Battery/Charger Getting Hot

[Kristina Wilk]

I have a Nitecore I2 and was charging an HohmLife in one of the bays. I usually notice after prolonged charging periods the charger itself becomes warm around the top but nothing concerning. The batteries themselves typically get a tad warm nothing concerning either. I popped in almost a brand new HohmLife after it was drained and it was getting a lot warmer than usual. It didn’t burn to hold or anything just was noticeably hotter than anything in my experience.

My question is, do I toss the battery? Is there an explanation for this? Maybe my charger is bad, maybe the battery is just bad. I don’t want to try another charge and damage any other batteries as it’s getting expensive by using the charger again. Any suggestions would be awesome!

 

[uthinkofsomething]

I have a Nitecore I2 and was charging an HohmLife in one of the bays. I usually notice after prolonged charging periods the charger itself becomes warm around the top but nothing concerning. The batteries themselves typically get a tad warm nothing concerning either. I popped in almost a brand new HohmLife after it was drained and it was getting a lot warmer than usual. It didn’t burn to hold or anything just was noticeably hotter than anything in my experience.

My question is, do I toss the battery? Is there an explanation for this? Maybe my charger is bad, maybe the battery is just bad. I don’t want to try another charge and damage any other batteries as it’s getting expensive by using the charger again. Any suggestions would be awesome!

All I'll say is those batteries are overrated rewraps and I would not trust that brand. Only buy lg, sony, or samsung from a trusted seller if you want batteries you can depend on.

 

[Kristina Wilk]

All I'll say is those batteries are overrated rewraps and I would not trust that brand. Only buy lg, sony, or samsung from a trusted seller if you want batteries you can depend on.

I have a bunch of Sony VTC5s from illumn and liionwholesale and they’ve given me issues on almost all of the 8 I’ve gone through with sweating under the wrap. Whatever those marks are, I’m not messing with them. The Hohm life’s have never given me issues. But I agree rewraps are worrisome. They carry limited liability which I like though.

 

[Zaryk]

Batteries do get warm when charging them. If it is getting warmer than you feel is okay, then I would buy a new charger.

I also agree with keeping your distance from rewraps, you never know what is under the wrap, and it could be a totally different cell from one battery to the next. And with only lies printed on the wrap, you never know if it is even a safe battery to be using.

Edit- I do also want to mention, if you charge two at a time on that charger, the batteries will not get as warm.

 

[Kristina Wilk]

Batteries do get warm when charging them. If it is getting warmer than you feel is okay, then I would buy a new charger.

I also agree with keeping your distance from rewraps, you never know what is under the wrap, and it could be a totally different cell from one battery to the next. And with only lies printed on the wrap, you never know if it is even a safe battery to be using.

Edit- I do also want to mention, if you charge two at a time on that charger, the batteries will not get as warm.

That’s exactly what I was thinking. The only difference when charging that battery was that I only was charging in one bay. I’m almost always using both bays. I charged it this morning with two to see if it would get hot. It did not. I only left it on there about 15 minutes before I decided it was not worth the risk.


Although I like the HohmLifes and have never had issues except for this cell. I am going to invest in a couple new mooch rated cells and also a new charger. Vaping has become so expensive! Lol

 

[Zaryk]

That’s exactly what I was thinking. The only difference when charging that battery was that I only was charging in one bay. I’m almost always using both bays. I charged it this morning with two to see if it would get hot. It did not. I only left it on there about 15 minutes before I decided it was not worth the risk.


Although I like the HohmLifes and have never had issues except for this cell. I am going to invest in a couple new mooch rated cells and also a new charger. Vaping has become so expensive! Lol

The battery gets hotter with one charging at a time because it is putting more amps to the battery. With two batteries in it, it splits those amps in half and sends them to each individual cell, with only one in there it is getting the full amount of power, and will also charge faster.

 

[Baditude]

Batteries and chargers may feel warm to touch while in use. Everyone differs in what they consider to be "safe enough". Some folks say if they can touch it for 30 seconds without causing pain its good. I've never experienced a battery or charger to feel warm or hot in seven years of vaping, so to me I have zero tolerance for heat of any kind. (I've used Pila, Nitecore, and Xtar chargers).

I have a bunch of Sony VTC5s from illumn and liionwholesale and they’ve given me issues on almost all of the 8 I’ve gone through with sweating under the wrap. Whatever those marks are, I’m not messing with them. The Hohm life’s have never given me issues. But I agree rewraps are worrisome. They carry limited liability which I like though.

Curious what you meant by "they carry limited liability"?

Mooch has investigated the mysterious dark marks under the wraps of Sony batteries. He doesn't think they are a big deal. He was able to duplicate the phenomenon by putting tiny pinholes in the wraps and he believes the natural oils from your skin causes the black spots to occur. Short discussion of this at the beginning of this video.



HohmLife 36.3A 3077mAh 18650 Bench Test Results...only a 20A- battery but a great one, equal to HG2
"In my opinion, though it is confusingly labeled it is a great almost-20A high capacity continuous discharge rating (CDR) battery. It is essentially equal to the LG HG2, just running a bit hotter." -- Mooch

 

[Kristina Wilk]

Batteries and chargers may feel warm to touch while in use. Everyone differs in what they consider to be "safe enough". Some folks say if they can touch it for 30 seconds without causing pain its good. I've never experienced a battery or charger to feel warm or hot in seven years of vaping, so to me I have zero tolerance to heat of any kind. (I've used Pila, Nitecore, and Xtar chargers).



Curious what you meant by "they carry limited liability"?

Mooch has investigated the mysterious dark marks under the wraps of Sony batteries. He doesn't think they are a big deal. He was able to duplicate the phenomenon by putting tiny pinholes in the wraps and he believes the natural oils from your skin causes the black spots to occur. Short discussion of this at the beginning of this video.



HohmLife 36.3A 3077mAh 18650 Bench Test Results...only a 20A- battery but a great one, equal to HG2
"In my opinion, though it is confusingly labeled it is a great almost-20A high capacity continuous discharge rating (CDR) battery. It is essentially equal to the LG HG2, just running a bit hotter." -- Mooch

Thanks for the reply! That is one of the main reasons I felt safe buying the HohmLifes was because of his review. I was told the company carries limited liability for their batteries as they are made for vaping.

As for the Sony’s when I purchased them I was not well researched. I only knew mooch said they were good and where to buy them. But after having several with the marks, it concerns me because I recently heard that years ago Sony stopped making VTC5s all together.

Not that I trust this guy over mooch, but I was told at a battery store that the marks could be the batteries sweating under the wrap.

 

[Kristina Wilk]

O

The battery gets hotter with one charging at a time because it is putting more amps to the battery. With two batteries in it, it splits those amps in half and sends them to each individual cell, with only one in there it is getting the full amount of power, and will also charge faster.

Ok cool! Thanks for the reply. If it is not too hot to hold in my hand am I ok using it? Or toss to be sure?

 

[stols001]

Honestly only you can decide that because you are the one noting how "hot" the battery gets. I have a hohm life 26650 battery and a nitecore 2 bay charger and the battery may well get a little bit more warm than the others, and I usually don't charge it alone (to the best of my knowledge, the output to batteries on the nitecore is split between batteries, I stand ready to be corrected though) well, charging together may help.

The kind of heat the Hohm life battery puts out is pretty similar, maybe a tad warmer at times, but it's hard to say. Heat is generated by charging, and because of it's size, I assume if it ever gets a bit warmer, it's due to the battery type, and needing to be charged for longer. I haven't had any issues with this battery.

So, you can replace the charger (if you want, it may not be necessary) and you may wish to replace the batteries, although they don't sound so awful as far as Mooch's testing. If the rest of your batteries are fine in the nitecore, I'd be surprised if it were the charger. If you are looking for a backup charger anyway, you can certainly try that too.

It just can sometimes be really hard to figure out what is "concerning" vs. "normal" but your situation may not be so tremendously dire and etc. If you decide to replace, I'd maybe start with a charger and see how it handles your batteries and if there are any differences. You can never 100% trust a rewrap but some are better than others and etc.

Best of luck,

Anna

 

[Baditude]

That is one of the main reasons I felt safe buying the HohmLifes .... I was told the company carries limited liability for their batteries as they are made for vaping.

That is a fallacy and misnomer. There may be companies "marketing" 18650 batteries to vapers, but there are no battery manufacturers actually "designing/making" 18650 batteries specifically for vaping. A new battery manufacturing plant would be a huge, multi-million dollar investment; and the fact that so many new off brand battery companies are suddenly appearing out of no where should make consumers very wary of where these batteries are coming from.

The vast majority of 18650 batteries are made by familiar name brand companies in Japan and Korea: Lg, Panasonic/Sanyo, Lg, and Sony. All the lesser brand batteries originate from China and most of those don't actually "manufacture" their batteries, but "re-wrap" the "rejected" batteries from the Big Four manufacturers, and generally exaggerate the specifications of their batteries so uninformed consumers believe their batteries are superior to the more familiar name brand batteries. Are You Using a Rewrap (Rebranded or Aftermarket) Battery?

The existance of 18650 Lithium Ion batteries can be attributed solely to the automobile (hybrid electric) and portable power tool industry. Any progress in battery technology can be attributed to designing batteries for those two industries. As vapers, we are merely the benefactors of those two industries. There are no battery manufacturers who are designing batteries for vapers; vapers represent such a small segment of the consumer market that its not worth it to them because it would not be profitable.

In fact, the major battery manufacturers do not even approve of their batteries being used for vaping.

As for the Sony’s when I purchased them I was not well researched. I only knew mooch said they were good and where to buy them. But after having several with the marks, it concerns me because I recently heard that years ago Sony stopped making VTC5s all together.

Rumors about Sony batteries have been circulated for years. A couple of years ago Sony sold their battery factories and brand name to another company which today is still making "Sony" batteries.

 

[Kristina Wilk]

Honestly only you can decide that because you are the one noting how "hot" the battery gets. I have a hohm life 26650 battery and a nitecore 2 bay charger and the battery may well get a little bit more warm than the others, and I usually don't charge it alone (to the best of my knowledge, the output to batteries on the nitecore is split between batteries, I stand ready to be corrected though) well, charging together may help.

The kind of heat the Hohm life battery puts out is pretty similar, maybe a tad warmer at times, but it's hard to say. Heat is generated by charging, and because of it's size, I assume if it ever gets a bit warmer, it's due to the battery type, and needing to be charged for longer. I haven't had any issues with this battery.

So, you can replace the charger (if you want, it may not be necessary) and you may wish to replace the batteries, although they don't sound so awful as far as Mooch's testing. If the rest of your batteries are fine in the nitecore, I'd be surprised if it were the charger. If you are looking for a backup charger anyway, you can certainly try that too.

It just can sometimes be really hard to figure out what is "concerning" vs. "normal" but your situation may not be so tremendously dire and etc. If you decide to replace, I'd maybe start with a charger and see how it handles your batteries and if there are any differences. You can never 100% trust a rewrap but some are better than others and etc.

Best of luck,

Anna

Thanks for the reply, I ordered a new Xtar Vc2 from Liionwholesale to be safe, and also to try something different. I’ve only had the nitecore i2 and I’d like to see a digital display. I’ve consideted investing in a volt meter to make sure my batteries aren’t being over charger but I don’t even know where to begin with that. I don’t know brands, how to use, it it’s accurate, etc.

I also ordered two new Samsung 25Rs to give them a try. Only had HohmLife and Sony VTC5s. I’ve put the battery in the do not use pile for now. I’ll just continue to eat $10 an HohmLife until I figure out what’s best.

 

[BrotherBob]

Thanks for the reply, I ordered a new Xtar Vc2 from Liionwholesale to be safe, and also to try something different. I’ve only had the nitecore i2 and I’d like to see a digital display. I’ve consideted investing in a volt meter to make sure my batteries aren’t being over charger but I don’t even know where to begin with that. I don’t know brands, how to use, it it’s accurate, etc.

Welcome and glad you joined.
I have provided a little more information which might help choosing/evaluating batteries.
Might like to read:
18650 Battery Buying Guide for Vapor Users – Wake and Vape Blog
Index | E-Cigarette Forum
Battery Safety: Will You Marry Me? - Mt Baker Vapor
A Guide to Safe Charging - The Complete Guide to E-Cig Safety
Vaping 101: Battery Safety
7 Best Practices to Keep Your Charge
Mooch's blog | E-Cigarette Forum

 

[mackman]

Over the years I have used Sony's, the battery wrap marking is normal and in no way effects the integrity of the battery.

 

[RedBullBabe]

It is also worth mentioning, from what I have read on here, that you shouldn't be letting your batteries completely drain either, as that will damage them.

I don't think you are supposed to let them drain lower than 3.5v. (Someone more knowledgeable please correct me if the voltage amount is incorrect. Thanks.)

 

[KenD]

It is also worth mentioning, from what I have read on here, that you shouldn't be letting your batteries completely drain either, as that will damage them.

I don't think you are supposed to let them drain lower than 3.5v. (Someone more knowledgeable please correct me if the voltage amount is incorrect. Thanks.)

Most 18650s can be drained to around 2.5v before they are damaged. It's totally fine to use the batteries until the lie voltage cutoff if using regulated mods (most shut down when the batteries are around 3.2-3.5v).

Sent from my Thor E using Tapatalk

 

[r77r7r]

I normally wouldn't comment in a thread like this but if the upkeep expense and concern are too much for you this way, you can always join we internal battery folks and grab an istick or something once a year and be done
Hate if you give up vaping because of the fuss. Gl

 

[Kristina Wilk]

I normally wouldn't comment in a thread like this but if the upkeep expense and concern are too much for you this way, you can always join we internal battery folks and grab an istick or something once a year and be done
Hate if you give up vaping because of the fuss. Gl

Ahhh! I couldn’t give up vaping, it’s too awesome. I’m in the game now. I have a SMOK prince stick and an innokin Kroma which are both built ins. I like being able to see the battery (although I stress about it, being paranoid) for me it gives relief knowing what’s going on inside.