Correct me if I'm wrong I can't remember for sure. I've got a bad Lipo battery and need to dispose of it correctly. I think I was once told to clip the wires one being a little shorter then the other and then let it soak in salty water for two weeks and then I can throw it away. Please help me out. I want to do it correctly and properly.
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Still Learning:D -
I love to shoot them and watch them flame up... -
Yeah, me too - a bit too dramatic for some circumstances. But seriously, you can hook up a DC light bulb (any car light bulb) and it'll run itself dead in a few hours. Some say you can then throw them in the trash but if you're not comfy with that, take it to your nearest hazmat drop off along with your other dead batteries. Around here, fire stations are hazmat drop offs.Comment
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And, don't soak in salt water! It will just cause the connections to fail, so you can't discharge it, making it really hazardous disposal.Comment
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Hi guys
You can also take them to bestbuy they except them too. But doing the light bulb drain is the best way to insure the lipo is truly dead. Altough I did the shot gun and .22 and to my disbelief nothing catastrophic happened for me no fire ball no major incident.Comment
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I have a question for you guys ......................... LiPo batteries are generally considered a hazardous good, especially for transport and shipping purposes. This is primarily because they are charged or semi-charged. When a LiPo battery is completely depleted (as in 0 volts), it's considered inert. Lithium itself is NOT a heavy metal, which is generally considered a hazardous material because of what it can do when it enters the food chain (as in dirt for growing plants). Lithium is actually a light metal, #3 on the periodic table, with an atomic mass of 6.94. Compare that to heavy metals like mercury and lead (typical hazards we don't want in the environment), with an atomic mass in the 200's. Even though regulations consider a LiPo battery as a class of dangerous good, these are in a charged state. So, is a completely dead LiPo battery a hazardous material? We generally throw stuff away that's heavier and way more reactive.Comment
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From what I've read, fully discharged LiPo battery may be put in a landfill; nothing hazardous them, from a chemical standpoint, except the plastic covering, which will never degrade. It would be great if someone figured out a way to recycle them, though, as all resources are ultimately limited.Comment
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Hello Viper,
Most excellent observations. So the here in the USA, (without getting into all the detailed legalese) if a item is considered to have any manner of hazardous nature as defined by OSHA it must have a MSDS(Material Safety Data Sheet) provided with it by the manufacturer to the retailer/distributor. These MSDS sheets can be provided to the consumer from the retailer upon request. The real hazard with LiPo's is as you mentioned, when they have an electrical "potential" stored. In general terms, once they are de-energized they are safe to dispose of via 'normal' conventions. I have linked an MSDS of a LiPo for review. Note paragraph #7 which deals with disposal.
Best regards,Warbird Charlie
HSD Skyraider FlightLine OV-10 FMS 1400: P-40B, P-51, F4U, F6F, T-28, P-40E, Pitts, 1700 F4U & F7F, FOX glider Freewing A-6, T-33, P-51 Dynam ME-262, Waco TF Giant P-47; ESM F7F-3 LX PBJ-1 EFL CZ T-28, C-150, 1500 P-51 & FW-190Comment
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Very interesting. By this MSDS sheet, a completely discharged LiPo can be treated like any garbage. Oddly enough, in Canada (and the USA, I'm sure), Sodium Chloride (salt) and even compressed oxygen (O2) has MSDA sheets. In fact, so does sugar (sucrose). I know for a fact (having worked in medical research for 20 years), that pure oxygen can be harmful and can even kill with extended exposure.Hello Viper,
Most excellent observations. So the here in the USA, (without getting into all the detailed legalese) if a item is considered to have any manner of hazardous nature as defined by OSHA it must have a MSDS(Material Safety Data Sheet) provided with it by the manufacturer to the retailer/distributor. These MSDS sheets can be provided to the consumer from the retailer upon request. The real hazard with LiPo's is as you mentioned, when they have an electrical "potential" stored. In general terms, once they are de-energized they are safe to dispose of via 'normal' conventions. I have linked an MSDS of a LiPo for review. Note paragraph #7 which deals with disposal.
Best regards,Comment
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Warbird Charlie
HSD Skyraider FlightLine OV-10 FMS 1400: P-40B, P-51, F4U, F6F, T-28, P-40E, Pitts, 1700 F4U & F7F, FOX glider Freewing A-6, T-33, P-51 Dynam ME-262, Waco TF Giant P-47; ESM F7F-3 LX PBJ-1 EFL CZ T-28, C-150, 1500 P-51 & FW-190Comment
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I generally take my batteries to a recycle center. Home Depot, Lowes and many other large stores have a battery disposal point. I also take old NiCd batteries to the same place. I trust the recycle center will dispose of them in a responsible way.
MartinComment
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Thanks guys for all the info and input. The battery was at a complete dead negative charge. I did however charge it in a Nicd mode for about 15 mins. and got some voltage out of it and then was able to charge it as a Lipo battery once there was some voltage in the battery and it then came up to a 95% charge. Now do I trust the battery? Absolutely not. I have stored the battery in a separate ammo can by itself as to I don't trust and certainly wouldn't trust it in a plane. I Thank You all for your input and still may just carry it to a local BestBuy or Home Depot.Still Learning:DComment
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As for trusting it, do a couple of cycles of discharge and charge and see what happens. Then test it on a model you aren't that fond of. I have a MAKO that is my test bed for all kinds of things like questionable battery, RX, stabilizer. 95% is actually not that bad. I've heard some say that NOT charging to 100% is better for a LiPo anyway.Comment
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I keep a battery like that around for testing, or during setup, like checking a motor turns the right way, aligning servos, etc. I would never fly with it; what if it started a fire at the field, maybe crashed into a car?Comment
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