Batteries? How do I avoid burning down my house.
 

Im new to 1:10 scale and LiPO batteries but I know they can be very dangerous. Im rebuilding a used SCT410 with a Gen 1 RX8 ESC and I wanted to some advice on how to best spend my money to be safe. If I were to budget $100-150 for a safe setup how should I do it? What brand batteries should I buy and what kind of container should I use to charge and store them in them im thinking 4S size but I could be convinced to go smaller since im not racing just bashing? I was thinking grill for charging though perhaps an ammo box would be a better bet if I can actually find one to buy. I have a really basic Imax B6AC charger that I had intended to use but if its unsafe I can buy something better.

Lipo batteries are only dangerous if you do stupid things. Always run a low voltage cutoff, balance charge always, and discontinue use of batteries that have puffed or lost capacity. Always charge the batteries out of the vehicle and inside an appropriately sized fire safe vessel. Don't leave batteries full or empty for extended periods of time.

A good charger is an investment in safety. I reccomend spending the money for an iCharger 406Duo. Really powerful charger that gives you good information on battery health. I've been using lipo batteries for 15 years and because I take safety seriously I haven't had any fires or scares. I've seen plenty of other people disregard the warnings of a failing pack and have a fire.

If you have a cell phone, lap top, tablet, or nearly any other portable electronic device you already have lipo batteries under your roof.

Generally, Lipos are safe to use. I do understand the concerns when starting out. There are charging/storage bags available. I’ve know many that would then keep the bag inside old ammo boxes.

SMC is good place to start with.


There’s a range of chargers available. I like simple.


Most failures come from battery abuse or carelessness. My two have been my fault 100 percent. Charging at high rates, and constantly running to lowest voltage possible are also causes.

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There’s nothing to worry about. Just keep the battery on a storage charge of 3.8-3.9volts when not in use and store the lipos in a cool place like not in a hot garage or a hot car and you will be fine.

Never leave your batteries unattended when charging. Develop a routine, double check your settings before charging. Always maintain the batteries when finished (storage charging).

How about battery brands? Are they all the same or is there a decent mid tier brand that is reliable but maybe not racer level power output? It seems like manufacturers come and go so what’s the current go to for a decent 4s?

There’s only a small number of factories that produce them. And keep in mind there’s no real standard for the C rating Lipo are given.

I’ve used a number of brands and have not had any problems.

Yeah right... tell that to others who had a fire w/o doing anything wrong. A friend did burn his hand when walking with his car to the track due an exploding LiPo w/o any reason and a known story in Germany where in a race weekend cars were stored in a storage room at the track where in the middle of the night suddenly a LiPo caused a fire.

It is wise to store LiPo's in a LiPo bag and from several RC flyers I know they use an ammunition case to store LiPo's at home.

It is not about that nothing can go wrong but to prevent a huge damage that one time it will go wrong.

SMC is very cheap cells and poor construction and one of the worst. Especially their batches from the past 2 years I have seen the insides of more of them than I have seen in tact

I’ve not bought any in last couple years. I had no real complaints with the ones I had for the price.

I’ve used a number of brands. Honestly, Venom has been the most consistent for me.

Dont run without low-voltage cut-off. Dont charge with out attending to them and put in charge bag. If storing, make sure you do a storage charge. If storing for a long period, occasionally check on voltages. If cells are out of balance by more than .1 - .2, think of safely disposing it. Dont store in hot location. Store in storage bag and even possibly in vented can.

They are generally safe with proper care but keep in mind they do require proper care.

Best thing to do is not leave a battery unattended. Lipo batteries in 2020 are very stable unlike the ones in the years b4.If you are still scared about burning the house down get 2 metal buckets 1 ..1/2 filled with sand the other 1/4 filled with sand use this by your charging station. if you hear a battery start hissing unplug it pull buckets apart drop battery in 1st bucket then pour sand in 1st bucket now run outside and place bucket away from anything that can burn..be upwind the battery will smoke then catch fire until it burns out...get a battery charge bag (aka. a lipo safe bag)..store in cool dry space.have a plan if things go BAD..Do a failed battery run thru .

Using the appropriate container or bag is a given.. Fear is not and using fire proof containers and resistant bags is no replacement for common sense, be present at all times during charge and discharge process so one can quickly make the right actions with haste. And store them at the storage voltage in a lipo bag or ammo box.

I recommend investing in a charger that has an IR monitor, as your batteries age the IR will go up and this will make your batteries volatile, more info here:

Which charger is the best?