Do batteries lose charge when idle?

[BigLebowski]

I was wondering if batteries lose some power while being idle or sitting in a drawer, like a 18650 or ego battery. I'm sure if they do it's not much, just curious.

 

[twistedchild316]

Good question. I'm curious as well. I have seen a few VP's that touted a sleep mode for non use but i have no experience with such.

 

[Tom Drake]

I was just thinking the same thing - I am about to go away for the weekend, and have a couple of back-up batteries that were charged up a while back... should I 're-charge' them? Or is that wrecking the (overall) battery life? Do 'rechargeable batteries' lose their initial charge fairly quickly? Or do they have a good shelf life like regular batteries... not a major issue of course, and a menial question... but, any answers? Show your cleverness!

 

[potholerepairman]

they lose very little charge imo, only vape two days a week and leave some alone for a while 18650's included for months at a time.At times switch back and forth between certain pv's and when grabbing the batteries for the device that has not been used for a while the batteries hold pretty well.When leaving them unused for extended periods a lot of people say its safer that they are not at close to full charge anyway, so maybe a little drain goes a long way.Some times it a batt does drain more that another that has been sitting for the same amount of time its a sign it has issues like wont charge fully or takes longer and lets me know its on its way out. If I wanted a battery to use and left if for a month though I would put it in a charger first, mostly cause love a fully charged device.

 

[BigLebowski]

I figured as much, videos from GrimmGreen he is pulling batteries from a case and just popping them in. I have a Vamo in the mail and was planning on buying a few 18650's and rotating them and didn't want to have to recharge them again after sitting for a few days.

 

[cowboy6591]

I was wondering if batteries lose some power while being idle or sitting in a drawer, like a 18650 or ego battery. I'm sure if they do it's not much, just curious.

Simple science here;
Of all batteries on the market [general statement] the Lithium ION has the lowest internal resistance. This is a stat that exists even when not in use. The number seems to have an opposite effect however, it can be seen as a scale of self discharging as well. The lower the Internal Resistance [IR] the lower the self discharge rate. So of all batteries given they have a certain amount of IR. The Lithium Ions Lithium Polyhydrides class batteries have the lowest IR meaning yes they will eventually discharge themselves but it would probably take 2 years compared to an alkaline battery only taking a month to self destruct.
I learned this with my Remote control RC Helicopter hobby. One thing you should NOT do is fully charge Lithium Poly batteries [LiPo] and let them sit fully charged for a long period of time. A fully charged LiPo battery sitting in the back seat of an SUV on a hot summer day is a disaster waiting to happen. They can Swell up and POOF catch fire if left fully or over charged for long periods of time. The best way to store them for vacations etc. is leave them half full or near empty [ 3 volts on a 4.2 LiPo is considered empty] . You don't want to go way below the rated minimum so a half charged battery will give you a year of sitting before that happens. My 4.2 batts will best be stored at 3.8 volts. [tested with a load]. Careful about checking voltage with out a load on it. The readings are high and give a false sense of whats inside in reality. My BIRD voltmeter puts a predetermined load on the batt wile taking a reading, however they cost $$$$$ If you are using a cheap Volt Meter, just belowe the rating will work another words a 4.3 volt batt with no load may read 5.5 volts!!! Just smoke it down to 4.2 volts with no load and you can store them for an 2 years.
Never store a fully charged LiPo use it within 2 days after charging or it may swell and POOF on you
if sitting a long time in a warm room.

 

[Frantic9k]

Simple science here;
Of all batteries on the market [general statement] the Lithium ION has the lowest internal resistance. This is a stat that exists even when not in use. The number seems to have an opposite effect however, it can be seen as a scale of self discharging as well. The lower the Internal Resistance [IR] the lower the self discharge rate. So of all batteries given they have a certain amount of IR. The Lithium Ions Lithium Polyhydrides class batteries have the lowest IR meaning yes they will eventually discharge themselves but it would probably take 2 years compared to an alkaline battery only taking a month to self destruct.
I learned this with my Remote control RC Helicopter hobby. One thing you should NOT do is fully charge Lithium Poly batteries [LiPo] and let them sit fully charged for a long period of time. A fully charged LiPo battery sitting in the back seat of an SUV on a hot summer day is a disaster waiting to happen. They can Swell up and POOF catch fire if left fully or over charged for long periods of time. The best way to store them for vacations etc. is leave them half full or near empty [ 3 volts on a 4.2 LiPo is considered empty] . You don't want to go way below the rated minimum so a half charged battery will give you a year of sitting before that happens. My 4.2 batts will best be stored at 3.8 volts. [with a load]. Careful about checking voltage with out a load on it. The readings are high and give a false sense of whats inside in reality. My BIRD voltmeter puts a predetermined load on the batt wile taking a reading, however they cost $$$$$ If you are using a cheap Volt Meter, just below the rating will work another words a 4.3 volt batt with no load may read 5.5 volts!!! Just smoke it down to 4.2 volts with no load and you can store them for an 2 years.
Never store a fully charged LiPo use it within 2 days after charging or it may swell and POOF on you.

Awesome info. I am glad I saw this post because I love understanding how things like this works.

 

[jclifford]

our batteries are Lithium Ion, not LiPo's. LiPo's are inherently unstable due to their internal gel construction, they are also capable of much higher charge and discharge rates. Li Io batteries are not capable of the same rates and due to their internal construction are much more stable.
It is always recommended by manufacturers that when you are not planning to use your batteries for extended periods of time to charge the batteries to a "storage" level, about 3.7 volts. High end chargers will have a program level to charge your batteries to "storage" mode.
I just read somewhere that Li Ion batteries lose about 10% of their charge over long term storage, so I do not think a weekend will make a difference.
You can shoot me now, but I purchased 10 of the elcheapo 18650's off of ebay. I charged them all and they are scattered all over my shop, home etc. whenever I need one they have been ready to go, the old one gets recharged, and sits. Zero issues with any of them over a 3 month period.

 

[BigLebowski]

Does that apply for the AW IMR 18650 which is a LiMN?

 

[Marylin ©]

I'm no battery expert but I searched the internet a week or so back to find the best 18650 batteries to get for my new Vamo. Among the top performing brands were LW and Panasonic. I plumped for Panasonic as I've always had good experiences with other Panasonic products.

However, I spotted a post on a forum somewhere which said that Panasonic's latest 2900mah high drain version was 0.5mm fatter in diameter and would not fit a Vamo mod. The diameter of the 2900mah version is 18.5mm. For that reason I bought the older 2250mah Panasonic high drain type as they are thinner at 18mm dia exactly. Worth bearing that in mind if you are looking at 18650 batteries.

 

[jclifford]

different internal construction, as I remember more expensive to make, not sure if they are slightly more stable or less stable than the standard Li Io's. Definitely more stable than Li Po's.
Most of my info was googled several nights ago, I really wanted to know if a Li Io could explode. Turns out you almost have a better chance of hitting the lottery. The batteries with the metal cases have an intentional vent that blows in case of internal trauma.

 

[BigLebowski]

I've done my searching as well and I have heard nothing but good things about AW IMR 18650's and Panasonic's but I would much rather buy batteries that many mod manufacturers recommend (AW IMR).

 

[BigLebowski]

different internal construction, as I remember more expensive to make, not sure if they are slightly more stable or less stable than the standard Li Io's. Definitely more stable than Li Po's.
Most of my info was googled several nights ago, I really wanted to know if a Li Io could explode. Turns out you almost have a better chance of hitting the lottery. The batteries with the metal cases have an intentional vent that blows in case of internal trauma.

In my best Kip Dynamite impression, "I love technology, always and forever."

 

[souleaterzer0]

My Panasonic 18650s and AW IMR 18650s seem to keep a charge pretty well. My 18350 Efest IMR always seem to lose a tiny bit of a charge. I am basing this on charging the battery until the light on the charger turns green, waiting 5 hours and putting the battery back in the charger. My 18650s don't charge any further but my 18350s will charge for another 10-15 minutes until the light turns green again. I don't know if this is because I charge them at the 1 amp setting instead of the .5 amp setting(I believe I remember reading that 18350s should be charged on the .5 amp setting).

 

[Rat2chat2]

Thanks for the post. I have been wondering the same thing and just never got around to asking the forum.

 

[qorax]

I'm no battery expert but I searched the internet a week or so back to find the best 18650 batteries to get for my new Vamo. Among the top performing brands were LW and Panasonic. I plumped for Panasonic as I've always had good experiences with other Panasonic products.

However, I spotted a post on a forum somewhere which said that Panasonic's latest 2900mah high drain version was 0.5mm fatter in diameter and would not fit a Vamo mod. The diameter of the 2900mah version is 18.5mm. For that reason I bought the older 2250mah Panasonic high drain type as they are thinner at 18mm dia exactly. Worth bearing that in mind if you are looking at 18650 batteries.

Not True.
The Panny 18650CH & the 18650PD both r of the same dia, 18mm. I've both.