Hey I was wondering if anyone has ever left there foamy models and lipos in their car for a few hours during the heat of the summer ? It's gets pretty hot where I am in summer, temps of 35 + incar are the norm, would this be dangerous for the lipo's if left for 2-3 hours even if the windows were open ?
The reason I'm asking is I'd like to go flying on the way home from work but this would mean leaving the gear in the car. Cheers.

Mel.

If I take LiPo's to the field, I carry them in a fire-proof safe.
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Keeping the gear out of direct sunlight would be a great start. Many years ago the tail on my Monarch hand launch melted (white foam with a fiberglass skin) in the hatch of may car. It was exposed to the sun and the hatch's glass probably did not help.

I pack planes in my car all the time, but I am still new to lipos so I have not packed those cells as much. Keeping the windows cracked really helps, as does keeping the plane in a shade of some sort.

Ryan

You should be fine, unless your foamy is glued together with hot glue

Can you bring your stuff into the office with you?

I usually take my equipment to work with me in the summer months. What I do is place my TX and batteries in a case. It makes it easy to cary in during the summer months. The plane I'll just leave in the car with the windows rolled slightly down.

Hey some quick replies here, Thanks. I think I'll take the radio and Lipos into the office like you suggest. The foam models are all stuck with foam glue the stuff supplied with GWS and ultrafly planes, no Hot glue. I'll roll the windows and keep 'em in the shade sounds like sensible advice.
Thanks.
Mel.

I recall at least one thread here about a LiPo igniting in a hot car.

Originally Posted by typicalaimster

I usually take my equipment to work with me in the summer months. What I do is place my TX and batteries in a case. It makes it easy to cary in during the summer months. The plane I'll just leave in the car with the windows rolled slightly down.

I pack plane, tx, batteries and a screw driver into a shotgun case and walk into work.

I don't know why my co-workers get nervous and take an early lunch when ever I do this.

- Roger

Originally Posted by Mellemel

It's gets pretty hot where I am in summer, temps of 35 + incar are the norm, would this be dangerous for the lipo's if left for 2-3 hours even if the windows were open ?.

Well, the risk of them spontaneously catching fire is low - but you should never leave Lipos unattended in a car, just in case.

The main risk is going to be long-term degradation of the battery. Unlike Nicads and NIMH, which lose their capacity with the number of times they are charged/discharged - Lipolys start gradually deteriorating as soon as they are manufactured. The rate of deterioration is dependent mainly on the temperature they are stored at. Temperatures above 0 degrees celsius, cause rapidly increasing amounts of deterioration.

So, it might be a good idea to take an Esky with some of those re-freezable gel ice-packs to keep them cool and prolong battery life.

I have started freezing packs that are not in regular use at -10 celsius. The electrolyte in them does not freeze until -40, so crystalization isn't a concern at these temperatures, just leave it plenty of time to warm before use.

An Esky with icepack is barely going to get it to zero, so it could be used right away, I imagine.