Charging and discharging Mod Batteries correctly

[eazy1504]

Hi,i got new batteries only charged one time,Sony VTC5 2600mAh and Nitcore D2 charger.
Did not know till today that its not good to fully discharge lithium batteries,so i found about this on google on this website www.vapehutblog.com. They tell that batteries are fully charged at 4.2v(i know that),but i should charge them when voltage get to 3.4v,is that correct? And if batteries get discharged below 3v they get damaged? Never noticed what volts are in batteries when my mod let me know that i need to charge them again. Do i need to watch if it gets to 3.4v and put them on charger to extend my batteries life. Thank you.

 

[Heartsdelight]

Discharging to about 3.4 sounds about right. With a regulated mod I wouldn’t worry too much since the mod will cut off at a safe level.

 

[eazy1504]

Discharging to about 3.4 sounds about right. With a regulated mod I wouldn’t worry too much since the mod will cut off at a safe level.

I have Aegis Legend regulated mod,its good to hear that it will cut off on safe level.

 

[Izan]

Hi mate,
Depending on the device, 3.1V-3.4V is the average cut-off point / "low battery" display.
Batteries should NOT be stored/left in devices for extended periods.
IMO, if you are not going to use the device in the next 24 hours, remove the battery.

ETA: link to "our" resident battery expert: Mooch's blog | E-Cigarette Forum

Battery university: Lithium-based Batteries Information
Cheers
I

 

[eazy1504]

Hi mate
Batteries should NOT be stored/left in devices for extended periods.
IMO, if you are not going to use the device in the next 24 hours, remove the battery.
Cheers
I

i know about that,i never leave them on mod when i am not use it long time,but thats not happen anyway,because i vape every day

 

[stols001]

I think you will be just fine. I have that charger, it works safely. I have another charger but my good old nitecore is going strong.

Do check out the links if you want to know more about battery safety.

Anna

 

[eazy1504]

I think you will be just fine. I have that charger, it works safely. I have another charger but my good old nitecore is going strong.

Do check out the links if you want to know more about battery safety.

Anna

Thank you,I know about ohms law and stuff like that and not good to put batteries charging overnight. Just got worried about my batteries life as i did not know that my mod will cut off on safte level That website got me confused,as i was thinking that i need to watch when batteries get to 3.4v.

 

[DaveP]

Hi,i got new batteries only charged one time,Sony VTC5 2600mAh and Nitcore D2 charger.
Did not know till today that its not good to fully discharge lithium batteries,so i found about this on google on this website www.vapehutblog.com. They tell that batteries are fully charged at 4.2v(i know that),but i should charge them when voltage get to 3.4v,is that correct? And if batteries get discharged below 3v they get damaged? Never noticed what volts are in batteries when my mod let me know that i need to charge them again. Do i need to watch if it gets to 3.4v and put them on charger to extend my batteries life. Thank you.

Full discharge on a lithium cell like the 18650 family is 2.5v. You don't want to go anywhere near that low discharge point in normal use. After repeated discharge to the 2.5v point the cell is probably stressed/damaged to the point that it won't charge and perform well at all. 3v to 3.2v is a safe discharge level for long life. 2.5v is only done when testing cells for voltage curve and discharge rates. After the test they are severely stressed.

Let the mod determine the cutoff point. Charge your lithium cells when the mod declares them low, but give them a few minutes rest before putting them in the charger if they feel warm to the touch. Rotating cells in matched and marked pairs is a good idea if the mod uses more than one cell. That way they stay together in pairs and maintain similar charge/discharge characteristics. Keep them together in plastic battery boxes after purchase and mark them 1-1, 2-2, 3-3 to identify matched pairs.

 

[Rossum]

And if batteries get discharged below 3v they get damaged?

No, as DaveP stated in the post above this one, "damage" starts somewhere below 2.5V.

However, if you look at the discharge curves, there isn't really any usable capacity left below about 3.0V, so there's really no point in going lower.

 

[Baditude]

No, as DaveP stated in the post above this one, "damage" starts somewhere below 2.5V.

However, if you look at the discharge curves, there isn't really any usable capacity left below about 3.0V, so there's really no point in going lower.

Agreed. I don't think you could discharge a battery below 2.5 in a vape device, even in a mechanical mod. What might happen is if you discharge a battery to 3.2 volts, remove it and store it for a period of time before recharging it again. Batteries can self discharge even if not in use, so by the time you get back to using that discharged battery again the voltage may be lower than 2.5 volts.

 

[Rossum]

Agreed. I don't think you could discharge a battery below 2.5 in a vape device, even in a mechanical mod. What might happen is if you discharge a battery to 3.2 volts, remove it and store it for a period of time before recharging it again. Batteries can self discharge even if not in use, so by the time you get back to using that discharged battery again the voltage may be lower than 2.5 volts.

I have more batteries than a I need (backups!). Some have been in storage for years. I check them every six months to a year and have never seen them drop more than a tenth of a volt, more often less.

Now I'll grant, my stored batteries are stored correctly, at roughly 50% charge. If a cell is at 10% when you put it in storage, an additional few percent of self-discharge will produce more of a voltage drop. But I'm still having a hard time picturing a cell self-discharging from 3.2 or even 3.0V all the way down to 2.5V in any reasonable period of time.