Batteries diverging from each other - my own fault?

[Axxe]

Hello everyone,


I've got a question about batteries (again):
When fully charged, in which timeframe should the batteries be used?
How long is it "OK" to store them after being fully charged (without wearing them out too fast)?


The background of the question is that I have more batteries than devices in use, so I cycle through the married battery pairs. So there are always some that are empty and awaiting their next recharge (which I do in bulk when I start to run out of charged ones) and some that are full and ready for use.

But I noticed the following: I have two "married" sets of LG HE2. They have started to become imbalanced with one cell discharging *way* faster than the other, the difference when charging is very drastic - around 400-500 mAh! The affected cells also have a (slight) self-discharge.
That reminded me of the issues I had with the E-Stream cells I had... Especially as I had eight of them (and that they were pretty decent apart from the problems) I feel like an id**t for, probably, having ruined some good cells (again, if it's the same problem with the HE2) in case my charge/recharge-cycles are the cause.
On the other hand: I have a lot of HG2, VTC5, VTC6 and Molicels that get treated the very same way - and the oldest are now five years old and still fine, so either it's not my own fault or it depends on the cells. That's why I'm asking for the experiences others had.


Thank you for reading and
best greetings from Northern Germany,

Axxe


EDIT: typo

 

[englishmick]

You're giving me nostalgia here. I used nothing but HG2's for a long time until they suddenly became unavailable a few years ago.

One thought, I got a battery charger that could also test batteries and discovered that the HG2's lost around half their capacity after 2 or 3 years. After that I started recycling them after 2 years.

I keep enough batteries in use that there are always at least half a dozen in the rack ready to go. I charge them up as soon as I take them out of a mod so they sit in the rack fully charged. Years ago I did look into whether it was bad for them to sit around fully charged. Apparently it is, but the difference is minimal. If you leave one fully charged for a really long time it would suffer a small amount of reduction in its lifespan.

You said you have other batteries that are 5 years old and still good. Can I ask if you have tested their capacity? Most modern chargers do capacity testing.

Based on my experience with HG2's the most likely explanation for your problems is that they are just getting old. Maybe one of a pair has deteriorated faster than the other. Once a battery starts going bad it's quite possible that will cause it to drain faster than the good one. If you use them as single batteries rather than in married pairs maybe it's just harder to spot the deterioration.

My take, batteries are cheap, replace them regularly. I keep the old retired ones in a box to charge cell phones during power outages.

 

[englishmick]

I found this old post about HG2's. Some good info there.

RIP LG HE2

I have a married pair of LG HE2s that I’ve been using for about 6-8 months. They’ve always charged and discharged at the same rate without any problems. Both are in excellent condition with no rips or tears in the wraps. Yesterday I put both in...

www.e-cigarette-forum.com

 

[Axxe]

First: Thank you for your time reading and replying to my post!

I think you have misunderstood me in one point: I'm talking about two married pairs of LG HE2 in which the problem occurs (the same I had with some E-Stream cells), while on the other hand the HG2 I have are still fine after years of usage (I vape at rather low power settings which might contribute to that).
I use a really good analyzing charger, the old HG2s still haven't reached the "threshold" of lost capacity to make them end-of-life, while the HE2s are way newer, way less used and have developed that massive difference between both cells in both married pairs.

I keep enough batteries in use that there are always at least half a dozen in the rack ready to go. I charge them up as soon as I take them out of a mod so they sit in the rack fully charged. Years ago I did look into whether it was bad for them to sit around fully charged. Apparently it is, but the difference is minimal. If you leave one fully charged for a really long time it would suffer a small amount of reduction in its lifespan.

Thank you, that is exactly what I wanted to know and it answers my question why my HG2s, VTCs and Molicels haven't suffered from sitting sometimes charged a few weeks in the shelf waiting for their next shift
Only question remaining is: Why didn't the HE2 and E-Streams "survived" that conditions - or if it wasn't my usage but rather bad luck with them.


Again: Thank you very much for reading and answering and

Greetings from Northern Germany,

Axxe

 

[englishmick]

First: Thank you for your time reading and replying to my post!

I think you have misunderstood me in one point: I'm talking about two married pairs of LG HE2 in which the problem occurs (the same I had with some E-Stream cells), while on the other hand the HG2 I have are still fine after years of usage (I vape at rather low power settings which might contribute to that).
I use a really good analyzing charger, the old HG2s still haven't reached the "threshold" of lost capacity to make them end-of-life, while the HE2s are way newer, way less used and have developed that massive difference between both cells in both married pairs.




Thank you, that is exactly what I wanted to know and it answers my question why my HG2s, VTCs and Molicels haven't suffered from sitting sometimes charged a few weeks in the shelf waiting for their next shift
Only question remaining is: Why didn't the HE2 and E-Streams "survived" that conditions - or if it wasn't my usage but rather bad luck with them.


Again: Thank you very much for reading and answering and

Greetings from Northern Germany,

Axxe

Sorry, actually I did get confused there. All mine were HG2, I never had any HE2's. I didn't even notice you were talking about two different batteries. I never heard of HE2.

As for your last question, that other thread I linked to says sometimes batteries just randomly go bad. I would go with that rather than looking for something you did wrong. Maybe you happened to pick up some fake batteries or batteries that had been sitting on a shelf for years or got overheated in transport.

good luck

 

[Axxe]

Thank you again for your reply and I think your recommendation is a good one: I just recycle them and stop worrying about "spilt milk"