Batteries slightly swelling after flight...cause of concern?

[msinger]

Dude has literally hundreds of LiPo batteries over many years and had a single charger fail only once.
It can happen, but it is clearly more like a lightning strike than a common event.

It's all fun and games until you burn your own house down.

Charging a damaged battery doesn't guarantee it will catch fire, and a swollen battery won't always cut out midflight and send your drone crashing to the ground, or potentially onto people or property below. Still, neither scenario is desirable. Simply replacing the battery not only ensures peace of mind but also eliminates the hassle of constantly worrying about the situations a damaged battery can create.

 

[msinger]

What is the normal lifespan for such batteries?

The lifespan of drone batteries can vary significantly depending on the model, how well they've been cared for, and even their manufacturing date, as DJI occasionally updates its processes.

From my personal experience, Phantom 4, Mavic Pro, and Mavic Air batteries tend to fail more quickly than other DJI batteries.

 

[Dmcvey]

As a 30 year fire investigator, discard. Don’t even bring them inside. Fire proof bag and bury in sand.

 

[Droning on and on...]

It's all fun and games until you burn your own house down.

Yeah, but still fun and games if you burn someone else's house down?

 

[Droning on and on...]

As a 30 year fire investigator, discard. Don’t even bring them inside. Fire proof bag and bury in sand.

Well, that may be a little overkill

The most important thing to do with a li-ion chemistry battery before discarding it is to fully deplete it. Like, won't delivery current even to a short (don't short it to empty it!!!!!).

The energy in a charged lipo is responsible for most of the explosion and fire risk. When fully depleted (to the point they've been undervolt damaged) you can hammer a nail through the pack without it blowing up or catching fire.

Still requires careful disposal because it's toxic waste.

 

[platty]

I always sit my batteries on a flat surface after a flight to check for swelling. I have read of batteries swelling and popping out of the drone mid flight which always concerns me. ( can’t afford a new drone )

 

[Photobobhunt]

I had the swelling issue with my air 2s batteries and replaced them with Refurbished units from a Authorized DJI dealer . Over a year ago. The interesting part was I got a 2 year warrantee on the batteries . All is well so far.
I have always charged my camera batteries to 100% for storage, and assumed the Drone batteries would be the same.
My only comment is that DJI should include the proper charging and storage instruction in the included written information when buying a drone, or just the battery.
I only found the recommended charging and storage information on their website after searching You Tube and this Forum.
BTW you can discard bad batteries at Lowes or Home Depot.

 

[msinger]

you can discard bad batteries at Lowes or Home Depot

Best Buy also recycles batteries. My local store has conveniently placed recycling bins right at the entrance.