Battery got warm real fast!

[Saltraker]

I was using an EHPRO Helios clone at about 0.6 ohms dual coil. mod was a K100 (I know...an oldie, but goodie!). Battery was an EFest IMR 18650, 2500 mAh, 35 amp. I had used this setup for a few days without issues. Today...oops! I hit it one time and I felt the body of the mod warm up, fast.. I immediately pulled the battery and threw it out on the lawn. Over an hour or so, it cooled off and now looks just as good as new. Post-incident, the battery measured 3.2v.

I think I know the answer to this question, but thought I'd get expert help before I act....do I toss the battery or can I recharge it and reuse it?

BTW, I looked at my build and couldn't see any obvious shorts. Resistance, however, measured zero ohms. I pulled the coils and will rebuild it. I also examined the switch...well, I didn't take it apart cause I couldn't see an obvious way to do so...but it looked okay. Got essentially zero ohms between the button and the battery contact pin when the switch was "on."

Thanks for giving me an opinion on my questions regarding reuse of the battery.
mike....

 

[Ryedan]

I'm not a battery expert, so this is just my opinion. 3.2V is not low enough to have done any damage to the battery. I really doubt the battery vented if you hit it once and then didn't do it again. Had the battery vented I think it would have been wet.

I would put the battery on charge and check it regularly for any heat buildup. I think it will charge right up for you and be just fine.

Whatever you end up doing, let us know how it goes.

 

[Ryedan]

BTW, I looked at my build and couldn't see any obvious shorts. Resistance, however, measured zero ohms. I pulled the coils and will rebuild it. I also examined the switch...well, I didn't take it apart cause I couldn't see an obvious way to do so...but it looked okay. Got essentially zero ohms between the button and the battery contact pin when the switch was "on."

The switch comes apart by first taking out the white plastic insulator and spring. You'll then see a small C-clip which needs to come out sideways. The short is not in the switch though, it's going to be in 510 end.

 

[Baditude]

Battery was an EFest IMR 18650, 2500 mAh, 35 amp.

Just so you know, it has been revealed via independent review/testing that this is a re-branded LG18650HE2 battery with just a 20 amp continuous discharge rating, not the 35 amps that Efest advertises. This should have not had any bearing on what happened to you, it's just a FYI.

Purple Efest batteries

It's apparent to me that your coil had dead-shorted if it had a 0.0 ohm resistance when measured. It's difficult to know if this harmed the battery. As Raedan said, 3.2 volts is not too low for an IMR/hybrid battery like the Sony to be discharged to. Althugh it should not be made a routine practice, they can be discharged down to 2.5 volts without harm.

 

[Saltraker]

Thanks for your responses. I will put it on the charger and carefully watch it.

Baditude...thanks for the info. How can suppliers allow this sort of bs to occur? Why do vendors pass these sort of issues along to the consumer? I'm going to write to the vendor who I bought the Efests (I bought two) from and let them know that I'm not happy about it. Thanks for letting me know.

 

[Baditude]

Baditude...thanks for the info. How can suppliers allow this sort of bs to occur? Why do vendors pass these sort of issues along to the consumer? I'm going to write to the vendor who I bought the Efests (I bought two) from and let them know that I'm not happy about it. Thanks for letting me know.

That's about all that you can do. Like most vendors/resellers, they go by what specifications either the manufacturer advertises or what other resellers advertise.

Unfortunately, from what I have been able to find, battery manufacturers are not held accountable for the specifications that they set for their products, at least not by a governing body of authority who tests products like Underwriters Laboratories (UL) does for some products to certify products as meeting certain standards.

Each manufacturer sets the specifications for their batteries. They may or may not publish them for the general public to find easily. In my research, Efest was one of the worst to find reliable info.

 

[Saltraker]

FYI, I put the battery on my i4 today and it charged without problems. But, it took nearly 6 hours to get there! Usually, a couple of hours is normal. I also wrote to the vendor. He recognizes the issue with Efests, but so far has not committed one way or other regarding selling them. If that changes, I'll let you all know. Thanks again for the comments to my question. Now, let's put this batt in a mod and see what it'll do!

 

[granolaboy]

Just so you know, it has been revealed via independent review/testing that this is a re-branded LG18650HE2 battery with just a 20 amp continuous discharge rating, not the 35 amps that Efest advertises. This should have not had any bearing on what happened to you, it's just a FYI.

Purple Efest batteries

It's apparent to me that your coil had dead-shorted if it had a 0.0 ohm resistance when measured. It's difficult to know if this harmed the battery. As Raedan said, 3.2 volts is not too low for an IMR/hybrid battery like the Sony to be discharged to. Althugh it should not be made a routine practice, they can be discharged down to 2.5 volts without harm.

This. Sounds like you had a dead short, and did the right thing to huck the thing in your back yard

 

[beckdg]

as ryedan suggests, there's a good possibility your short might have been in the 510 connection. definitely worth disassembling the 510 connection and checking the post insulator for rips, tears and that it's seated correctly and not smooshed flat.

good luck.

 

[Maurice Pudlo]

Just out of curiosity what were your coils specs at the time of being built?

Builds in that ohm range with thicker kanthal unfortunately don't act like a fuse and terminate the connection like thinner wire will.

My guess is top cap contact caused your dead short situation if there was no obvious coil contact with it off.

Maurice