18650 Battery safety question

[DDDave]

Hey all, New to vaping

I have a battery that's giving me some issues. Recently got a couple of eFest 18650 batteries and a KTS Mech mod with the on/off button on the side near the bottom of the mod, so there is no (big) spring, but a metal post with a teeny tiny spring like thing that has no spring to it.

Accidentally dropped the mod, bottom end down, it worked when I picked it up and tried it so didn't think much of it.
Next time to vape, it was dead. No sizzle.
Tore the Mod apart and noticed the bottom of the battery got Dinged pretty bad and has a divot in it, hasn't worked with that battery since.
The Mod still works with the other battery though.

Battery, when tested with a multi-meter, some times it says 4.08v, sometimes it says 2.5v and trickles down to 1.1 very quickly, other times it's a solid 4.08v.

Afraid to put it in charger, and wanted to know what you guys think.
It's less than a week old !

Do I just throw it away ?

Can it be made to work again, or get it out of the house asap ?

Thanks !

 

[Renzuli]

Welcome , but obviously that battery is toast . DO NOT try to charge it . Toss it . If it were to detonate ( very likely ) the damage caused would be far greater than the money to just replace it . Only use quality , protected batteries . A lot of horror stories , relating to problems with batteries , usually involes a damaged one , or some inferior made one .

 

[gthompson]

Yes, please dispose of it properly and don't try to use it again.

 

[Vault]

Welcome , but obviously that battery is toast . DO NOT try to charge it . Toss it . If it were to detonate ( very likely ) the damage caused would be far greater than the money to just replace it . Only use quality , protected batteries . A lot of horror stories , relating to problems with batteries , usually involes a damaged one , or some inferior made one .

Sorry to thread-jack but I just want to absolutely clarify something before I buy new batteries.
I`m running a Vamo VV/VW mod and use UN-protected batteries ( E-fest 18650 IMR (safe chemistry) ) but I`m looking into buying or building a mech mod.
As I understand a mech mod must use protected batteries? as opposed to unprotected high drain? as the VV/VW has protection circuits built in.
In that case I would need specific batteries for each device, un-protected for the Vamo and protected for any mech mod I was thinking of getting?
Thanks.......we now return you to your regular thread

 

[Vapoor eyes er]

In that case I would need specific batteries for each device, un-protected for the Vamo and protected for any mech mod I was thinking of getting?

Yes as the Mech Mods have no protection circuit so you'd need Protected batteries that have Protection circuitry built in.

 

[Vapoor eyes er]

Battery, when tested with a multi-meter, some times it says 4.08v, sometimes it says 2.5v and trickles down to 1.1 very quickly, other times it's a solid 4.08v.

When voltage is all over the board like that best to toss the battery.

 

[hvac999]

I agree, the battery is unstable making it unusable. FastTech has a GREAT deal on Panny CGR18650CH $10.51 Panasonic CGR18650CH Rechargeable 2250mAh 3.7V 18650 Lithium Batteries 2-pack - authentic cells / 2-pack at FastTech - Worldwide Free Shipping

 

[Vault]

Yes as the Mech Mods have no protection circuit so you'd need Protected batteries that have Protection circuitry built in.

Thanks

 

[LJG514]

Yes as the Mech Mods have no protection circuit so you'd need Protected batteries that have Protection circuitry built in.

Or you can use a Shortstop / 2 dollar fuse

 

[Vapoor eyes er]

Or you can use a Shortstop / 2 dollar fuse

Yes I agree "if" the tube is long enuff to accept it. Sometimes the Mod won't thread down all the way with a safety fuse.

 

[rolygate]

Although it is a matter of opinion, and all opinions have merit, many of us think the best batteries now are the safer-chemistry type such as AW's Li-Mn cells or the Panasonic hybrid batteries. These are unprotected batteries but need no protection as they are of a safer-chemistry type.

Protected Li-ion cells are useful in certain types of device, but there is an issue with the max current available since the protection circuit added on to the bottom end of the cell will trip out at what we would consider a fairly low current these days (around 4 amps for some of them). If you are using a VV device turned up high, or a mechmod with a low-ohm RBA, a protected battery is sometimes found to be of no use because it cannot deliver the current needed. And if it does deliver the 5 amps a VV device can draw at the top end, and certainly the 5 to 10 amps some people pull with their RBA's, you have to wonder if the protection circuit is still functioning and not just connected straight through or something.

If in doubt, buy an AW, Panasonic or Efest Li-Mn or hybrid cells from an authorised distributor. Safer-chemistry cells like these don't need any protection and deliver the higher current modern devices need.

All lithium rechargeable cells have issues of one kind or another, and none of them can be accurately called safe. They need to be treated with respect; this means careful charging, transport and use.

 

[DDDave]

Thanks for the responses guys. So this one week old eFest battery is going in the e-waste recycle bin.

Was hoping to just put a metal slug/magnet on the dented side and continue to use it, but, better safe than sorry.

Been looking at the Panasonic 18650 Protected and Unprotected 3400mah & 2900mah batteries,
Protected for the Mech Mod I'm currently using and
Un-Protected for my new Vamo (already shipped/not yet received from FT)

Rolygate, You bring up a very good point as I would like to re-build my atty to sub 1 ohm... currently it is sitting right at 1ohm, and a protected battery probably wouldn't be able to handle the load.

Decisions, decisions....

 

[tcgenius]

18650 batteries are great but can be very dangerous if there is a problem. If a battery is damaged in any way it should not be used anymore. I use 18650 batteries in high powered flashlights. I loaned one of them to a friend for a camping trip. He damaged one of the batteries when he dropped it while changing them out. He went fishing and when he got back to the camp the battery had exploded inside the flashlight due to a short. Luckily he wasn't there when it happened but he ruined a brand new tent. The IMR's are good in a lot of applications but like Rolygate said each type of battery has its place. I also use high output batteries in R/C helicopters and have seen some nasty accidents with the huge batteries used for 3D flying. Better safe than sorry.

 

[rolygate]

Yes, some of these cells are also physically delicate - perhaps too delicate for many kinds of mobile use applications.

For example if you look at the fire videos on the rechargeable battery page in The Library, a fire department found you could get a Li-Po cell to catch fire on the spot if dropped on a hard surface.