Shipping my Lipo batteries from UK to Australia (20ft container)

[homer911]

I am emmigrating to Australia from the UK in about 8 weeks. I have 6 lipos that I want to bring with me. My problem is that I think it gets very hot in these shipping containers (maybe upto 40*C) Plus it will be in there for 3-4 months. This can't be good for my lipo's........ Plus I have just bought a pir of Gens Aces. I dont want to ruin these batteries even before I get to use them.

The other option is to put them in my Checked in luggage on the flight. Not sure of the restrictions with this. Plus I have to bring a 30-40 KG tool box with me on the flight for work so this is taking up all my luggage allowance and taking the lipo's on board would add another 4-5KG or so.

Anyone else transport them by sea?

Cheers

Steven

 

[kloner]

sell em if you have to but don't store them hot

 

[Bartman]

Homer,

Check with your airline, they should have a guidebook available to see what restrictions may apply. You definitely want to discharge them to a safe level, maybe even a bit below a storage level if they're going to be in checked luggage. Please make every effort to ensure their safety if you decide to transport them on a passenger plane, wrap them in something soft so they can't be damaged while being tossed around or against baggage and baggage equipment. I trust you will but I had to say it anyway.

You shouldn't have a problem getting them to your destination with you if you just touch base with the airline first. Good luck with the move and with whatever lies ahead in Australia!

Bart

 

[homer911]

Cheers folks, will check with the airline. If not possible will have to sell :-(

 

[soler]

I have the same issue, but returning to the UK. Packing up this weekend. My plan was to put them in the shipping container. My next question is that most of these batteries are made in China how do they ship these to the US and Europe. I doubt that they use air freight as this would be too expensive so they must be shipped some how.

There must be a way to do this.

 

[Bartman]

a customer of mine put them in his checked baggage for travel to Asia from the US. check with your airline, customer service people will answer your questions and provide guidance. If they don't then just discharge them to a safe level, put soft stuff around them so they can't get punctured or crushed, and send them along. I'd probably be more comfortable putting them in a carry on bag but you might have to explain to security what they are and that might become a problem.

 

[SMP]

I...er... heard from friend of a friend that his neighbors dog once took a bunch of new lipos, never charged, with each connector wrapped and then taped to the side of each battery and then each battery wrapped in gobs of packing sheet and then the whole lump wrapped in more packing sheet and then stuffed in a USPS box, labeled it hobby parts and then somehow shipped the whole thing to the Middle East. Not sure how dogs manage all that without thumbs but that's what I heard...

 

[SMP]

I ALSO heard that this same Dog, traveled with Lipos packed the same way in his carry on all the time without incident (except Heathrow who just gave the dog a harder time than usual but normal for Heathrow, guess they're cat people..)... Must be a guide dog or something.

Dog is searching for Euro/Chinese supplier for Skylipos to avoid flying. Guide dogs are nervous flyers...

 

[ChrisViperM]

I am also on the move pretty soon and have about 25 LiPo's to take with me....so taking them in the plane is no option in my case. After going through a lot of avalible options I am going to do the following:

Get myself one or more (depending on the size) of aluminum transport cases....fill the bottom of the box with about 7 cm of sand.....put each LiPo in a thin plastic bag to prevent sand going into the LiPo's.....place each LiPo onto the sand layer with about 7 cm distance to each other....put onother layer of sand and compress slightly....and so on until the box is full....just have to make sure the box is full up to the brim that nothing inside the box can move....then put it into the container and sleep tight, without being afraid that my 40 foot container turns into a gigantic BBQ.
LiPo's obviously are charged only at storage level.....

This method is cheap and as safe as it can be....the sand keeps the heat inside the container away form the LiPo's...and should (for whatever reason) something go wrong with one LiPo, the sand will prevent a chain reaction or a fire.



Chris

 

[homer911]

Good idea Chris. Have you cleared this with the shipping company? Are you sure it would shield the lipos from the heat? It would be good to prevent spread of fire but not sure about temperature. You must be able to buy max temperature strips that show what the max temp was. At least you would know if they are good when you open the container. What type of Aluminium box were you thinking?

Steven

 

[homer911]

Chris, just out of curiousity, where are you moving to? I know Australia are very strick on what you are alowed to bring in. I will have to check if sand is on their hot list.

 

[ChrisViperM]

There is no way on earth that the heat (and the cold during night ! ) would even touch the LiPo's.....before that happens, your container would basically have to melt. Sand has a very low thermal conductivity:

http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/thermal-conductivity-d_429.html

As for the boxes: Any cheap alu container would do (like the ones you get in hardware stores)....just not to big, the sand and the LiPo's together will make it pretty heavy.
Something like that: http://www.gerdneumann.net/english/packings-verpackungen/aluboxen-aluminum-cases.html ...although you get them a lot cheaper


Chris

 

[STI-REX]

Just sell them or give them to a mate (good kharma ) and buy new ones when you get here as you are going to be on a winning streak with the exchange rate anyway Batteries are just an expendable like brake pads in your car they don't last for ever

Not worth the hassle of shipping them

I used to drive container swing lift trucks and containers get bloody hot inside sitting in the sun when the heat is regularly over 30° Celsius and hotter during transit through the tropics on the way here

If they do go up they will contaminate everything in the container with poisonous gasses and sooty filth

 

[soler]

Well mine are packed and shipped now, I used a Al box with sand as described, I dried the sand out first after borrowing this from a kids play area!! (sorry kids, but I don't think you will notice the loss) Batteries were put in lipo bags first followed by a plastic bag and buried in the sand. I could not get 7cm each side but it should be ok. The box was pretty heavy once fully loaded. We will see the result in seven weeks once I get back to the UK.

 

[homer911]

Good luck!! I have asked my shopping company and they sre not sure. They are getting back to me. The insurance company on the other hand are fine with it.

 

[soler]

Just to update you all, After packing my batteries in Lipo bags and then sand they finally arrived yesterday. Opened the box and everything was in good condition, just charged them up for the first flight everything seams in order.

Speaking to the shipping company they said that usually the containers for people relocating are on the lower levels on the ship while industrial / hazardous materials are located on the top levels.

Let me know how you get on with yours.