My step-brother has been out flying with me a few times and he is pretty good at flying RC airplanes. He lives with my father and I’ve brought some of my airplanes out with me for a weekend at my dads. I’ve showed him how to charge the batteries and informed him, as best I could, how volatile these Lipo’s are and told him stories of some people burning up their houses while charging them, etc.

In January I think he is going to serve a couple of years in jail for getting caught multiple times driving while not have a drivers licenses. That is a whole another story. He is about 25 right now.

Anyway, he kept calling be to come out to fly again before January and currently I’m very busy so I told him I would lend him all of my electric airplane equipment and planes until he goes away to jail, if that happens.

Two days later I get a call from him to find out that he had all of my planes, 5 total, at his girlfriends house and that the house caught fire and all my planes are gone. I was glad to hear that no one was injured do to this fire but still it’s hard to believe all my planes are gone, plus and undetermined amount of electronics (servos, receivers, motors, esc).

The reason for the fire:
I had a 3D Pigi which I would run using 2 Tanic 2500 batteries in parallel. The fire marshal states that this is were the fire started. Apparently he still had the 2 batteries attached to the airplane hanging on the wall and still had the batteries connected in parallel but disconnected from the ESC. The batteries were not fully charged as he had flown it that day and had not recharged the batteries yet. I find it hard to believe that this setup would cause a fire but maybe it could. Does anyone know? I also don’t believe half of the things my brother says, so maybe this setup was not as he says. He and his girlfriend left the house and 5 minutes or so later remembered they forgot something at the house and turned around a drove back to the house to find the house on fire. I have not seen the house to see the extent of the damage to the house but I think it was just one room that caught fire. If they had not forgotten something at the house, maybe the whole house would have gone up in flames.

Just thought I would share another disaster caused by Lipoly batteries while not maintaining them properly. I will still use lipo’s on my airplanes but I’m thinking of changing the location of my charging. Thinking of getting a big clay planter, filling it half way with sand, and charging the batteries in the planter while having the planter outside in view of where I watch TV or work on my airplanes, plus keeping a bag of sand on the side in case of a fire.

Happy Holidays to you all!
Roy

Sorry to hear that. Any luck they had insurance?

But of course your brothers going to dig into his wallet and reimburse you right?

Had he crashed the Pigi hard before hanging it on the wall?

Is there a chancce that the cells were damaged?

Lotsa questions that will likely never be answered on this one.

Herleman,
My brother did not mention a crash but I'll ask him about that.

Waterdog,
I don't think there is any insurance that I claim this on as his girl friend is renting the house. But it is something I should look into as the insurance company is paying for the repairs to the house.

Dean,
My brother has not has a job in years, so no replacement there. The planes were not that expensive, just build time, but the electornics are costly. I don't mine the rebuild time of the airplanes but $ of replacement right now is not a option for me. Yet I guess I would not be flying much in the winter anyway. Money will be better for me in the spring, so I'll be back flying again then.

Obviously your step-brother either did not learn all the rules of using LiPos, or just didn't follow them. Leaving LiPo packs in the aircraft, even when disconnected, is highly discouraged. This unfortunate accident demonstrates why this rule is important to follow. It's sad to hear of the property loss involved with this accident, but fortunate that no one was injured.

Thanks for posting this incident, which will serve as yet another warning to everyone that the safety rules for LiPo use are not a joke, and people who follow all the safety rules are not paranoid but prudent.

Dump Bro...Get the dish ....sorry to hear about that...
Spot

You put me off LiPos big time. It just frightens me of the thought of a volatile battery just waiting to explode. Maybe these types of battery will get safer some day, different chemicals?

Sorry to hear about your loss Was the fire reported on the news?






Edit: hey rsknapp where in baltimore do you live? I live in parkville.

I say have his G/F work it off in trade for ya

J/P but yes this is a sad story to say the least. Hopefully you can get the insurance company to give ya some $$$. but that is highly doubtfull since most personel items in a fire are not covered unless they are listed with the insurance company.

Good Luck and hope things get better for ya...

If you have homeowners or renters insurance talk to them. It may be a covered loss.

Chuck

"Dean,
My brother has not has a job in years, so no replacement there."


So he's 25, has'nt worked in years, is a habitual criminal offender, and you " don’t believe half of the things my brother says".

Maybe I'm just selfish, but theres no way in heck I would have trusted somebody like this with my valubles.

" so maybe this setup was not as he says."

I agree. What are the odds that all five [planes were completely destroyed, not even the metal from the motors left?

If I were you, I'd check out the local pawn shops.


Dean in Milwaukee

Unfortunately, Dean has brought up a sad fact of life. Some people do things to other people that most of us would not consider. It's especially sad when one of those people is in your family. Given past records, it may be worth verifying the fire if it hasn't already been verified. The fire department will have it on record if it actually occurred. I'd want to see the written records as opposed to someone's interpretation.

[QUOTE=rsknapp]
maybe it could. Does anyone know? I also don’t believe half of the things my brother says, so maybe this setup was not as he says. He and his girlfriend left the house and 5 minutes or so later remembered they forgot something at the house and turned around a drove back to the house to find the house on fire. I have not seen the house to see the extent of the damage to the house but I think it was just one room that caught fire. If they had not forgotten something at the house, maybe the whole house would have gone up in flames.

Ain't no way. The only two ways such an event would happen is if the cells were damaged badly or penetrated or in an over voltage charge situation. Leaving the cells in an airplane , hanging on a wall to charge is dereliction of duty. I can report to you that I have lying around for from days to years, a wide range of Li Pos in various sates of charge and none has ever caught fire spontaneoulsly.

Originally Posted by DeaninMilwaukee

If I were you, I'd check out the local pawn shops.


Dean in Milwaukee

What he said.