Can Lithium Batteries Get Wet?
Tips & Support
- Sponsor
- OPTIMA Batteries
- Location
- Glendale, WI
Can lithium batteries get wet? Some lithium brands will not only say the answer is "no," they will try to convince you that is the case for all batteries. While it may be true for those brands of lithium batteries, it is not true for all lithium batteries. OPTIMA's lithium batteries are IP67-rated against water intrusion. That means OPTIMA lithium batteries can be submerged in up to one meter of water for up to 30 minutes (the 6 in IP67 indicates they are sealed against dust intrusion).
A surprising number of lithium batteries are being marketed for use in marine applications, whether that is fishing, house batteries or personal watercraft, that have very little protection against water intrusion of any kind and no protection against submersion in water. Is that only a concern if a boat or watercraft becomes submerged? Absolutely not.
We've talked with hundreds of anglers and some of our most interesting conversations take place with tournament anglers, who are sponsored by other lithium brands. We're always very interested in hearing about their experiences with other lithium brands and some of them are very honest about those experiences. While one of the main selling points of lithium batteries is long lifespan, the reality for at least some tournament anglers is that they are already on their second, third or even fourth set of lithium batteries.
That's not a big deal for a sponsored tournament angler, because they receive their lithium batteries for free and some are even compensated to use specific brands of batteries. Some lithium brands have had so many failure issues, their anglers and/or the tournaments they sponsor carry spare batteries at all times. One of the most common failure modes for these batteries is water intrusion. The water isn't entering many of these lithium batteries because the boats were submerged underwater either. Sometimes a high humidity environment is all it takes for moisture to enter a battery case.
That's the kind of market research every battery brand should do BEFORE they bring a product to market, but unfortunately, the allure of making a quick buck and/or being the first (or close to it) was too much for some brands. In some cases, other lithium brands just didn't know to ask certain questions or investigate potential issues, because the people behind those brands had very limited or no prior experience with battery manufacturing of any kind. Some still have no manufacturing experience- they just order batteries in bulk from a third-party manufacturer and hope everything goes well.
OPTIMA Batteries is owned by Clarios, which has multiple longstanding relationships with automakers for lithium batteries. We have testing labs around the globe and entire departments devoted to battery development, staffed by engineers, who work every day on batteries. Those resources mean when OPTIMA Batteries brings a lithium battery to market, they are coming from a place of extensive experience.
So while getting any battery wet may not be an ideal scenario, OPTIMA lithium batteries have some protection in place to help mitigate potential issues, if that does happen and for many boaters, that is only a matter of time. Learn more about OPTIMA lithium batteries here.
A surprising number of lithium batteries are being marketed for use in marine applications, whether that is fishing, house batteries or personal watercraft, that have very little protection against water intrusion of any kind and no protection against submersion in water. Is that only a concern if a boat or watercraft becomes submerged? Absolutely not.
We've talked with hundreds of anglers and some of our most interesting conversations take place with tournament anglers, who are sponsored by other lithium brands. We're always very interested in hearing about their experiences with other lithium brands and some of them are very honest about those experiences. While one of the main selling points of lithium batteries is long lifespan, the reality for at least some tournament anglers is that they are already on their second, third or even fourth set of lithium batteries.
That's not a big deal for a sponsored tournament angler, because they receive their lithium batteries for free and some are even compensated to use specific brands of batteries. Some lithium brands have had so many failure issues, their anglers and/or the tournaments they sponsor carry spare batteries at all times. One of the most common failure modes for these batteries is water intrusion. The water isn't entering many of these lithium batteries because the boats were submerged underwater either. Sometimes a high humidity environment is all it takes for moisture to enter a battery case.
That's the kind of market research every battery brand should do BEFORE they bring a product to market, but unfortunately, the allure of making a quick buck and/or being the first (or close to it) was too much for some brands. In some cases, other lithium brands just didn't know to ask certain questions or investigate potential issues, because the people behind those brands had very limited or no prior experience with battery manufacturing of any kind. Some still have no manufacturing experience- they just order batteries in bulk from a third-party manufacturer and hope everything goes well.
OPTIMA Batteries is owned by Clarios, which has multiple longstanding relationships with automakers for lithium batteries. We have testing labs around the globe and entire departments devoted to battery development, staffed by engineers, who work every day on batteries. Those resources mean when OPTIMA Batteries brings a lithium battery to market, they are coming from a place of extensive experience.
So while getting any battery wet may not be an ideal scenario, OPTIMA lithium batteries have some protection in place to help mitigate potential issues, if that does happen and for many boaters, that is only a matter of time. Learn more about OPTIMA lithium batteries here.