Battery Venting Question

[wwdragon]

Hey all,

Soooooooo I have been reading a lot on this site and learning more each day but now I am kinda puzzled.

I read that a battery vents from the top, so....why for example on my Sig30 are the vent holes on the bottom? Should they not be at the top? Or even both? Curious.....

 

[Caterpiller]

If the vent holes were on the top it would vent directly into your face if you happened to be vaping at the time.

Bottom vent holes are a good compromise

 

[Liskrig]

Hey all,

Soooooooo I have been reading a lot on this site and learning more each day but now I am kinda puzzled.

I read that a battery vents from the top, so....why for example on my Sig30 are the vent holes on the bottom? Should they not be at the top? Or even both? Curious.....

It doesn't look good when they are on the top.

I wish I had a better answer than that, but I don't. I wish they were on the top, but I guess it is better than nothing. You are correct though, most batteries when venting do so from the positive end. If one is using the device when a vent occurs, I guess the reasoning could be that it is away from your face, rather than (assuming thermal runaway) blowing the hot battery juices into your face. I'm hoping some experienced battery experts chime in here though

 

[edyle]

Hey all,

Soooooooo I have been reading a lot on this site and learning more each day but now I am kinda puzzled.

I read that a battery vents from the top, so....why for example on my Sig30 are the vent holes on the bottom? Should they not be at the top? Or even both? Curious.....

both...... would be best, yes.

but isn't the sig30 a box mod with magnetic cover? if battery vented in there, it would just vent via the magnetic cover.

the vent issue is usually more critical to a metal tube mod.

 

[wwdragon]

Thanks all, I was just curious while I was reading posts on the subject

 

[dimo]

The batteries are basically a can. They will always vent from the top. The biggest issue with mechs is that they're designed with vent holes in the bottom while vent holes for battery are up top. If the battery swells and blocks access to the bottom vents, then you have a pipe bomb ready to burst because it no longer has anywhere to vent.

Personally I think mechs should be abandoned. Yes, I have some. Yes, they look nice and are very compact. But they pretty much no safety features whatsoever. I used them at a time when regulated mods were maxing out at 15watts, so anything more required use of a mech.

With very affordable regulated mods that go up to 200W and multi-battery setups to split the load up (so a single battery isn't seeing all of it), plus all the safety features they build into them, I see no reason at all for a mech. Mine are sitting in the back of a drawer never to be used again.

 

[IMFire3605]

Hey all,

Soooooooo I have been reading a lot on this site and learning more each day but now I am kinda puzzled.

I read that a battery vents from the top, so....why for example on my Sig30 are the vent holes on the bottom? Should they not be at the top? Or even both? Curious.....

I own the SigMini30watt as well. If the battery does vent there is enough space for the gasses to escape out the bottom air vent in the battery door so pressure is not an issue if the battery swells during full thermal runaway. Another safety mechanism is the magnets are not strong enough to withstand an explosive venting, the door would blow off in this instance. A tube mod on the other hand, they are made to be a bit tight to control battery rattle and movement, in that confined a space, then bottom venting can become an issue, I own several, many of them mechs with just bottom venting, being mechanical I load the battery upside down as there is no circuitry needing correct polarity alignment, in my Vamos, Provari, and SVDs on the other hand, not high enough wattage to worry about over pulling to many amps (15watts/3.2=4.69amps to 20watts/3.2v=6.25amps using watts law and lowest battery charge most mods fire) as I use 20amp CDR batteries or higher. 30watts/3.2v=9.375amps is the highest the SigMini30w ever uses, not much to worry about with name brand and proper batteries.

 

[bwh79]

being mechanical I load the battery upside down as there is no circuitry needing correct polarity alignment

That's a recipe for disaster. I hope you inspect your battery wraps frequently. Imagine the case where your battery wrap has a tear in it and the metal can contacts the metal body of your mech mod. What happens? Well, the entire can is a negative pole on the battery. If it contacts inside the mod body, it will bypass the switch, and you will have an auto-fire situation on your hands. Seems bad, right? But it could be worse. Now imagine you still have a tear on the wrap, but now you install the battery upside down. What happens now? Well, the mod body and the 510 are both in contact with the negative battery pole, so nothing happens, immediately. But, as soon as you hit the switch, it connects the now positive battery pole at the bottom, to the mod body which is already in contact with the negative pole, and you have a hard short. Gas venting. Flames. No explosion because the venting occurs at the bottom, but now you're holding something in your hand that's spewing fire and can reach temperatures approaching that of a welding torch. All because you thought it would be cute to go against conventional wisdom and put your battery in upside down, like no one had ever thought of that before...

Now, I know you're saying "but it's still better than all that and a violent explosion," and you'd be right, except remember that the venting only happened in the first place because you put the battery in upside down. Had you installed it correctly, there would have been no venting incident at all, and (presuming you built your coil within the battery's CDR limit) your mod simply would have auto-fired until the battery ran dry, or until you noticed the situation and pulled it apart.

Don't put your batteries in upside-down, kids! It may seem like a good idea at first, but there is an actual reason why everyone isn't doing it already.

 

[AndriaD]

Another mod with a magnetic battery door is the kbox mini -- it has a vent hole in the side, the open "K" on the battery door, but if the thing really ran away and went thermal, it would easily blow off the battery door. And, here's a neat thing: this mod is DESIGNED to put the battery in "upside down" -- the positive pole goes at the bottom. So I'd say it's a particularly safe mod.

Andria

 

[nyiddle]

Another mod with a magnetic battery door is the kbox mini -- it has a vent hole in the side, the open "K" on the battery door, but if the thing really ran away and went thermal, it would easily blow off the battery door. And, here's a neat thing: this mod is DESIGNED to put the battery in "upside down" -- the positive pole goes at the bottom. So I'd say it's a particularly safe mod.

Andria

Heh, barring the onboard charging, which is just a recipe for disaster...

But yes, in the case of a magnetic-door mod, a battery in runaway would likely blow the door off before adequately being able to vent.

 

[DC2]

Venting from the top would be much preferred...
As long as it was out the sides at the top.

What isn't desired is venting straight up into your face.
Or venting at the bottom, which is a rocket to the face when it works right.

If my choices are...
--A battery venting into my face
--A battery venting and shooting a rocket into my face
--A battery venting and burning the crap out of my hand

I'd go with burning the crap out of my hand.
Although that isn't exactly a pleasing outcome either.

 

[AndriaD]

Heh, barring the onboard charging, which is just a recipe for disaster...

But yes, in the case of a magnetic-door mod, a battery in runaway would likely blow the door off before adequately being able to vent.

Well... I've been using the USB to charge with that one, because the battery I'm using is "scored" -- no metal showing at all, so it's not an immediate hazard... but a) moving the battery around from mod to charger to mod is bound to make the scoring worse, and b) if any of my mods were to die due to battery malfunction, I'd rather it was that one than my iPV Mini -- which I think is the one that scored it; there was some resistance to letting the battery drop out freely, so I pulled it out, and I think that's what did it.

So I'll keep using the scored battery until I get some more, but only in that kbox mini -- due to the way it's made, it's probably safer in there than in the iPV Mini with it's threaded-on battery door, and I only paid $22 for the kbox mini, so if it dies, I'll just buy another.

Andria

 

[bigrf85]

when a battery vents it releases a hot gas not wanted in the direction of the users face and also a vent will take the path of least resistance much like electricity will so no matter where the venting holes are it will make its way to them even if it is at the opposite end of the tube/box the batteries are in.

hope this helps

 

[VNeil]

when a battery vents it releases a hot gas not wanted in the direction of the users face and also a vent will take the path of least resistance much like electricity will so no matter where the venting holes are it will make its way to them even if it is at the opposite end of the tube/box the batteries are in.

hope this helps

There are concerns that the battery will swell just prior to venting. Once swelled, the path to a bottom vent would be closed off.

 

[IMFire3605]

That's a recipe for disaster. I hope you inspect your battery wraps frequently. Imagine the case where your battery wrap has a tear in it and the metal can contacts the metal body of your mech mod. What happens? Well, the entire can is a negative pole on the battery. If it contacts inside the mod body, it will bypass the switch, and you will have an auto-fire situation on your hands. Seems bad, right? But it could be worse. Now imagine you still have a tear on the wrap, but now you install the battery upside down. What happens now? Well, the mod body and the 510 are both in contact with the negative battery pole, so nothing happens, immediately. But, as soon as you hit the switch, it connects the now positive battery pole at the bottom, to the mod body which is already in contact with the negative pole, and you have a hard short. Gas venting. Flames. No explosion because the venting occurs at the bottom, but now you're holding something in your hand that's spewing fire and can reach temperatures approaching that of a welding torch. All because you thought it would be cute to go against conventional wisdom and put your battery in upside down, like no one had ever thought of that before...

Now, I know you're saying "but it's still better than all that and a violent explosion," and you'd be right, except remember that the venting only happened in the first place because you put the battery in upside down. Had you installed it correctly, there would have been no venting incident at all, and (presuming you built your coil within the battery's CDR limit) your mod simply would have auto-fired until the battery ran dry, or until you noticed the situation and pulled it apart.

Don't put your batteries in upside-down, kids! It may seem like a good idea at first, but there is an actual reason why everyone isn't doing it already.

You make some valid points, yet lack on one, JMO. Battery wrap torn, that is the first cue I would get the battery is not safe in its current condition, set it aside choose another that is undamaged. Do I suggest everyone run their mechs the way I do? No, I do not, and I understand your reasoning and warning quite well, weakest point on the battery is the insulating wrap, second one is the top positive cap where the venting is at, if a mech tube with battery venting at the bottom had grooves instead of smooth walls, battery swell would never blockade escaping gasses and acids. This in my opinion, if the battery vents due to a short at the atomizer itself, I'd much rather have it have the least amount of resistance to escape, if that means a 3rd degree burn on a finger I'll take that, but not have a potentially hot grenade building pressure in my hand or near me as I send it sailing away. Anyone that does not inspect their batteries when putting them into their mech, quite frankly IMO, does not deserve to own their mech, secondly if a mech is continually damaging the battery wrap and they haven't searched out and buffed the metal bur or what ever is causing the damage out of the equation, again they do not need to be running or owning a mech. They are simple, reliable, and consistent, but inherently more dangerous than other devices when you load that battery into the case.

 

[bigrf85]

There are concerns that the battery will swell just prior to venting. Once swelled, the path to a bottom vent would be closed off.

true didn't think of that i always triple check my builds to insure they are withing my battery specs with a margin for error as well and never had a venting issue

 

[EverPresentNoob]

There are concerns that the battery will swell just prior to venting. Once swelled, the path to a bottom vent would be closed off.

And that is why when I still ran my mechs I drilled vent holes in the top.

 

[Vapez]

And that is why when I still ran my mechs I drilled vent holes in the top.

We should've had batteries in just a casing with bars only. Like a subtank without the glass

[emoji14]

Vapez

 

[Rossum]

We should've had batteries in just a casing with bars only. Like a subtank without the glass REO SL

Fixed that for you.

 

[Baditude]

Exploding Batteries and Exploding Mods: Fact or Myth?

Although rare, there is no denying that there have been some horrific mod explosions in the last three years. Details are always scarce: Civil lawsuits usually impose gag orders on the participants, news media reports tell the "what", but rarely report the "how" or "why". Rarely do we learn what mod it was, what batteries were involved, or what resistance was being used. Unfortunately, we are left to second guess the victims and even berate them for not knowing their equipment and unfairly calling them "idiots".

Viewing pictures of these mechanical mod explosions, it appears clear that the mods blow their top off. This is most likely due to inadequate or the absence of ventilation holes to allow the escape of hot gas that accumulates inside the mod during battery thermal runaway. In effect, the mod literally becomes a pipe bomb.

A battery venting in thermal runaway will release extremely hot gas, toxic chemicals, and rarely flames. Once this chemical reaction begins, there is no stopping it. The gas can build up inside a mod, and if there is inadequate venting the mod becomes a little pipe bomb.

Batteries are designed to release their gas from their tops.

Sealed metal tubes will probably explode if a battery vents violently. The battery itself may physically block gas from escaping to the bottom of the mod, so vents at the bottom of the tube may be useless; only very large gas vents near the top have a good chance of preventing an explosion.

In my opinion, the first thing you should do with a new mechanical mod is to seek out a machine shop with a drill press, and have them drill out two 2.0 mm holes strategically placed in the top of the mod body where the positive pole of the battery makes contact with the 510 connector. If all mechanical mods had this done, I predict there would be no more mechanical mod explosions.

I seriously doubt that mech mod manufacturers have given much thought into where the vent holes should be drilled into their mods, let alone have they actually tested their mods to have adequate venting. One mech mod manufacturer (PureSmoker) recently went out of business when one of their mods blew up in a customer's face and they were sued.

Mech Mods with top venting holes?