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Swollen Batteries
1153 10 2019-5-26
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BrianKushner
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I've been flying drones for about 3 years. Never had a swollen battery. Yet today I open my Phantom 4 Pro V2 case and 2 of my 5 batteries are swollen. Any idea what would cause two to do that at the same time when never having it happen before?

I assume swollen batteries can't be salvaged?


2019-5-26
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AntDX316
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Overdischarging can cause them to inflate.  If you don't recharge your batteries or put them in storage mode they will do that.  I think they've changed the design of the new batteries w/ the Mavic 2 and Spark but I'm not sure.  This is the problem when you have too many batteries and drones.  The ones that don't get used, battery failure.

I mean, overdischarging causes my lipos to inflate.
2019-5-26
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Mark The Droner
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In my experience, what causes them to swell is leaving them at a state that's higher than the safe storage level for a long period of time.  The auto-discharge feature should solve this problem most of the time, but for example if one is using a lengthy time before the auto discharge begins (e.g. 10 days) and then also tests the charge by pressing the button often, the auto discharge resets itself to whatever you had it set to (e.g. 10 days) and the battery will never get a chance to auto discharge.  Hence, you end up with a swollen battery.  
2019-5-27
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Aardvark
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How long had they been sitting in storage Brian ?

Even with the intelligent batteries discharging to storage level DJI suggest a full cycle every three months. So if longer then leakage within the cells may have caused them to deplete and swell.

I would not use swollen batteries as they would be far more likely to fail at any time.
2019-5-27
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BagoDJIoperator84
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I had my batteries sitting in storage but i took it out of my carrying case and had them on a shelf, they were fine when I returned after 8 months of not using them.
2019-5-27
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BrianKushner
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I haven't been using them very much. I do check them from time to time which may have caused this as Mark the Droner has mentioned. They were also in a hot car. If the swelling dissipates as these pretty much have, I assume it's still not a good idea to use them again?
2019-5-27
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DJI Tony
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Hi, we're sorry to know about what happened to your batteries. We would recommend contacting our support using the link below for you to possibly use the warranty and for further assistance. For additional information, the warranty would depend on the outcome of the investigation and the warranty period of your unit. We would like to inform you that DJI doesn't recommend sending the battery that has physical damage or swollen for safety purposes. You may refer to the image below for the warranty period of the batteries. Thank you for understanding.

2019-5-27
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Aardvark
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BrianKushner Posted at 5-27 09:18
I haven't been using them very much. I do check them from time to time which may have caused this as Mark the Droner has mentioned. They were also in a hot car. If the swelling dissipates as these pretty much have, I assume it's still not a good idea to use them again?

"They were also in a hot car."

That could well be the problem if they've been a bit cosy.
2019-5-27
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Aardvark
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BrianKushner Posted at 5-27 09:18
I haven't been using them very much. I do check them from time to time which may have caused this as Mark the Droner has mentioned. They were also in a hot car. If the swelling dissipates as these pretty much have, I assume it's still not a good idea to use them again?

"If the swelling dissipates as these pretty much have, I assume it's still not a good idea to use them again? "

I'd be tempted to test them out on the workbench through a number of charge and discharge cycles, check the voltages on each cell and the physical condition of the batteries. And if nothing untoward shows up then it may be viable to use them. That's just my opinion of course, and not based on experience of  doing this.
2019-5-27
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BrianKushner
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DJI Tony Posted at 5-27 10:49
Hi, we're sorry to know about what happened to your batteries. We would recommend contacting our support using the link below for you to possibly use the warranty and for further assistance. For additional information, the warranty would depend on the outcome of the investigation and the warranty period of your unit. We would like to inform you that DJI doesn't recommend sending the battery that has physical damage or swollen for safety purposes. You may refer to the image below for the warranty period of the batteries. Thank you for understanding.

[view_image]

Thanks Tony. Both batteries are past the warranty period albeit not that many charges on them.
2019-5-27
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DJI Tony
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BrianKushner Posted at 5-27 21:27
Thanks Tony. Both batteries are past the warranty period albeit not that many charges on them.

We're sorry to know about that. We're hoping that you could get the best recommendation that you may need. Thank you for your support.
2019-6-3
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