How to know when it's time to retire batteries...

[cmoorewv]

So, how do I know when it's time to retire a pair of batteries? Do they just stop holding out as long, not charge well? I'm new to battery mods, and don't want to have a battery meltdown/failure. I didn't know what a married pair was, but fortunately I was doing that correctly anyway - always using and charging the same pair together in a mod. What's the average life span for a pair of 18650s? I know it will vary based on brand and charging technique - just looking for a general range. Thanks.

 

[stevegmu]

I only use AW IMR batteries. I recycle them at 12 months, even though I'm easy on them. Batteries degrade with time, as well as usage...

 

[zaroba]

Lifespan also depends on how you vape.

I've semi-retired batteries when they seemed to not hold a charge anymore. It's always been a sudden drop of performance for me. Like they would be fine one week, then the next week they quickly decline. As an example, in my sig150, I can normally take batteries down to 10% before it stops firing, then almost suddenly a few days later it stops firing when the batteries only get to 30-40%.

So far, this seems to happen within 6 months for me, but I vape a lot and low subohm at a high wattage.
Have 5 pairs in rotation, but will drain 2-4 pairs a day.

I said 'semi-retired' since I still keep the old batteries to use as backups if for some reason I forget to charge the good batteries or go through them faster then I can charge them.

 

[raymo2u]

After you notice they dont last as long after a charge or when they vent on you

 

[snake94115]

I remember asking about this when I first got interested in bigger mods, and the answer I was given then was when the battery stops taking a charge.So that is what I've been doing over the last 2 years and I think I've only had to toss 3 cells ever.
1 vented a bit.
2 stopped taking a charge.

 

[cmoorewv]

I remember asking about this when I first got interested in bigger mods, and the answer I was given then was when the battery stops taking a charge.So that is what I've been doing over the last 2 years and I think I've only had to toss 3 cells ever.
1 vented a bit.
2 stopped taking a charge.

It's the venting part that scares me.
BTW, what do you all think about the guy in Texas that got burnt recently? Says he was riding in a car when his battery caught fire in his pocket. I'm wondering if it was loose and contacted something else metal like change or keys. He said on the news he heard it hissing first. I know the majority of cases are user error, but how inherently dangerous are these batteries?

 

[MrScaryZ]

I only use AW IMR batteries. I recycle them at 12 months, even though I'm easy on them. Batteries degrade with time, as well as usage...

So you use rewraps?

 

[zaroba]

It's the venting part that scares me.
BTW, what do you all think about the guy in Texas that got burnt recently? Says he was riding in a car when his battery caught fire in his pocket. I'm wondering if it was loose and contacted something else metal like change or keys. He said on the news he heard it hissing first. I know the majority of cases are user error, but how inherently dangerous are these batteries?

Don't remember.
Was it a lose battery? Could have come in contact with keys or something. Especially if the wrapper was torn around the positive end.
The whole battery is negative except for the top positive end. The white or black plastic ring you see under the wrap around the positive is to help prevent something from coming into contact between the positive and the side of the battery, which is part of the negative. If there is a tear and that insulator is lose or missing, it doesn't even take a 1/4" piece of metal to make contact between the positive and negative to cause a short and eventually a vent.

If it was a mech mod, it could have just auto fired in his pocket if the button was lose.
If it had an RDA, maybe the button just auto fired to the point of battery failure due to excessive continuous discharge.
Or if it had a tank, the tank could have shorted it when it auto fired. Perhaps being in his pocket while sitting put force on the connection between the tank and mod resulting in the short.

 

[cmoorewv]

Don't remember.
Was it a lose battery? Could have come in contact with keys or something. Especially if the wrapper was torn around the positive end.
The whole battery is negative except for the top positive end. The white or black plastic ring you see under the wrap around the positive is to help prevent something from coming into contact between the positive and the side of the battery, which is part of the negative. If there is a tear and that insulator is lose or missing, it doesn't even take a 1/4" piece of metal to make contact between the positive and negative to cause a short and eventually a vent.

If it was a mech mod, it could have just auto fired in his pocket if the button was lose.
If it had an RDA, maybe the button just auto fired to the point of battery failure due to excessive continuous discharge.
Or if it had a tank, the tank could have shorted it when it auto fired. Perhaps being in his pocket while sitting put force on the connection between the tank and mod resulting in the short.

It was on the news this morning, and they didn't really specify if the battery was loose, or in the mod. Or even what type of device he was using. They just showed a black battery-looked like an 18650. It sort of seemed like they were emphasizing the dangers without providing much info. They insinuated the mod burned, but showed just the battery.

 

[zaroba]

that's normally what they do. lol

wouldn't be as news worthy if they said "Mr Whoever stuck an unwrapped bare battery in a pocket full of change causing a short and explosion"
saying "Mr Whoever was rushed to the hospital after a battery exploded in his car" sounds more interesting to viewers and thus earns more ratings so they can sell air time to commercial agencies. Don't forget that TV and Radio stations are businesses too. Their goal is to lease air time to producers who strive for good ratings to sell air time to ad agencies.

Why do you think the news always focuses on celebrities and other controversial topics?

 

[stevegmu]

So you use rewraps?

Of course, but AW takes first bin Panasonics, puts the safety disk and nipple on them and re-wraps them. Best battery for normal vaping... They aren't the laptop re wraps many on here use...

 

[cmoorewv]

that's normally what they do. lol

wouldn't be as news worthy if they said "Mr Whoever stuck an unwrapped bare battery in a pocket full of change causing a short and explosion"
saying "Mr Whoever was rushed to the hospital after a battery exploded in his car" sounds more interesting to viewers and thus earns more ratings so they can sell air time to commercial agencies. Don't forget that TV and Radio stations are businesses too. Their goal is to lease air time to producers who strive for good ratings to sell air time to ad agencies.

Why do you think the news always focuses on celebrities and other controversial topics?

Yeah, I kind of figured they weren't going to tell the entire story. His leg looked pretty nasty though and that's what people will remember. I'm the only vaper at my work place at the moment and I'm really surprised nobody mentioned the story to me. People usually feel inclined to "educate" me. LOL

 

[zaroba]

ooo, that sucks. Always harder when your the only one.

Based on personal experience, you'll always get some smokers that will try to 'warn' about the dangers of vaping if your the only person vaping. But most of those people will back down pretty damn fast and mind their own business if there are 2 or more vapers present.

 

[MrScaryZ]

Of course, but AW takes first bin Panasonics, puts the safety disk and nipple on them and re-wraps them. Best battery for normal vaping... They aren't the laptop re wraps many on here use...

Good enough you know why you use them.I did not know they used Panys good info

 

[cmoorewv]

ooo, that sucks. Always harder when your the only one.

Based on personal experience, you'll always get some smokers that will try to 'warn' about the dangers of vaping if your the only person vaping. But most of those people will back down pretty damn fast and mind their own business if there are 2 or more vapers present.

I smoked from the age of 17 to the age of 46. *quit in October by switching to vapes.
I had smoked most of the 13 years I've been at that job so everybody pretty much leaves me alone when I tell them I've inhaled much worse shit over 30 years than what's in my tank. ; )
Complete strangers are more aggravating most of the time.

 

[NemesisVaper]

Mooch said it perfectly when he was on the Plumes of Hazard YouTube show. He said to replace cells when they start to get annoying. I thought this was a very simple and clever way of giving good info with no tech speak.

When I notice a cell running flat a lot quicker than it should I'll recycle it. Had it with an LG HD2 recently. I left the house with a freshly charged one in my Koopor Mini. I should have had enough Vape time for the 5 hours I was gone, but it ran out on the drive home. Usually a good HD2 would have had at least 25% left.

When I got home I checked the bottom contact on my HD2 and sure enough, it was one of the very first HD2 I'd ever bought. I could tell because I used it in my Nemesis, which, before the Contact upgrade, left minor arcing marks on the bottom of a cell.

I ha e a friend that has a couple of LED torches that can take flat tops. If the cells are due for replacement, sometimes he has them off me too.

 

[cogli0ne]

I noticed some small chips/dents in the wraps on the bottom of my batteries, see attached image.

The brown ones are LG HG2 and the green ones are Samsung 25r.

I use them in my evic vtc mini and subox mini with a subtank mini rba at 0.5-0.7 ohms at 15w.

Should i re wrap, put some electrical tape on them, dispose of them, put nail polish on them or are they safe to use?

 

[NemesisVaper]

I noticed some small chips/dents in the wraps on the bottom of my batteries, see attached image.

The brown ones are LG HG2 and the green ones are Samsung 25r.

I use them in my evic vtc mini and subox mini with a subtank mini rba at 0.5-0.7 ohms at 15w.

Should i re wrap, put some electrical tape on them, dispose of them, put nail polish on them or are they safe to use?

They don't look too bad. If it were the top + then I'd say rewrap them. I use liquid insulation tape from the auto parts store for minor damage. It dries slightly rubbery and doesn't shrink.

Seems like the nicks aren't too far up the cell to cause problems in most mods. I wouldn't use them on something like a SMPL with the Authentic style button. There's no delrin insulator in that switch, so if the wraps are damaged at the bottom and touch the switch it'll auto fire.

Should be fine in a VTC Mini. Keep an eye on em, in case they get worse.

 

[cogli0ne]

They don't look too bad. If it were the top + then I'd say rewrap them. I use liquid insulation tape from the auto parts store for minor damage. It dries slightly rubbery and doesn't shrink.

Seems like the nicks aren't too far up the cell to cause problems in most mods. I wouldn't use them on something like a SMPL with the Authentic style button. There's no delrin insulator in that switch, so if the wraps are damaged at the bottom and touch the switch it'll auto fire.

Should be fine in a VTC Mini. Keep an eye on em, in case they get worse.

Thanks for your reply.
I put some small strips of electrical tape on one of them.

You think it'll be safe in the subox mini as well?

The important part for me is that my mod doesn't blow up in my face and destroys my teeth.

 

[NemesisVaper]

Yes, they'll be Ok. Both the VTC Mini and Subox internals are plastic. There's nothing metal for them to short out on

If the top near the positive becomes damaged, they can be a danger even in a regulated device. The top of a cell has the positive and negative in very close proximity. When we insert cells into our mods, depending on the type of battery contacts used, if a top wrap is damaged or the insulator ring missing, the positive and negative can both touch the positive battery contact at the same time. That would be a hard short.

It couldn't hurt to buy some battery wraps. A couple minutes with a hair drier, making sure to save and reuse the circular positive insulator is all it would take. You could go for what ever colour you like too.

You're in no immediate danger