Bloated Batteries

[Bret68]

Has anyone considered drilling small holes in the side of the battery housing in order to let out some of the heat generated by the battery in hopes of avoiding battery bloat? Batteries are too expensive to be replacing all the time.

 

[eEridani]

Bloat is usually caused by gases building up inside the airtight battery packaging - those gases are not something you want to vent - thus, the sealed wrap they are in. Also, an expanding battery pack is a sign a battery is defective, or misused.

 

[MA2 317]

Hello from the Crossroads of America Bret68.

Drilling holes in the battery case sounds like bad idea.

If DJI wanted vent holes in the battery they probably would have put them there.

Proper battery maintenance will extend the life of the batteries.

Welcome to the Forum.

 

[old man mavic]

@Bret68 on the off chance that you are being serious in your post, then do not under any circumstances even consider such an undertaking unless you like doing dangerous things

 

[Phantomrain.org]

You might want to skip out on the Pin hole idea , but if you dare , do it outside and prepare for the smell.

I accidentally pinned holed a Phantom 4 battery and what exploded was a Black smoke bomb that lasted close to 30 minutes and it filled the entire Garage with this thick smelling black smoke. , it took a year for the smell to fully go away.

If it had happened in my house, it would have been pretty costly.

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly in the Rain.

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

You might want to skip out on the Pin hole idea , but if you dare , do it outside and prepare for the smell.

I accidentally pinned holed a Phantom 4 battery and what exploded was a Black smoke bomb that lasted close to 30 minutes and it filled the entire Garage with this thick smelling black smoke. , it took a year for the smell to fully go away.

If it had happened in my house, it would have been pretty costly.

Sounds like you penetrated one of the cells, quickest way to artificially start a lipo fire, along with putting them on a hot stove element.
It didn't 'runaway' and flame out ? Lucky there if so, although the black smoke sounds bad enough.

 

[Phantomrain.org]

Sounds like you penetrated one of the cells, quickest way to artificially start a lipo fire, along with putting them on a hot stove element.
It didn't 'runaway' and flame out ? Lucky there if so, although the black smoke sounds bad enough.

Oh yes , it did flame out , but the fire was minimal , but that thick black smoke was a game changer. lol

 

[eaglesurfing]

Welcome to the forum and enjoy.

Sound like it is not a good idea....

 

[db4476]

The most likely outcome is you will pierce the separator film and "Poof" you will then have a short circuit. Not the outcome you were hoping for. When batteries swell, it's usually because of overcharging or overheating, sometimes because of contaminated electrolyte - think Samsung here a few years back. When overcharged or overheated it lowers the electrical resistance and then a chemical reaction occurs, primarily oxidation on the cathode producing various gases and since there is no vent in the cell the pressure "swells" the container.

Cheers!

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

It would have been really great if DJI had built in the little recessed area on the back of the M2 batteries, like they did with the earlier M1P / MPP batts.
This allows some swelling to occur without pressure on the battery connection to the drone.

Even my same era Spark batteries are flat on the back, but at least slide connect to the drone.
I think the M1P / MPP batteries are the only DJI (consumer) drone batteries with the back recess.

It sounds like the OP was considering this as a preventative measure, but agree with advice in other posts, don't do it.
Just look after them as far as keeping away from heat, charging, and storing correctly.

 

[KB9Radio]

Has anyone considered drilling small holes in the side of the battery housing in order to let out some of the heat generated by the battery in hopes of avoiding battery bloat? Batteries are too expensive to be replacing all the time.

I believe it is all in how they are charged. I have 3 for my Mavic 2 Zoom that are over 2 years old. They are perfect yet, no swelling at all. I have always left them cool down completely (usually a couple hours) prior to charging back to storage level, and fully charge them just before flying again. Do not drill holes, they will probably light up. Years ago I poked a "vent hole" in a RC car lipo battery. Let's just say it was ugly, don't do that.

 

[peterc4]

no way round it mate, sell it and buy an air 2s got sick to death of replcing mine i had 3 swellers DJI will not aknowledge it air 2s is a better drone if you dont mind the fixed apperture

 

[LenSavage]

I have had 2 batteries swell and pop partly loose while in flight. They were both more than 2 years old and had many many cycles so I was not surprised but annoyed.
One was on a commercial flight in Beverly Hills; When I started getting indications of rapid voltage loss, I flew it directly back to me and at about 10 feet altitude, it started wobbling and then dropped - no damage.
The 2nd one was while flying another 107 mission, production footage of a singer performing for a music video; similar - wobbling out of control and I was lucky that the AC was able to catch it in-flight before it went over a cliff.
I have since replaced both, so I am back to 5 batteries.

 

[peterc4]

I have had 2 batteries swell and pop partly loose while in flight. They were both more than 2 years old and had many many cycles so I was not surprised but annoyed.
One was on a commercial flight in Beverly Hills; When I started getting indications of rapid voltage loss, I flew it directly back to me and at about 10 feet altitude, it started wobbling and then dropped - no damage.
The 2nd one was while flying another 107 mission, production footage of a singer performing for a music video; similar - wobbling out of control and I was lucky that the AC was able to catch it in-flight before it went over a cliff.
I have since replaced both, so I am back to 5 batteries.

i ost my 2 pro i am sure the mattery popped out

 

[eEridani]

Anyone considering venting their lithium batteries really should read this paper:

Toxic fluoride gas emissions from lithium-ion battery fires - Scientific Reports

Lithium-ion battery fires generate intense heat and considerable amounts of gas and smoke. Although the emission of toxic gases can be a larger threat than the heat, the knowledge of such emissions is limited. This paper presents quantitative measurements of heat release and fluoride gas...

www.nature.com