Battery care

[Vaperer]

Hello everyone
I have a total of 7 batteries. 18650.
3.7v 2500mah. I do not have a clue what that means. One is 3000mah.
They are Samsung brand. They're getting old but they not showing any signs of wear or peeling or nothing like that so when do you throw them away
, is it after a certain amount of time? They are 9 months old. I charge them two at a time on a external efest charger. So the simple question is after a certain amount of time do you replace them or do they just start dying?
Thanks I'm still new at this.

 

[Topwater Elvis]

Try reading this ---> When should you replace a battery? | E-Cigarette Forum

If you have any other questions, just ask.

Samsung does make some cells that shouldn't be used for vaping, it is important to know the basics of battery selection & safety.

 

[stols001]

Well congrats on nine months without rips or tears, you must be handling your batteries nicely. From what I have gathered, most folks replace their batteries once they start noticing sag or signs of less life than previously. I think battery life may also depend on certain factors, such as how often you have them in rotation, how much time they rest between being used and etc. I think that there are some chargers who will give you an indication of when battery life has lessened, but I can't remember which charger.

With that said, once you start realizing you are changing more often than you used to is usually a sign that the batteries are starting to lose capacity and need replacing. Some folks will write a date on them and pick a time period.

How exactly precise you need to be probably depends some on how you are using the batteries and at what wattage in what type of equipment (like a Mech for example).

I'd say a rough guestimate would be around a year unless they have seen extremely heavy use.

Anna

 

[Baditude]

I have a total of 7 batteries. 18650.
3.7v 2500mah. I do not have a clue what that means. One is 3000mah.

Battery identification and their specifications can be one of the most difficult aspects of battery purchasing. All batteries are not created equal and just because two different batteries are an 18650, does not mean they have the same capabilities, characteristics and safety features.

Battery capacity is expressed in mAh. It is a rough indication of how long a battery can be expected to be in use between charges. A 3000 mAh battery can be expected to last a couple hours longer than a 2500 mAh battery.

IMR18650 - The batteries we use in e-cigarettes generally follow an industry defined identification scheme consisting of 3 letters followed by 5 numbers. The first three letters indicate the battery's basic construction (or chemistry) and capabilities. The following series of numbers indicate the batteries approximate physical size and shape.

3.7 volts is the nominal voltage of the battery; 4.2 volts is the voltage of that battery when fully charged.

Deeper Understanding of Mod Batteries Part 1

• For those who want to learn the differences between IMR, IMR/hybrid, ICR, and LiPo batteries. What do those numbers and letters on batteries mean? What's an amp rating and why is it more important than the mAh rating when choosing a battery for vaping?

 

[IMFire3605]

Hello everyone
I have a total of 7 batteries. 18650.
3.7v 2500mah. I do not have a clue what that means. One is 3000mah.
They are Samsung brand. They're getting old but they not showing any signs of wear or peeling or nothing like that so when do you throw them away
, is it after a certain amount of time? They are 9 months old. I charge them two at a time on a external efest charger. So the simple question is after a certain amount of time do you replace them or do they just start dying?
Thanks I'm still new at this.

Most Li-Ion 18650's have various ratings. 3.7v is the median, nominal voltage of the battery from full charge to lowest safest and suggested charge between 4.2v (fresh charge) to about 3.2v (lowest suggested) and most mods cut or error out in the 3.0 to 3.4v charge range. mAh (or milli-amp hours) is just a rating of the amount of energy density the battery has (or potential run time, higher the longer it holds a charge). The key rating safety wise is the Continuous Discharge Rate (or CDR), this is the maximum amount of Amps the battery can discharge safely the full discharge cycle of a battery from 4.2v to lowest charge before mod shutdown or error message.

The rating you are asking about is the Charge Cycles Rating not much talked about, but in general most 18650 batteries have a life expectancy of 150 to 250 up to 300 "Full" Charge cycles before they are useless, a full cycle is from 3.0-3.2v up to full charge again at 4.2v, you can extend this by "Half" Charge cycling batteries from 3.6 to 3.8ish volts back up to 4.2v which can almost double the Charge Cycles Rating to about 280 to about 560 cycles. Key ways to tell if a battery is at the end of its lifetime, 1) It will not hold a charge as long as used to and 2) it will run warmer that when brand new as it needs to work harder to try and maintain optimal output. Also:

Gentle Usage (50% CDR average discharge asked of a battery most its life or lower)
Standard Charge Cycles Rating applies (can last up to about 12 to 18months)

Medium Stress Usage (50% to 75% CDR average discharge asked its entire life)
Charge Cycles Ratings can be max about 2/3 the Standard Cycles Rating (can last up to about 6 to 12 months)

Heavy Stress Usage (75% to 100% CDR average Usage)
Charge Cycles Ratings can be 1/4 to 1/2 depending on how maxed the battery is in amps always asked (can translate to about 30 to 60 days).

HTH a bit.

 

[sonicbomb]

https://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/blog-entry/tutorial-re-wrapping-a-battery.8001
https://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/blog-entry/understanding-battery-capability-capacity.7995
List of Battery Tests | E-Cigarette Forum

 

[Oomee]

A 'thing' that I do is that if I have the time I will charge the battery on a lower current setting.
So if I am in a rush I will charge them at 1 Amp, if I have time at 0.5 Amp.
This (0.5Amp)really helps keep the battery temp lower when charging.
I also use a charge 'safe' bag, not sure how good these things are, but they certainly do not help keep the battery cool during charging.

I have some batteries that are well over four years old and are still going strong.

 

[Baditude]

I also use a charge 'safe' bag, not sure how good these things are, but they certainly do not help keep the battery cool during charging.

Since you brought up the subject on charge "safe" bags...

This is a controversial subject. Those who use them say that the flame ......ant bag will contain a fire caused by either the battery or charger. Those who don't use them say they may actually create a problem where none existed. Charging bags were designed to be used with Li-Po batteries and chargers. Li-Po batteries are used in the remote control car and plane hobby. These batteries are not a safer-chemistry battery, and a "battery incident" with one can be quite spectacular if you are into fireworks and flames.

Li-Po batteries are not charged in the chargers. The charger and batteries are kept separate by a short distance, connected by long cables. The batteries are placed into the bag, and the charger remains outside of the bag. This is because chargers produce some heat while they charge batteries, and leaving the charger outside of the bag allows the charger to be cooled by natural air circulation.

in contrast, Li-ion batteries are charged while in the charger box, so if using a charging bag both the batteries and charger will be contained inside of the bag. The theory against using a charging bag is that the charger may generate enough heat in the bag to cause a problem of heat generation, and the heat generated will not be allowed to ventilate inside the bag. This could harm the batteries and might even result in a catastrophic event.

I'll leave the decision up to the individual reader whether to use a charging bag or not.

 

[Oomee]

Since you brought up the subject on charge "safe" bags...

This is a controversial subject. Those who use them say that the flame ......ant bag will contain a fire caused by either the battery or charger. Those who don't use them say they may actually create a problem where none existed. Charging bags were designed to be used with Li-Po batteries and chargers. Li-Po batteries are used in the remote control car and plane hobby. These batteries are not a safer-chemistry battery, and a "battery incident" with one can be quite spectacular if you are into fireworks and flames.

Li-Po batteries are not charged in the chargers. The charger and batteries are kept separate by a short distance, connected by long cables. The batteries are placed into the bag, and the charger remains outside of the bag. This is because chargers produce some heat while they charge batteries, and leaving the charger outside of the bag allows the charger to be cooled by natural air circulation.

in contrast, Li-ion batteries are charged while in the charger box, so if using a charging bag both the batteries and charger will be contained inside of the bag. The theory against using a charging bag is that the charger may generate enough heat in the bag to cause a problem of heat generation, and the heat generated will not be allowed to ventilate inside the bag. This could harm the batteries and might even result in a catastrophic event.

I'll leave the decision up to the individual reader whether to use a charging bag or not.

Thanks for taking time to post that Bad!

I completely understand the points raised and they all make sense.
Bought the bag years ago and use it from habit, as I said I notice the heat build up in the bag and am reluctant to charge at the higher currents because of this.

A friend of mine uses a large metal box that has plenty of room for airflow and reports that this prevents heat build up.

I might keep an eye out for such an enclosure and ditch the so called 'safe' bag.

Suppose it could be interesting how much heat is coming form the charger rather than the batteries... arg I keep getting ideas for tests from hanging around this forum!

Again thanks for taking time, much appreciated.

 

[Baditude]

@Oomee . I think it is quite reasonable to charge batteries on a flame resistant surface. A stove top, a granite kitchen or bathroom counter top, or a concrete floor in the basement or garage.

It's been recently (2016) and reasonably documented (E-Cigarette Explosions: Comprehensive List) that up to 80% of reported "battery incidents" occur while charging batteries. So due care should be taken.

 

[Oomee]

@Oomee . I think it is quite reasonable to charge batteries on a flame resistant surface. A stove top, a granite kitchen or bathroom counter top, or a concrete floor in the basement or garage.

I am a creature of habit and like my comfort zone, so I charge my batteries in my 'project' room.
It isn't all that flameproof, although my soldering and hot air stations live there with all the other computers, keyboards and electrickery!

Jeez, I am pretty disorganised and scatterbrained I suppose!

Will add it to my to-do list though, but that thing is getting so long

 

[Vaperer]

Thanks everyone this was extremely interesting.