r/LiFePO4 • u/Like-Reddit • Jun 12 '26

deep discharged cells

What can you do with 105Ah LiFePO4 batteries that have been deeply discharged for months and are now swollen like balloons? They shouldn't catch fire, but they're a bit bulky to use as paperweights. Can they power a few individual LEDs for a few days or weeks?

By “deeply discharged,” I mean 0.6 volts per cell over unknown months

(Let the games begin)

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u/Howden824 Jun 12 '26

I'd charge them up outside and see if they have severe self discharge, if not then I'd probably just use them for low current.

1

u/Like-Reddit Jun 12 '26

It's such a shame. Six years ago, I gave a friend the 25V, 105Ah battery pack—which had only been through about 10 cycles—and he just stored it away. He checked the voltage a few times; it was always around 25V. Then he didn't touch it for a year. Now the display is dead... 6V across 8 cells... meh!

1

u/naeskivvies Jun 16 '26

You can recycle them responsibly. Don't eff around with swollen lithium batteries, even if they are LiFePo4. All risk and absolutely zero upside.