Hi All - from a shaken up Provari AW 18490 battery owner!

[lightboy]

Hi All... I'm new to vaping and splashed out on a provari mini after getting the idea with a JAC starter kit... unfortunately I've lost my confidence just a couple of months in because the AW battery exploded, spontaneously in my bag at work. (no, there was no metal in the cushioned pocket it was in). Thank goodness no one was hurt, even if a few of us are a bit shook up....



So my advice to other newbies is be careful, think carefully about how "safe" these batteries really are (mine were apparently one of the safest and bought direct from ProVape) and whether you think the risk is worth taking! I can't believe the "gas vents extra safety" actually add anything except a false sense of security,

Even worse, the response from ProVape in the US where I got it from was appalling, in my opinion...

"I'm sorry to hear this happened! It can be dangerous to store a battery (any battery) in a bag, purse or pocket. The safest way to store them is in a plastic storage container."

So, seems storing them in your ecig, unless its plastic, is not a good idea; you have to take them out between vapes and put them in a plastic container - given the massive pressure, smoke and fire that came out of my bag you'll need a bullet proof plastic tub!!!

Oddly, no one sells them.

Just don't know how to make my hobby safer and what to believe anymore, clearly the big companies don't seem to care.. anyone who knows a safer route I'd love to hear it.

Cheers, Happy (safe) vaping, Doug

 

[OlDogNewTricks]

Wow, I am amazed that a 'high end' retailer would be so cavalier about something like that. Take is out of the mod between vapes, really? Now I am certain that I don't want a Provari.

 

[jangempo]

This is why I've been so gun shy on getting something with removable batteries. You just never know. I'm gonna stick to my mvp for a bit longer I think.

 

[Recon Number 54]

Is it at all possible that the mod was powered on and the fire button was continuously/repeatedly being pressed while in your bag?

 

[retired soldier]

Glad you were not hurt. Many dealers sell battery boxes, and that is the best way to carry spare batterys. Metals are not the only conductors of electricity, and carrying batterys loose in a pocket is never recommended. Other than that I got nothing. Welcome to the ECF, and be careful.

 

[lightboy]

Is it at all possible that the mod was powered on and the fire button was continuously/repeatedly being pressed while in your bag?

Nah, the battery was with another one, out of the mod, in a soft pocket in my rucksack. Shorting or mod failure was not possible!

Can't even vape without worrying it'll explode in my hand, let alone charging or storing them.

 

[dordas23]

Gosh, that's terrible! I'm glad you weren't hurt!

 

[tj99959]

Was that battery in the Provari or loose in the backpack? If it was in the Provari, how about a pic of it. Was your PV in the same pocket as the loose batteries? I would really like to figure out just what caused this.

It does look as if the IMR battery performed as intended during thermal runaway (you still have a backpack for us to look at)

This is what runaway looks like with Li Ion calls
Lithium Ion Battery Explosion - YouTube

 

[Katya]

Wow, I am amazed that a 'high end' retailer would be so cavalier about something like that. Take is out of the mod between vapes, really? Now I am certain that I don't want a Provari.

Ahem, I don't think that's what ProVape suggested. Just to be fair.

 

[Clautje]

Even worse, the response from ProVape in the US where I got it from was appalling, in my opinion...

"I'm sorry to hear this happened! It can be dangerous to store a battery (any battery) in a bag, purse or pocket. The safest way to store them is in a plastic storage container."

Wow, am honestly a bit surprised to hear that.
I'm pretty new in the vape world myself but have quite a community that (hence me starting to vape too) has been educating me. I've heard about some instances of a battery venting but nothing like this.
This sounds more (especially given the fact that the battery in question wasn't even in the mod as it exploded) like a manufacturing error. I don't see any other way of explaining how this could've happened if the battery was not immediately exposed to extreme heats or other possibly harmful influences.

Edit: as another member pointed out rightfully (I missed that while reading your post) it is smart to carry spare batteries in a case or storage box for them. I myself have a small 4 compartment battery storage box that I use.


Good luck man, hope the rest of your vaping experience is disaster free.

 

[Katya]

This is why I've been so gun shy on getting something with removable batteries. You just never know. I'm gonna stick to my mvp for a bit longer I think.

Batteries, all batteries, are dangerous things--removable or proprietary. Batteries store energy. One has to be careful and handle them safely.

 

[Katya]

Hi All... I'm new to vaping and splashed out on a provari mini after getting the idea with a JAC starter kit... unfortunately I've lost my confidence just a couple of months in because the AW battery exploded, spontaneously in my bag at work. (no, there was no metal in the cushioned pocket it was in). Thank goodness no one was hurt, even if a few of us are a bit shook up....

Hi Doug and welcome to ECF. I'm terribly sorry for your terrifying ordeal and I'm glad you (and your backpack) are OK.

I always store my spare batteries in a special pouch. I highly recommended you get something similar and never, ever just toss a charged battery into a soft pocket of your backpack--I suspect that a little fabric will not protect your battery from coming in contact with other objects you carry in your bag:

Battery Cases : Nylon Battery Case w/ Carabiner

And a bit more info on basic battery safety:

Our advice is that the best and the safer choice of battery for APVs is the AW IMR Li-Mn rechargeable.

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/ecf-library/129569-rechargeable-batteries.html#post2029353

 

[Baditude]

Nah, the battery was with another one, out of the mod, in a soft pocket in my rucksack. Shorting or mod failure was not possible!

Can't even vape without worrying it'll explode in my hand, let alone charging or storing them.

OK, based on the above information we can clear the air that this was not due to any failure of the Provari. The battery was loose in a pocket with another battery.

Was there any other metalic objects in the pocket other than the other battery? Keys or loose change could have completed the electrical circuit with the failed battery. If not, contact between the two batteries or the metal zipper might have caused this incident. Even contact with the Provari's metal body could have completed the circuit if it was in the same pocket.

That failed IMR battery actually vented properly. Not as dramatically as a Li Ion battery would have with flames and high pressure. That is why IMR safe chemistry batteries are now recommended for all mods for all applications over protected/unprotected Li Ion batteries. (resource - http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/ecf-library/129569-rechargeable-batteries.html).

_____​

This is a prime example of needing to practice safe battery habits. Loose batteries must be stored in plastic cases to prevent them from making contact with other metal objects, or the above situation can occur to anyone who is careless.

Provape, the manufacturer of the Provari and the vendor who sold the AW batteries can not be blamed for this in any way. Their response to this incident was perfectly acceptable. This was most likely a user's error in not practicing safe battery practices. Being a novice, he probably wasn't aware that spare batteries need to be safely stored in plastic cases to keep them away from touching metal.

Glad to hear the OP was not injured. I guess you learned a lesson the hard way. I did the same thing with my first mod. I had a habit of placing my mechanical mod in a pants pocket in my locker at work. The fire button became compressed continuously in the pocket with another mod, and the protected Li Ion Trustfire battery hard-shorted and went into thermal runaway, terribly scorching my pants pocket and nearly causing a fire in my locker.



These batteries contain a lot of stored energy in them, and that power must be respected. Practice safe battery habits and the above is no more likely to happen than with a cell phone or lap top battery, which use the same chemistry.

Battery Basics for Mods: IMR or Protected?

Mechanical Mod Proper Usage Guide

Protective Cases for Batteries​

 

[DoogieTony]

Firstly, I'm sorry that happened to you.

Ok, the battery didn't vent for no reason. something caused it to vent. Let's be real, it was most likely user error. Let's try to figure out the cause so it doesn't happen again.

What exactly did you expect Provape to do? I think an apology and advice so that it doesn't happen again is sufficient. They are correct on that spares should be kept in a battery box so they don't make contact with anything conductive.

 

[Preloader]

The OP may not have been aware of the probabilities and dangers of battery failures. Seeing that his only 2 post counts were in this thread. The battery failure is unfortunate, but so is the dramatic reprimand of Provape in OP's very first ECF post.

I wish it was worded more carefully and that the "quotes" from Provari and the OP's own were distinguished more clearly. This doesn't need to turn into a victimized mob thread, but instead an educational thread about the risk of any/all Li-ion batteries.

 

[sawlight]

Again, I am sorry this happened, but lets look at some things, "It was in a pouch with no other objects". Well, it had another battery in it for one, and are the zippers metal? I'm betting they are. It's like people putting a battery in the same pocket that they carry their change or keys in. It doesn't take much to create conductivity!
I'm sorry, but this, and other stories like it, the lady charging her ecig with a USB charger that clearly stated it wasn't for 4.2v devices, and so on, are going to be the demise of this industry! There is a LOT of energy in these batteries, there is a LOT to understand with the care and feeding of them! Then with them becoming more and more widely available, I fear we will see more and more of these stories.

 

[Preloader]

Also...... Thank god no innocent Provaris were harmed during the explosion of this battery.

 

[lvm111]

I also found out the hard way just how powerful these batteries are. I bought a volt meter thinking I could check my e cig batteries to see how many volts were left in them. Well, I tried it on one of my 18650 batteries. When trying to hold the probes on the ends of the battery (not near as easy as I anticipated), I had my finger in contact with one of the probes. It burnt the hell out of my finger! I quickly decided "not a good idea"!

They are quite powerful, and must be handled carefully. Throwing them loosely in a backpack pocket is definitely not advisable. I also never leave my devices in my car for more than a few minutes, as it gets very hot here in Texas, even with the windows cracked, and a sunscreen in the windshield area. Just saw something on the news last week warning people not to leave their phones, tablets, or laptops in their car if it is a hot day, as the lithium ion batteries can explode if they get too hot. Even if they don't explode, excessive heat can cause permanent damage to the batteries, they said.

How the OP can blame Provape is beyond me. They had nothing to do with it. They didn't make the battery, AW did. And it wasn't being used in their device when it malfunctioned. The typical consumer is not familiar with such powerful batteries. If you put a couple AA's or AAA's in your pocket, that's not going to happen. I've only been vaping for a couple months. But I've already seen multiple warnings not to put these batteries where they could get shorted out, loose in your pocket, with keys, change etc. So the warnings are out there from the device manufacturers, and battery suppliers. This person just wasn't thinking, handled them carelessly, and the pictures are the proof.

best regards, larry mac

 

[Baditude]

Also...... Thank god no innocent Provaris were harmed during the explosion of this battery.

Lumen Sees Totus​

 

[Dvx67]

Sorry to hear of your misfortune. I think it is likely that the battery shorted out somehow. Even if the batterie(s) were in a pocket by themselves, if the pocket had a metal zipper it could have contributed to this happening, or even static electricity possibly.