Hi all,

I've had 2 of my 3 M2P batteries bloat during the past couple of days. They are about a year old with not too many charge cycles (I really use my drone about 20 times a year?). Charged with an  official DJI single batt charger, stored properly in a photo bag in my apartment.

I understand that these batteries should be disposed off, but after leaving them on a cold-ish balcony, they have straightened out.

Any way to test them out and maybe not throw away?

Thanks! ;)

Hello there Alex.Starbuck. I am sorry for the trouble this has caused and thank you for reaching out. Battery swelling is basically caused by to much heat, vast changes in temperature and/or moisture getting into the battery itself. The lifespan and condition of the battery will depend on the totality of how it was used and stored. Hoping for your kind understanding that every electronic product and batteries has a certain warranty period and lifespan. For safety purposes please do not use bloated or bulging batteries when flying or operating your drone so that the drone's performance will not be affected or compromised . Using bloated or bulging batteries might lead to damaging of the aircraft, or worse, damage to property. Again I am sorry and thank you for understanding.

Hi, thanks for the reply! Do you think I can still use the batteries, since the swelling has subsided? I left them in a cold-ish place and they are not bloated anymore.

Alex.Starbuck Posted at 4-21 21:50
Hi, thanks for the reply! Do you think I can still use the batteries, since the swelling has subsided? I left them in a cold-ish place and they are not bloated anymore.

That was new and interesting to hear that the swelling went don when you kept them on the cool outside. This would be interesting to learn if they can be used again. Do they charge up to normal values again after this? I would not try to fly with them, but you could try using them and letting the drone stand still on a table and see how long the batteries would last and if also normal. If OK then perhaps try some slow low flying over grass just in case of a abrupt landing.

This is interesting. After doing the newest update will put one charged battery in refrigerator. Will check in a week to see how much it discharged compared to one not really refrigerated. Will also recharge both and see how well each does.

I would be careful with those batteries.  The bloating occurs from gas build up within the battery housing.   The cold environment probably reduced the internal gas pressure but did not fix the issue.  The batteries may bloat up once they heat up through charging or use.  There have been other posts with M2P batteries prematurely bloating even under proper care and conditions.  You are better off submitting a claim to DJI to see if they will replace the problem batteries.

What do you all think if I put them in some sort of a tough bag, dunk them in the sea, at some shallow beach, let them short-circuit/discharge or become inert in any other way and then retrieve and throw into electronic waste?

Would that be a safe option to inactivate them?