Battery questions...

[Neiledward]

Hey there guys! I didn't see a specific forum about batteries so I thought I'd ask here. I have been using 18650's for a while now but haven't had to retire any.... Maybe noticed a little drop in life of the vape but not really the charge. When is it time to retire a battery? And what do you do with them? Recycled? Dispose? Also what does a fully discharged battery read? 3.?? My kanger single 18650 mod usually shows depletion at well around 3.5-6 when I stick them in my nitecore... Thanks!

 

[daviedog]

As long as my batts charge up to 4.2 volts, i keep them.
Cut off voltage is determined by the chip in your mod.
I've had cells depleated as low as 2.5 volts, found in a mod i hadn't used in a year, long recharge about 24 hrs, didn't feel right, tossed it..

 

[suprtrkr]

Recycle them when you're done with them. Many stores-- Home Depot, for example-- have drop boxes for them. Be very sure they are completely discharged before dropping them in, and even them wrap them with electrical tape or something to prevent contact with the poles. Th modern Li-Ion batteries will stand about 200-300 recharge cycles before their useful life is ended. When you notice "a little drop in the life of the vape," it's time. A battery is "fully discharged" at about 3.2V. Go lower than that and they act funny trying to recharge them. Takes forever, or a good charger will shut off before full charge. When I compare the value of a battery to the value of my face, "acting funny" means time to recycle.

 

[Hawise]

Some chargers can recover over discharged batteries - down to 2.4 or so, I think. Whether it's safe to use them thereafter is another question. The low charge can damage them and make them unsafe, so it's better to do as @daviedog did and recycle them.

Our resident battery expert, Mooch, has a post on when to retire batteries:

When should you replace a battery? | E-Cigarette Forum

The short version is it's time to recycle when:

• The battery does something odd
• Something happens to the battery - it gets overheated, physically damaged etc.
• You notice a difference in performance - the charge doesn't last as long, or it can't perform in high-power applications

If the drop in capacity is really borderline - you said "maybe" it had dropped - you're probably OK for a bit. If you've definitely noticed a decline in capacity then it's time to move on. The lower capacity itself won't do you any harm, but it's a sign that the batteries are aging and some of the other aging mechanisms could be dangerous.

 

[Neiledward]

Some chargers can recover over discharged batteries - down to 2.4 or so, I think. Whether it's safe to use them thereafter is another question. The low charge can damage them and make them unsafe, so it's better to do as @daviedog did and recycle them.

Our resident battery expert, Mooch, has a post on when to retire batteries:

When should you replace a battery? | E-Cigarette Forum

The short version is it's time to recycle when:

• The battery does something odd
• Something happens to the battery - it gets overheated, physically damaged etc.
• You notice a difference in performance - the charge doesn't last as long, or it can't perform in high-power applications

If the drop in capacity is really borderline - you said "maybe" it had dropped - you're probably OK for a bit. If you've definitely noticed a decline in capacity then it's time to move on. The lower capacity itself won't do you any harm, but it's a sign that the batteries are aging and some of the other aging mechanisms could be dangerous.

Thank you. This is very helpful. I've had some Samsung 25r 5's for awhile and they seem to last a little bit less in my mod than they originally did. I am going to replace and recycle them. In my nitecore d4 they don't take an unusual amount of time to reach 4.2 but like I said the life of the vape is maybe less.... Not substantially but I'd rather not risk anything.

 

[Ben85]

Batteries and Chargers

 

[Neiledward]

Batteries and Chargers

Thanks. I didn't see that sub-forum.