Exploding P3 battery

[rene van der meer]

I read several stories about exploding batteries or batteries that catch fire. You can even buy anti-explosion bags. Some people use a metal container like an ammunition cartridge.
I charge them in house and sometimes when I am not in the neighborhood. Is that safe?
In most cases the battery was defect (swollen) or mis-used (overcharged, shorted or high temperature).
The P3 has a smart battery. I think the electronics should warrant proper charging and prevent damages.
Has anyone ever experienced during normal usage that a P3 battery exploded or caught fire?

 

[Wibble]

No!
I always charge on a stone floor away from anything combustible and I would never leave it totally unattended!

 

[rene van der meer]

No!
I always charge on a stone floor away from anything combustible and I would never leave it totally unattended!

Thanks Wibble. This sounds wise to do, but has anyone ever reported an accident with a P3 battery?

 

[Drone Master]

This is every thing you need to know which comes with your battery. Safety Guidelines from DJI..
http://dl.djicdn.com/downloads/phantom_3/en/Intelligent_Flight_Battery_Safety_Guidelines_en.pdf

 

[alokbhargava]

Not so far

 

[rene van der meer]

This is every thing you need to know which comes with your battery. Safety Guidelines from DJI..
http://dl.djicdn.com/downloads/phantom_3/en/Intelligent_Flight_Battery_Safety_Guidelines_en.pdf

Blue Bird, I am familiar with the instructions, but I want to know whether with normal usage they can be dangerous.
ps. The manual does not say you should not leave the battery unattended.

 

[Drone Master]

I had a client that had left a half charged P3 battery on the roof of his car and when he braked, the battery slid off over the hood and hit the ground. A small explosion and some fire but could have been worse if it were at full charge. Reminder Folks! Don't leave your batteries on the roof of your vehicle! Hehe..

 

[rene van der meer]

I had a client that had left a half charged P3 battery on the roof of his car and when he braked, the battery slid off over the hood and hit the ground. A small explosion and some fire but could have been worse if it were at full charge. Reminder Folks! Don't leave your batteries on the roof of your vehicle! Hehe..

Your client tried to launch the battery. I wouldn't call that normal usage, ha, ha

 

[Drone Master]

Blue Bird, I am familiar with the instructions, but I want to know whether with normal usage they can be dangerous.
ps. The manual does not say you should not leave the battery unattended.

As with any lipo batteries weather they are intelligent or not. Its still a rule of thumb not to leave unattended while charging. If for storage, It usually is not a problem. Its still a good habit to store in some type of container when not being used for a extended period of time.

 

[PJ Orlando]

I've never had an issue but I do use a bag when charging and flying or traveling in general.

 

[rene van der meer]

Thanks for all the responses
It seems to me that the smart battery of a phantom 3 is very safe. Otherwise I would expect more incidents, like all the crashes we can read about.
So maybe we should not worry so much about the battery. If we treat it properly it is not very likely that any accidents will occur.

 

[alokbhargava]

Never ever leave your battery on the dashboard of locked car parked in sun. Temperatures inside the car can easily go to 200 F and your battery will get definitely swollen and might catch fire.

This had happened once with me, that was not P3 battery but was a similar LiPo 4 cell battery. I luckily returned back in time and could save my car. There was no fire though.