew it would a) be very wet/muddy and b) being 4 yrs old, my son's car would be magnetically attracted to anything resembling a puddle. And so it was. One particular puddle he found was so deep at one point, the wheels of the bull were actually off the ground and the car more akin to a paddle steamer than car, until it came out the other side! 

The batteries survived without issue. Hardcase 4000mah lipos. I took the precaution of applying vaseline around where the wires enter the hardcase, but other than that, just used as normal. Obviously removed and clean/dried immediately once home but we've used them a couple of times since without issue...🤷‍♂️

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Well, i am on the carefull side these days. Main reason is having kids now and not bieng young anyomore, when i was young i was making bombs rather than trying to avoid them.

So i just wanted to know the reason why so many (when googling) says you should not drive RC Car in rain with Lipo because i can not see the problem if you have propper connectors, the balance port should probably be wrapped in plastic if you planing to drive under water other than that i do not see the problem as the shink plastic or hardplastic cover will keep the water away, ofc i would wait for the battery to dry/warm up to room temp up before charging them again.

 

 

 

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2 hours ago, simalarion said:

So i just wanted to know the reason why so many (when googling) says you should not drive RC Car in rain with Lipo because i can not see the problem if you have propper connectors, the balance port should probably be wrapped in plastic if you planing to drive under water other than that i do not see the problem as the shink plastic or hardplastic cover will keep the water away, ofc i would wait for the battery to dry/warm up to room temp up before charging them again.

 

 

 

Let's just say there's lots of incorrect information shared on the internet.

Edited by sosidge
Was a bit harsh first time around!

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I've never heard of any issues with water/Lipo.  I have run Lipo submerged through creeks and mud holes on my crawlers and never had an issue other than having to clean them off.  Have also run them  in pretty deep snow without issue.  Just my experience, but I wouldn't worry about getting them wet.  

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LiPo cells are completely, hermetically sealed.  You cannot affect the chemistry by putting water on them.  The only thing that could happen would be water bridging the connections outside the cell, causing a short.  But rain water is not a great conductor, so it isn't going to be a high current even if it happened, and because we aren't talking long-term complete submersion this condition will only be transient if it happens at all.

So in this case, I don't think there's anything to be concerned about.  Certainly if there was, the fast electric boat guys would have to be thinking more carefully than you and I.  Don't think that LiPos are zero hazard because this one issue may have been overblown on the internet though.  RC cars are a harsh (possibly harshest) environment for LiPos and outside the designed usage window for these cells.  While the chemistry may be similar to phone and laptop batteries, the usage conditions are massively more severe.  On top of that, there are no internal safety devices in the batteries used in RC, where these are present in every other usage scenario for these cells including phones, laptops, e-mobility etc.  Store them in the proper conditions, and be prepared for them to fail even if you never deviate from the accepted use guidelines and 'specs'.

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On cars I intend to splash  in puddles , snow and mud I have usually used a Traxxas waterproof RX box and ESCs/ servos that claim to be waterproof. 
I have researched conformal coating and or using silicone / nail polish to waterproof electronics further ( but haven’t gone beyond coating connects and plugs with grease or jelly. )

I also clean out mechanical parts, axles , shafts , bearings etc with compressed air and silicone spray before and after water runs.

All that said I have usually neglected to do anything else special to my lipos.

In fact it never occurred to me until I started running round pack Lipo in my Midnight Pumpkin and WR02 wheelie tractor it dawned on me 

“those balance plugs are exposed when I run this car, I should do something about that “

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Yes, i actually mentioned that in one off my posts, if you plan to drive on a rainy day or right after it can probably be a good idea to cover up that balance cable as it is very exposed, not very likely to get a litle s-c (if your not planing to run under water hehe) but it would not hurth to cover that cable in plastic, i believe...

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