Where do you guys living in apartments charge your batteries?
Or those living in houses that charge them into the house, except basement, garage or any other spaces that an apartment doesn’t have.
But if you have made any safety boxes in the basement or garage, that can be used in an apartment, let’s see those too.
Let’s post pictures with our charging space, safety measures or future ideas.
I’ll start. I’m charging the battery at the entrance hall in the apartment because is one of few spaces that has ceramic floor tiles not wood like in the rooms.
But after watching a recent posted video on the endless-sphere forum about building safety regarding lithium batteryes, I realise what I do is not safe at all, especialy because I have it at the exit door and the hall is not sealed from the rest of the apartment.
I only charge my X4 li-poly batteries or my SP140 2170 batteries when I am physically present in the room with them. I NEVER walk away when they are charging.
Bill
That’s good! I also check it periodicaly while charging. But the next video, part of Green Fire Safety Conference in May 2023 - London, made me realise that, beside maybe ending the charging in case the charger/bms doesn’t to avoid overcharging, there is litle to nothing we can do if the battery is not enclosed safely somewhere outside the living area, and it starts doing what the ones in the video are doing.
Sooo…realising I’d like to do this hobby for years, and not wanting to wonder “what if” everytime I charge the pack I’m thinking of a safer place in the apartment for it.
That place will be a welded 3mm thick steel big box placed in the balcony where I have cement on the floor, cement wall towards the room, windows for evacuation, basicaly the single space in an apartment that is outside the living area.
The box will have an aprox 30cm diameter metal pipe with a powerfull fan in it, which will exit through the plastic panel below the window. (Those panels can be replaced in case I need a new one).
The fan, maybe a heat resistant one, will be activated by smoke sensors. Even if the fan is destroyed, the battery is still in an enclosed steel bunker outside the living area and has a huge ventilation hole to the outside.
The exit hole will have spring moving plates that will stay closed so no rain will get inside but will open under the presure of the fan.
During the winter, like now with freezing temp, I can preheat the metal box 5min with a heat blower so the batt will not stay 2-3hrs in the cold while charging.
The storage will continue to be on my entrance hall because, and I might be wrong but if you treat it like an iPad or tablet like Thomas said, I don’t find any reason for it to go wild while sitting stil.
Any thoughts?
I think you have a good idea. You are trying to contain and vent the fire and fumes to the outside using a limited space. Your proposed box is almost 1/8" thick…that’s a good start…maybe line the box with 1/2" concrete board.
I look forward to your progress!
Bill
BTW: If the weather is good, I sometimes charge my Li-Poly batteries out on the balcony…away from the glass doors.
Thanks! I just thought to follow my earlier ideea of keeping and charging my 3s 2200, 5000mAh lipos in an Army box container, and now just make a bigger one.
This I my set up
Tbh the best rules are
Metal box lined with fire blanket
Metal box lifted off floor 3”
Use dedicated charger and don’t leave its side while charging
If you have to leave the room turn it off
No excuses
Store full where possible
Check everything before charging and after
Yes totall
I’ve had this set up over 15 years now and charges thousands of batteries from small to large
It’s totally safe in that respect
I have a metal box under the draw for storage which is fully fireproof lined so in the event it’s totally safe just let em burn out
However….ive never ever had a battery explode I’ve had two catch fire but through no fault but my own and in both case my system shut down and the damaged cell was removed battery rebuilt and back up and running in no time.
The key is to be next to it. Knowing exactly what to do if it happens. Having a computerised charger with thermal sensors monitor for abnormal temperatures and in both cases when the cells did go up the batteries weren’t mine but ones I was charging on behalf of someone else.
I strip repair and rebuild battery packs so for me it’s the norm to see damaged cells. If you know how to handle test and rebuild batteries then you treat as if it was a bomb.
Ive worked up to 132kv on the grid here in the uk and a qualified electronics engineer in industry so messing with ziggy’s is just one of my things
On a safety front though wood is one of the best things for batteries. Total insulator and if half inch thick and preferably hard wood means you can isolate a fire completely without adding to the fire for at least half an hour
This means a good heavy built wood box inside a metal box is better than just a metal box which will add to a fire should the battery melt and then further short out creating an even bigger fire.
You can buy and very cheaply fire proof charging bags in a host of sizes. These I totally recommend to anyone charging any battery
You can buy on various main selling sites
Get one if you haven’t got one.
Thanks for the input.
You seem to know your stuff, so how would you charge the eppg 2-4kwh battery in an apartment?
What’s your opinion about my balcony, fan vented metal box idea in the post above?
