BlueFire

I'm new to lipos so when my SPC arrived in the mail today I couldn't wait to run it in my 1/16 E-Revo VXL. It had just stopped rainy about 1 hour before so the road was a little wet with tiny puddles here and there. After the run I realized after that you shouldn't run lipos in water so could I have possibly have damaged the battery? Im not sure if I'm being a little paranoid or not but the pack doesn't seem as rectangular as it was when I got it.

flyinwalenda

My Feedback: (5)

If you are new to lipos then a few things:
First, did you change the low voltage cut-off on the esc to run lipo batteries?
Second, is the pack a hard or soft pack? A hard case pack is preferred for surface use as the pack is better protected,
You didn't say how wet the pack got. Dunking is not good for any battery.
If it is out of shape I say it has puffed up probably from not having the lvc set correctly or continuing to run it after the lvc kicked in.

aymodeler

My Feedback: (3)

A few drops of water splashed on the outside of the pack is harmless, but as the last poster said, full immersion would not be good.

When you say "not as rectangular" do yo mean that it is bent in some way (along its long axis) or do you mean that the sides are puffed out? If it is bent, in some way, that sounds like physical damage. I never trust packs that have physical damage. If it is puffed out, that could be do to internal damage that usually is the result of either overcharging or letting the battery run too low (below 3.7 volts / cell). A very slight amount of puffiness can be OK, but if the pack is starting to look more like a tube than brick, you need to ditch it.

With the price of LiPos coming down to being much less than the price of ball game or dinner out, I tend to think in terms of not wanting to take the risk of burning down my house for something I am unsure of. When in doubt, chuck it out!

Gadgeter

No worries if it didn't short out. They are sealed very well its just the leads getting wet and shorting you would worry about. They are sensitive if the sensor lead receives power from the pos. lead or pos and neg shorted. Your 'r probably OK

I would put it on the charger and watch it closely feeling for it heating or swelling. if so Chunk it!

BlueFire

Thanks for the answers, I would have replied sooner but I was busy all morning. So I checked it this morning and its seems to be perfectly fine, and shaped properly. What I meant by "not as rectangular" was that one end of the lipo (other side from connectors) was slightly thicker than the other (like a tiny difference). It wasn't fully immersed, only some drops on the pack.

I live in Vancouver, Canada and this city is known for its rain, so I was wondering if you guys have any suggestions on how to keep a lipo dry in slightly wet environments? Would a Ziploc bag work?

Gadgeter

the battery is fine (meaning it's completely sealed, otherwize the semi liquid lithium would leak out). use water proof connectors to your esc. and perhaps if money is no big deal get some nano tech waterproofing and spray the area of the wire entry to the battery housing. OR, cheaply goop it up with liquid electrical tape if you are so inclined.

I guess whatever you heard causing your concern was meant for complete immersion where the contacts went under and shorted out.

Lipos are used in boats a LOT and get a little wet all the time.