Dakota 12v 10Ah bulging

I just noticed today that my Dakaota Lithium 12v 10Ah battery is bulging opposite end of the terminals. I cant recall doing anything that would damage it, I always keep it in a battery box and only charge it when needed (not all the time).  Emailed support and sent them these pics, will report back what they say.  Purchased two years ago, I expected it to last a much longer time.

That does not look healthy.

I don't have a Dakota but I do have the same type of battery (K2 brand, mine is a 7Ah version), and it's been going strong for over a decade. It definitely should last a whole lot longer than 2 years...

Puffy LI cells occur when IR increases in cells causing inefficient movement of electrons and resulting in off-gassing that gets trapped in the foil pockets of the battery.  generally more likely to occur with b grade cells.

I would not recommend using this battery long term but puffing can be tolerated as long as a safe voltage range remains intact.

Puffy LI cells occur when IR increases in cells causing inefficient movement of electrons and resulting in off-gassing that gets trapped in the foil pockets of the battery.  generally more likely to occur with b grade cells.

I would not recommend using this battery long term but puffing can be tolerated as long as a safe voltage range remains intact.

That's not an LI battery.

Puffy LI cells occur when IR increases in cells causing inefficient movement of electrons and resulting in off-gassing that gets trapped in the foil pockets of the battery.  generally more likely to occur with b grade cells.

I would not recommend using this battery long term but puffing can be tolerated as long as a safe voltage range remains intact.

That's not an LI battery.

it says Dakota Lithium and LIFEPo4... its a lithium battery lol   its a lithium iron phosphate battery to be more specific.. the same type of battery that i built for Lightning motorcycles


my understanding is that these pack have a built in BMS. is that the case? if so it will likely cause the battery to stop charging or discharging properly before failure but check for heat while charging if you plan to use it. Lithium batteries shouldn't get much more than luke warm while charging.   Chet may also have some insight as he builds LI packs of his own.  he is a very smart guy and excellent fisherman

My VOM shows 13v, after a day of fishing so that seems normal but it doesn't shows fractional volts.  I do believe it has a BMS, guess that is some comfort that it should cut off if sense issues.

I actually have a 7Ah Dakota as a backup, it's slightly older and hasn't shown any issues yet.  But NoWhereNear what Mark's battery usage has been, I'm surprised and disappointed that mine is showing issues.  At twice the price of other batteries I thought it would be worth it. 

Hopefully warranty exchange takes care of it with little cost to me.  But I am already tempted to buy one at 1/2 the price and see how long it lasts in comparison.

No battery expert here, but a few years back I had a similar occurrence with a battery of this type bulging during re-charging.  Fortunately I caught it just prior to a catastrophic failure or worse. In my case the housing did bulge enough to allow smoke and gas to escape.  Might consider taking this unit out of commission ASAP and storing it somewhere away from anything important.

Hum, you just reminded me of this post: http://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=33395.0

Better safe than sorry, will store it in my ash pale until I hear back from support, which I've only had an automated response for so far.

Recently purchased a lithium 12v 20ah and 12v 100 ah with corresponding chargers.

I typically charged my lead batteries in the garage. Thanks for this post as a reminder to now charge them outside.

13v is the right range. Should be closer to 13.4 but not too far off. Likely one cell is damaged but keeping up, the suggestions to retire this pack are good.

I don't know one kind of lithium battery from another, but after I read about a New York City e-bike shop going up in flames (some claimed they were very careless), and especially, an increase in e-bike battery caused fires elsewhere in the city, I got this bag to hold my bike battery and several tool batteries - in a corner of the garage away from the living areas.  I can charge them while they are still closed in the bag, running the wire through a gap in the zipper, and put the charger on a timer so I don't forget and leave it plugged in.
I've never had any troubles with any of my batteries, but I now don't think my past practice of storing and charging them in my clothes closet was a very good idea.

FLASLD E-bike Battery Safe Bag Explosionproof - Large Capacity Fireproof Lipo Bag for Ebike Battery Charging and Storage (19.3 x 4.3 x 7in)

They got back to me yesterday and are sending a replacement:

Hello,

Thanks for that information. It does sound like your battery may have an issue that should be covered under warranty. I have processed a warranty replacement order to be sent to you.

Please recycle the defective battery: http://call2recycle.org
 
Your warranty replacement order number is xxxxx.
You'll receive a shipping confirmation email with your tracking number once it goes out.

Once you receive your warranty replacement, please let us know how it performs! Keeping track of this information will help us resolve issues like this with more speed and efficiency in the future.

Thanks,

Always good to see a company stand by its products.

Cheers,
Brad

FLASLD E-bike Battery Safe Bag Explosionproof - Large Capacity Fireproof Lipo Bag for Ebike Battery Charging and Storage (19.3 x 4.3 x 7in)

There are lots of them on amazon and the price is cheap, cheap insurance seems worth it.  Check out some youtube videos of people testing them.

The most common cause for Lithium batteries to bulge is by storing them with a full charge. You're not supposed to. I don't know what's inside the Dakota, but bulging normally occurs on the side wall of the of battery where it is the weakest. Pragmatic and cylindrical cells bulge very little due to the way they're packaged. Usually LiPo cells could bulge easily, like within a couple weeks if you don't take care of them properly.

I would love to see the inside of that Dakota if you don't find a use for it anymore. It'd be interesting to know what cells they use and how they're constructed. You can easily pry open the red top cover to expose the inside. I bet you a dollar it is the BMS overheating that caused the top to bulge.