Lipo Battery Puffing?!?!
 

So I was looking at my lipo batteries and one of my packs is puffed a bit. I have two identical trakpower packs and one is puffed and the other one is not. Both have been charged on the same charger and I bought them both at the same time. What do I do? Do I continue to use it? (I do not think that is the best idea) Do I charge it? Do I trash it? I want a solution to this before I charge it and my house goes down.

Well if u over charged it, then it will puff, or if u leave it charged to long, it will puff, If u run it to low, it will puff...

I'n my opinion I would trash it as my room started on fire and melted all my rc gear while charging a battery have no Idea why the battery blew up but I wouldn't take the chance if it was me. I'm now buying the best batteries I can find and am looking at a rather expensive charger as I don't want to take the chance with cheap crap any more.
Scott

the easiest way to puff a battery is to run it down too low.
if it's not much keep using it.
Same safety procedure you are using...

Are you sure the lipo is actually puffed?, or is the case deformed from the cells puffing at operating temp, the cells sometime get hot and expand causing the case to expand but after the cells cool they go back to normal but the case stays, squeeze the case, if you can't squeeze it then the cells are puffed, if you can squeeze it the cells are normal but the case has deformed which is fine

Thank you everyone for your advice. I will check on the battery when I get home from work. It's weird because I use both batteries the same and nothing happened to the other pack.

From my research, a lipo can puff from being over drawn, to small a battery for the motor, from being left fully charged, from fast charging, etc. Personally if I had a puffed lipo I wouldn't bring it in the house. I rag on my 30 year old all the time about charging in the house. AND I caught him charging a puffed lipo not long ago, IN the house. Talk about Russian Roulette.

You guys may remember this nihm explosion, that was him.
http://imageshack.us/a/img824/1855/b...texplosion.png

Lipos can puff for a large number of reasons, and they can puff for what would seem to be no reason at all, or which I simply consider "craptastic quality". Some puff simply from "old age" The fact that one of two packs puffed also means nothing really, it happens.

Even if you posted a pic I wouldn't say if you should use it or not. Personally I've seen guys used puffed packs with no issues. And I still use a pair of HVR packs that I puffed from leaving my started box on (has a power panel).

Shameless plug:lol: I had to bring those HVR packs "back" by using the nimh method, both were under 2v per cell. Packs were puffed (slightly) when I pulled them from the starter box. Pumped some juice into them to bring the voltage over 6v (nimh mode) and then switched to lipo mode on my Hyperion. Packs didn't, and haven't, puffed any further and the IR numbers are still as good as new.

In the end if you're here asking if you should use them, I would say no. If you knew why they puffed (user error like me) I might have a different opinion.

Slight puff is ok imho. If its enough to pop open the case or is significantly larger than what a normal pack looks like (ie 20% bigger) its time to retire it.

What if the cells puffed and warped the case permanently but the cells are back down to normal, that's not considered puffed and I don't see why that's not safe to use, according to some research and team trinity, unless they're giving false info

Haha, showed that trick to my son the other day. Worked like a top, but don't recommend it lol. I think one cell was at 2.67, 3S, not to low. How are you reading you're IR amount? Just curious, haven't ever done it. Multi meter on the balance plug?

I suspect puffing is an indication of unstable chemical state. For whatever reason. My theory is once the puffing subsides, it's probably ok.

I have a lipo that puffed out the case, found it at the rc track, it is sitting, I am waiting for it to "blow up" but it is only puffy on cell1(top cell) it was a 1.02v when I plugged it up!! So I don't think the lipo will technically "blow up" if it is puffed, but using it may be a dif story, but like was stated,mis it is not puffed to where the case is strained, then it's fine!!

I've had this happen with a couple Gen Ace where the case flexed and then they "deflated" later on. I use those as "warmup" or practice packs. Ironically they feel great still, are always between 5-15mv or less, and are no thicker than my other packs (just the case has a few dabs of CA to keep it together)

I have 2 revtech 6900mah 100c 2s lipos and 1 case is deformed but the actual cells seem to be flat feeling that u can squeeze the case down easily, I bought these 2 lipos for 100$ with about 3-4 cycles on em which is a good price and the guy said he talked to trinity and that this was normal so I researched and it seems to be normal, I also trusted the guy cause he has 100% feedback with 40-50 sales, just hope trinity isn't lying and I run these in my fresh tekno then they go up in smoke, cause I will save my truck and rip out the batteries hahaha

I use a Hyperion charger, while I balance charge it gives me a IR readout of the pack as a whole. I don't compare that number to other peoples IR #'s because they can vary but I can compare my numbers over the life of the pack and see if they change.