What are folks using as a fireproof box to charge 18650 batteries inside?

Ordered a Pila charger and some protected AW batteries. Also watched some Lithium Ion battery explosions on youtube. What are folks using for a fireproof box to charge their 18650 batteries inside?

To resurrect an old thread, I have the same question and haven't been able to find an answer. I have a Nitecore i4 charger, tho. And I have the 12-volt vehicle adapter for charging in the truck (over-the-road, weeks spent on the road at a time). I use the charger both on an inverter and direct connect to a battery bank (deep cycle, 610 Ah capacity). Up till now I've been charging mostly Eneloops, and mostly through the inverter.

Currently, my main EDC is an Olight T10 that I use CR123A primaries, and sometimes I'll use the T15 tube with AA Eneloops. But I'm also getting an Eagletac D25LC2 Clicky and will use a single protected 18650 cell with it.

The question is, can I safely charge 18650s, and maybe RCR123A batteries in the truck? I'll need to charge these while rolling down the road, and they'll sometimes need to be on the charger while I'm in the bunk sleeping. Is this just a really bad idea? Or would I just be better off with just a snotload of charged 18650s and primaries with me and not worry about charging them out on the road?

Do a search for "battery charging bags" and you will find what you're looking for.

And Welcome to the Forum! :welcome:

Thank you for the welcome. Been reading here for several months. There's a lot of information to absorb.

I've been reading about the Lipo bags, but still wasn't sure if that was the way to go. My main concern with a bag when using a cradle charger is, of course, you cannot see the lights on the charger to know when the charge terminates. It's not an issue with NiMh batteries, and I do have relative confidence in the i4 charger to terminate with Li-ons, but, you know. My first few Li-on charges will be at the house so I can get an idea of what to expect.

I assume a large charging bag in the neighborhood of an 9x11.5-inch size is sufficient to hold the i4 cradle without creating any additional heat problems?

Wont the "protected" li ions have an additional protective measure against overcharging in case the intelligent charger fails to terminate its charge?

Take a look at milsurp night-vision goggle cases. They are aluminum and have a vent, about $20.

I use single-channel chargers inside with attention, but the 18 charging bays in the garage live inside a .50 cal can, inside the vented box, which has a smoke alarm stuck on the underside of the lid. The cords run under the .50 cal lid and through a drilled hole in the Al box, which lives on slab in the garage with a rope tied to the handle.

The vent makes me feel a bit safer it would "burp" gas slowly if God forbid I had a runaway with multiple cells in the unit! This is the sort of overkill I hope I never need.

With a decent charger I feel like the real danger is texting/drunk drivers etc.
not the cells.

I've never had problems charging in my car- do it all the time.

Mostly Panasonic cells
WP6-II charger.
12 cord in the lighter.
Good luck out there!

I was born a thrill seeker, so no box for me, but I don't buy junky crap, either.

Live fast, die young!

Chris

I would certainly hope that protected cells offer the very protection I'm after.

psychbeat said:

I've never had problems charging in my car- do it all the time.

Click to expand...

Thanks. That's reassuring. I figured since these chargers come with a vehicle adapter it couldn't be too bad.

ChrisGarrett said:

I was born a thrill seeker, so no box for me, but I don't buy junky crap, either.

Live fast, die young!

Chris

Click to expand...

LOL In the truck under my bunk I have four 6-volt deep cycle wet cell Trojan batteries, 300 pounds worth of lead acid. Shorting the battery bank out would result in about 3600 amps blowing the floor out of the truck. Soooo, I'm looking to put 3 or 4 18650 Li-on grenades down there... see what happens. :thumbsup:

Hello Turtles,

Welcome to CPF.

A couple of things to consider...

If the charger gets hot, can it damage what you have it sitting on?

If the cell starts to vent, how long will it take you to roll the windows down to ventilate the cab and pull off to the side of the road?

If something happens, how far away is the nearest fire extinguisher?

The same questions apply when you are sleeping in your bunk.

One thing to consider is to pick up a smoke alarm and have it close to the charger. If you are sleeping this may give you an early warning.

To avoid issues use quality cells and a quality charger. Test your charger at home to get the feel of it. Invest in a timer. When you put cells on the charger to charge, set the timer to remind you to check on them. When the timer goes off, check your cells.

You might also want to consider a master disconnect for the charger that is easily reached from the drivers seat and the bunk. When in doubt it won't hurt to cut the power to the charger.

A Lipo Sack is probably not needed, but a little care in positioning the charger may help. When these cells vent they propel in their long direction. If you point the cells across the cab instead of having them pointing at you the results of a very unlikely rapid vent may only be a dent in the wall. This beats getting hit in the back of the head with a flying cell.

I think the biggest thing to worry about is how to ventilate the cab, then how to contain the damage.

I don't think you will have any issues but having a plan of action should things go south will give you and edge on the situation should it ever happen.

Tom

Thanks, Tom. I don't actually drive a big truck, I drive a Sprinter cargo van, so the entire van is essentially the cab. But the only real difference is the amount of freight I can haul. I have room for two pallets (expedited freight), and the forward section of the van is the bunk and driving area. So the back half of the van is all cargo, and the front half is like an RV.

Venting the cab is not a problem, as I have a roof vent fan that is on most of the time, but is certainly open (with the fan running) when I'm charging NiMh batteries, and will be the case with Li-On batteries, as well. Under the bunk I have large Trojan wet cell batteries which can vent when charged, so airflow and ventilation is something that's always an important factor in here. The rood vent van can be opened and the fan running in about 5 seconds. It's operated with a remote control (or can be hand cranked opened and closed). There is also a side sliding door that can be opened quickly. A fire extinguisher is within easy reach whether driving or sitting still. The van contains both oxygen monoxide and smoke detectors.

For charging Eneloops, I usually just leave the charger on a shelf of a little desk-like thing that is where the passenger seat used to be, and power the charger off the inverter. I'm very confident in the charger for Eneloops. Although, interestingly, when I charge four at the same time (or two in paired bays), the Eneloops get rather hot. Not too hot to touch, but it's close. When I charge them one or two at a time in non-paired bays, they remain at room temperature.

For Li-On batteries I'll usually be powering it directly from a 12-volt plug connected to the battery bank. The reason is, I can set the charger in a little nook between the fridge and the bunk, on top of a metal briefcase. That way, if there is an explosive event, any shrapnel will miss me if I'm driving or in the bunk sleeping. It would be like you said, across the van.

I probably won't charge Li-On cells while driving for at least the first several charges, not until I know what to expect with them. Same with charging while sleeping. I will get a Lipo Sack just because. Couldn't hurt.

I know and understand large batteries very well. Cranking, deep cycle, marine "deep cycle" hybrids, wet cell, AGM, gel, you name it. The old adage that "batteries don't die, their owners kill them" is one of which I'm very familiar. But smaller batteries are a little different. While many of the "care and feeding" concepts translate to small battery chemistries, there are still some subtle differences that I'm still learning.



The battery bank under the bunk.



You can see a little of the roof vent fan at the top. The briefcase there is an old one (it's an older pic). The new one is metal. That's the nook where the charger will be. On the right there is the wood desk. the cutout where the wires protrude is where I set the charger for NiHm charging. The carpet, not to mention the bedding material, is one of the reasons I'm strongly considering a Lipo Sack.