Any reports of Eroll battery explostions/problems?

[chefkeith]

Mine (circa April 2013) just started to bulge this week. It sits in a ceramic bowl now (in case of fire/explosion) until I can replace the battery. I ordered a backup battery on eBay a while back, but didn't install it because it was slightly too large. I'm going to install it now and mount it in a slightly bigger case - just to get me through until I can get a new one ordered.

Come to think of it, I may just order a really big battery and mount the PCC into a much larger box.

 

[chefkeith]

I could very well be wrong, but I believe the vent hole is on the charging end of the battery and is unrelated to airflow.

it fires when u blow or suck the hole.. so im guessing it is related.

When you blow or suck from the charging end of the battery, it will activate the vacuum switch, but the vacuum switch seals the airflow. This is why when you draw from the mouthpiece and plug the hole on the side, there's no airflow - ie. you don't have to block the hole on the charging end because it's on the other side of the vacuum switch.

 

[patkin]

This PCC bulge is so disconcerting that I've now taken it out of the hard case I carry in my purse. I carry it in the same case I carry two 650mah ego batts in. Last I need is a melt down in my purse. Now I don't feel safe using it anywhere but home and is so disappointing as one of the main reasons I got it was for out-and-about. Really sux.

Edit: I have three and none of them bulge but I'm not takin chances. Someone needs to give Joye a chance to explain... maybe I will and just refer them to this thread. Does anyone have an Emini with this problem. It seems to me Ovale would want to know too.

I went to the Joye site to contact them and it seems they only want to hear from vendors. I can't fill in all the (*) required info so can't submit

Ugh.. another edit... I figured out a way around their software and it took my submission. Will report back if they answer and how.

 

[telsie]

I don't feel any more unsafe using an eRoll PCC than I do using any lithium ion battery. Battery bulges happen to people's cell phones, laptops (and PCCs, apparently!)—any portable device that uses lithium ion, but actual catastrophic failure with explosion is a very rare occurrence and no one's experienced that from an eRoll PCC.

I'd just suggest everyone keep an eye on their eRoll PCCs, particularly as they approach the one year mark. If you notice a bulge starting to form in the case, retire it and buy a new one.

 

[chefkeith]

I was just getting ready to say what Telsie just said. Well put!

 

[patkin]

Update: I received a prompt reply from

Ashley Rosales
Technical Support
Joyetech USA Inc.
(855) 569-3168

who is asking me to send pictures. She said she has viewed this thread. This has not happened to my less frequently used PCCs so I have no pictures to send. Would someone please send pictures of theirs to her? I guess the ones on this thread aren't enough.

Ugh,... email address would help:

service@joyetech.us

to her attention I guess.

 

[patkin]

I've never had it happen so asked Hubby if he ever saw a bulging battery in a case like cell phone or lap top and he said he had and that's when to throw it away. When I asked why, he said if you don't you're risking the house burning down.

 

[four2109]

I had a cell phone bat bulge. I took it in because the charge wasn't lasting. It was an LG flip phone and when the tech saw it, she asked if I talked on the phone while it was charging. Yeah I did, a lot.
I wonder if some are leaving them plugged into the charger.
I've had mine since they came out and I can't see any bulging.

 

[patkin]

I thought of that too... also is anyone charging batts in it while charging the PCC? I used to do that but not anymore. Last word I got on this from Joye was still a runaround.... they want pictures eventhough they're right here on the thread and I've sent the link. CS in Japan looked at them here and handed off to American CS which are the ones giving me the runaround.

 

[rico942]

I was leaving an eRoll in the PCC when charging, but then I realized that it was taking a lot longer to get the "green light" on the PCC, so I stopped doing that ...

Also, I now take the opportunity to wipe out any seepage in the slot when I put the PCC on charge ...

No bulge in my PCC after about 8 months, still holding a charge for 2 to 3 days ...

 

[four2109]

Telsie, doyou ever charge the PCC in the car or other power sources?
I never have but was thinking about doing it and wondered if that may have caused your problem.
I've been amazed at how long these things last.

I have two PCCs, both about a year old and both just started bulging. I didn't even realize it at first because the only thing I noticed was that the hinge was messed up on one of them and the lid wouldn't close all the way. I thought maybe I'd dropped it and forgotten or something and damaged the hinge.

I used it that way for about a week before the lid/hinge situation suddenly got worse. Then I knew something was up. On closer examination of the case, I could see the back was bulging. That's why the lid wouldn't close anymore - the case was warped from a bulging battery. Eek. I checked my other PCC and, though it has no lid problem, I can see a small gap along the hinge and slight bulge on the back of the case. The worst of my PCCs was retired immediately, but I'm still using the one with the slight bulge until the new ones I ordered arrive.

I wonder if one year is sort of the lifespan of these PCCs. Anyone else notice this happen at about that age or is it just a freak coincidence for me?

Pictures below are what the worst one looks like. It's hard to see that there's a bulge from the photos, but if you look at the curvature of the reflections on the back of the case, you can tell it's swollen.