charging overnight (unattended)

[sark666]

Most battery sites strongly recommend against charging overnight, but is this really necessary?

I was charging mine overnight but now I'm wondering if others recommend against it.

And if so, what about your cell phones tablets?

Aren't the batteries essentially the same technology battery-wise?

I assume most charge their phones overnight. So why one but not the other?

 

[MTFogger]

I have enough battery's so I don't have to charge over night or when not at home, that's any batteries, cell, camera etc. Not worth the risk IMO. I don't know which I mistrust worst, the battery's or the made you know where chargers.

 

[crxess]

Problem lies in not being there or aware should something go wrong.
Normally decent chargers stop charging at safe top off levels due to monitoring. key word *NORMALLY*
A Battery could expand and short, A charger pop a component, even a wall socket overload from age related wear.

Remember, what you don't know Can kill you.

Sadly, a walk aorund the home will prove many of us have something drawing power over night.
Game station, Sleeping PC, Laptop, Timer Coffee maker...............

 

[Ryedan]

I try not to charge any batteries while I'm not there and awake. The bigger the battery the more important it is to me. I do not charge my model airplane multi cell packs in the house at all. I don't sweat it if I forget to take a cordless phone off charge before going to bed, but I don't do it on purpose.

The chances of a charger not stopping to charge is small. The chance that someone gets hurt from a fire caused by this is small. I don't consider the effort required to avoid charging unattended to be significant to me. If a charger went bad on me and someone in the house got burned or died in the fire, I would be significantly negatively affected. YMMV.

 

[spaceballsrules]

All lithium batteries are at risk of overcharging when left unattended. I do NOT leave my phone, laptop, or ecig to charge unattended. Ever. Under any circumstances. If I had a Tesla automobile, I would not charge that overnight either. Yes, all of these use the same lithium battery technology, and in some cases, they use multiple lithium batteries run in series, which increases the risk exponentially.

I don't think people have enough respect for the sheer amount of energy that lithium batteries can hold in such a small package. I can only imagine the disasters that await us once Mr. Fusion comes to market.

 

[GaryInTexas]

I am awake and present or I don't charge anything.

 

[omyeyes]

I did that, ONCE. Went to bed and then at 1:30, I thought I got shot. It exploded all over the kitchen. Black dust, pieces/parts and flames all over the place!!! Don't ever leave your batteries unattended. Why take a chance????

 

[Ryedan]

LOL, got a chuckle out of that one spaceballs

 

[bones1274]

My AW IMR 18650's have sat on the charger 24/7 for over 3 years now, never had an issue.

 

[GetVaked]

I have an intelligent charger but still don't like to leave them unattended.

 

[sark666]

Most seem to be strongly against unattended charging. I honestly never thought of this. Again with cell phone, gets used a good chunk of the day, charge overnight, ready to go in the morning.

Ok put it this way, with vaping devices typically having larger batteries is there more risk than charging a cell phone?

And what about cordless home phones sitting on the base unit. Aren't they technically always charging unattended?

 

[spaceballsrules]

Most seem to be strongly against unattended charging. I honestly never thought of this. Again with cell phone, gets used a good chunk of the day, charge overnight, ready to go in the morning.

Ok put it this way, with vaping devices typically having larger batteries is there more risk than charging a cell phone?

I use eGo Twist batteries that are 650 and 900 mah. The battery in my dinky cell phone is 1000 mah. In a smartphone it is even bigger, running between 1400 to 2000mah. The batteries in cell phones are actually higher capacity in a smaller cell, and cell phones do not have anywhere for batteries to vent if they overheat or fail. Cell phones are actually MORE dangerous to charge than ecigs.

And what about cordless home phones sitting on the base unit. Aren't they technically always charging unattended?

Just like with ecigs, you are relying on the chip inside of the charger and/or device to switch the current off. If this fails, then the battery continues charging. That's just not a chance I am willing to take, no matter how infinitesimally small that chance may be.

 

[roadie]

I use eGo Twist batteries that are 650 and 900 mah. The battery in my dinky cell phone is 1000 mah. In a smartphone it is even bigger, running between 1400 to 2000mah. The batteries in cell phones are actually higher capacity in a smaller cell, and cell phones do not have anywhere for batteries to vent if they overheat or fail. Cell phones are actually MORE dangerous to charge than ecigs.

I agree, or one step further using trickle chargers on motorcycles cars or kids scooters. Much more powerful batteries.

Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk

 

[CrazyDamon]

I used to do it for awhile until I joined here and seen some of the horror stories with it, including pictures. Needless to say, never again will I charge it if I'm not physically around/awake.

 

[Rickajho]

A properly designed and working Li-On charger stops providing significant current to the batteries, if any, when it terminates the charge cycle. The problem is there are a lot of crappy chargers and poorly designed chargers out there.

 

[indoorsindica]

The correct answer is spend the money on quality batteries and a quality charger.

You get what you pay for. When people cut corners bad things happen, like using a 3.2v charger on 3.7 v non safe chemistry batteries because it was cheaper, not fully understanding that the two are not fully compatible.

If you get quality non reproduction or refurbished batteries and use a proper intelligent charger made for your batteries your charge time should be minimal anyway... all of my batteries charge in under 3 hours including beastly 3400 mah Panasonics.

But TBH the biggest reason batteries end up blowing up is from missuse. You should always be inspecting your batteries and replacing them if the outer case/coating is missing/chipped/burnt/bulging/scratched. Batteries don't last forever and should be replaced if you have even the slightest doubt.

 

[Thomasis]

Generally speaking the cheaper your charger/batteries are, the more of a chance you will run in to problems or issues.
Always buy good quality batteries from a reputable vendor and invest in a good charger and your ahead of the game from the start.

 

[shorestyle]

When I first got into mech's I only had 2 batteries so I did it. Never had any issues. Batteries were always cool to the touch when off the charger and tested just under 4.2 volts with a multimeter EVERY time (I always check). But I was using quality batteries and a quality charger.

Now I have 10+ batteries haha, so I never have to.

 

[Nermal]

Like CrazyDamon, I used to plug them and forget them. I would bet most people can get away with this forever, but boy would you feel stupid if you were the one out of however many users, especially after being warned.

 

[amoret]

And this seems like a good place to put out my current public service announcement:

CHECK YOUR SMOKE ALARMS NOW!!!

We just came through a major house fire (not battery related), and thanks to our alarms had the luxury of a calm escape. We're okay, our pets are okay, even most of our stuff will be okay once it's cleaned. The house is another story, but we needed to remodel anyhow, right? So

CHECK YOUR SMOKE ALARMS NOW!!!