Don't charge your batteries overnight!

[catalinaflyer]

If you charge LiPo's that big, why do you not have an actual high-end charger? A Nitecore i4 is not considered a high-end charger. A Nitecore i4 is what I would consider the bare-bones charger you can get away with, but under watch during the charge. That is exactly the type of charger I personally would not trust charging overnight. Although it has a circuit board to monitor voltage, I still would not put all of my trust in a $15 charger. A hobby-grade charger such as the HiTec X1 is what I consider a high-end charger. The X1 is the only charger I own that I personally would trust charging batteries unmonitoried, however even then I still only use my X1 when I am around to make frequent checks and never leave batteries unmonitored.

Actually I have a bank of computerized chargers many of which cost as much as I have spent on all my vape gear to date. However I seriously doubt anyone into vaping would appreciate me recommending a charger that cost 10 times what they just spent on their first upgrade from an eGo to an 18650 mod. The Nitecore i2 and i4 have a huge following in the flashlight industry and most all law enforcement agencies use them. With that being said I personally find the i series of chargers to be the best dollar for dollar to recommend to vapors. Yes it is barely a smart charger with it rudimentary brain but when you consider the number in use compared to the number of reported failures (personally I have never seen one reported as over charging, the common and singular problem I have heard is they just quit powering up) I wouldn't hesitate recommending one for vaping.

However if someone reading really wants to go over-the-top on chargers, well you can get a Prophet for $280, H4 for $275 or an advantage for $200 but I'll spend my cash on a mod or 4 and $20 on a Nitecore i4.

 

[stonedboss]

I don't mean to put down the i4 charger at all by saying that; from what I've heard it is a good charger and I plan on picking one up myself (I have too many batteries with not enough chargers as is lol). What I mean by using it "under watch" is that you should monitor the batteries during the charge cycle. All I really mean by saying you should monitor the batteries is that you should frequently check for excessive heat and anything else indicating there may be something wrong.

 

[stonedboss]

Actually I have a bank of computerized chargers many of which cost as much as I have spent on all my vape gear to date. However I seriously doubt anyone into vaping would appreciate me recommending a charger that cost 10 times what they just spent on their first upgrade from an eGo to an 18650 mod. The Nitecore i2 and i4 have a huge following in the flashlight industry and most all law enforcement agencies use them. With that being said I personally find the i series of chargers to be the best dollar for dollar to recommend to vapors. Yes it is barely a smart charger with it rudimentary brain but when you consider the number in use compared to the number of reported failures (personally I have never seen one reported as over charging, the common and singular problem I have heard is they just quit powering up) I wouldn't hesitate recommending one for vaping.

However if someone reading really wants to go over-the-top on chargers, well you can get a Prophet for $280, H4 for $275 or an advantage for $200 but I'll spend my cash on a mod or 4 and $20 on a Nitecore i4.

I completely agree with you on that. It would be ideal for everyone to own a computerized charger, however it is just not practical. I too would suggest the i4 for someone only willing to spend $20 on a charger, but I would make sure they are aware of its limitations compared to high-end chargers and would definitely not suggest using it for over-night charging.

 

[trentenmarschel]

thanks for the quote charging a battery right now actually and well watching some tv and looking on the forums. also if i find they won't charge before i am ready to go to sleep i will take them off and continue charging the next day after i test them with a multimeter to check the voltage.

 

[catalinaflyer]

I don't mean to put down the i4 charger at all by saying that; from what I've heard it is a good charger and I plan on picking one up myself (I have too many batteries with not enough chargers as is lol). What I mean by using it "under watch" is that you should monitor the batteries during the charge cycle. All I really mean by saying you should monitor the batteries is that you should frequently check for excessive heat and anything else indicating there may be something wrong.

I agree that monitoring batteries should never be played down. However I feel like there is a lot of unnecessary fear being spread too often about batteries. One can put them on a good charger and not have to sit there checking the temperatures every minute. Laptops have been using these types of batteries for years and yes there is the occasional thermal event but there is also the occasional car crash, tornado, mud slide, food born illness, well the list goes on.

If your going to leave ANY type of rechargeable battery unattended then they need to be in a battery safe so that in the event of an event it's contained and doesn't become a catastrophic event.

 

[iacchus]

(personally I have never seen one reported as over charging, the common and singular problem I have heard is they just quit powering up)

Not disagreeing, but just adding a data point. I have seen a few reports of them overcharging over on Reddit. Granted, as you said, the more common problem is them just dying or lighting up but not charging. I tend to suggest the Xtar WP2 II to folks that can afford the couple of sawbucks to get it. The fact that they have less reported issues might be that they have less market penetration, but I figure they are a solid choice with CC/CV for a good price.

Nice chargers, btw. Color me envious.

 

[sweetgypsea]

Very good advice, everyone. I had heard not to charge the batteries overnight, but didn't think much of it because I considered it similar to a cell phone battery. Thanks to this info, I will no longer charge overnight! Thanks again.

 

[catalinaflyer]

Now with all of that being said I just recently had a 10000 mah LiPo thermal even on a battery that had been put into a storage state of charge a week earlier. It hadn't been touched, used, charged, discharged or anything else for over a week. It just up and decided that it was done being ignored and spewed hot, very stinky gas throughout the shop. I only wish I could say it was a cheapo HK Turnigy battery but it was in fact a US branded and very VERY expensive battery. Even with all of the evidence including computer graphs of every charge from the day I purchased it (yes I actually bar code every battery and keep tabs on them because I'm not going to trust $10k cameras to an unknown battery) the manufacturer/seller blamed it on user error!

 

[catalinaflyer]

Not disagreeing, but just adding a data point. I have seen a few reports of them overcharging over on Reddit. Granted, as you said, the more common problem is them just dying or lighting up but not charging. I tend to suggest the Xtar WP2 II to folks that can afford the couple of sawbucks to get it. The fact that they have less reported issues might be that they have less market penetration, but I figure they are a solid choice with CC/CV for a good price.

Nice chargers, btw. Color me envious.

Like I said, I haven't personally heard of an event other than not powering up but then again I only use these types of batteries for vaping and just plain ole carto's at that so nothing even close to working the battery hard. However I do spend an unhealthy amount of time and money on UAV's (drones) carrying some very expensive camera equipment and as such spend a relative amount on chargers for the LiPo batteries. And yes I have used my computerized chargers to charge 18650's just for fun. Although I don't see the need for buying a charger capable of 44.4 volts and well over 100 amps to charge a 3.7 volt, 5 amp battery. Of course we won't talk about the hand made steampunked mod that just arrived yesterday ;-)

 

[trentenmarschel]

also its kinda like a car battery in a way because you wouldn't put your car battery on a charger then go to walmart for 3 hours would you ( if right away you answer yes then your an idiot) batteries always have a safety issue when concerning charging them were not saying you have to sit right there and watch it charge and keep feeling the temp every 5 seconds but just don't let them charge unattended like leaving or overnight when they could somehow overcharge or short and end up killing you and everyone in the building by fire. that's why you don't charge overnight that way if they do explode you can like unplug and grab the fire extinguisher and take care of it. its for safety. not saying that they will explode but its better to be awake if they do.

 

[StarsAndBars]

Count me lucky as well, keep 2 18350's and 2 18650's on my i4 charger around the clock. But with that being said I trust an i4 charger exponentially more than 99% of the junk being sold on the web and at vape shops. (Not worried of they cook off, they're in my lipo safe where I charge lipo's big enough to power semi trucks.)

FL510? For realz?

 

[catalinaflyer]

FL510? For realz?

Oh yeah, we'll push that high to get away from traffic and weather. It's nice having that option when the routes are heavy, just go above all of them.

 

[Bunnykiller]

and what happens if the protective circuitry in the phone goes bad while charging the Lithium battery in it?

 

[stonedboss]

I agree that monitoring batteries should never be played down. However I feel like there is a lot of unnecessary fear being spread too often about batteries. One can put them on a good charger and not have to sit there checking the temperatures every minute.

You don't need to check every minute but checking every 15-30minutes is a good idea. I feel it is necessary when there are still people ignorant enough to think charging their 18650 is akin to charging their smart phone. People don't need to be paranoid about using their batteries but they should be fully aware of the outcomes when charging batteries without taking every precaution.

 

[catalinaflyer]

and what happens if the protective circuitry in the phone goes bad while charging the Lithium battery in it?

Well don't grab it to call 911 to tell them it's spewing hot gas, probably won't work.

 

[catalinaflyer]

You don't need to check every minute but checking every 15-30minutes is a good idea. I feel it is necessary when there are still people ignorant enough to think charging their 18650 is akin to charging their smart phone. People don't need to be paranoid about using their batteries but they should be fully aware of the outcomes when charging batteries without taking every precaution.

A good place to start with battery education would be the people at the vape shops selling the chargers. I have only been to one shop where they actually took the time to explain to a person buying a starter kit the proper way to take care of a battery.

 

[Karltinsly]

Would it be safe to put the charger in a metal box, like a cash box or a tool box, maybe with some holes drilled in it? Would that contain a catastrophic failure?

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

 

[trentenmarschel]

see mine just went to green light on the charger so i just took the battery out and put it in the red case and unplugged the charger and it wasn't that hard to do. so now imma head to bed night.

 

[ut1205]

I assume that there are millions of these batteries in use in various devices. I just Googled "Lithium Battery Explosions" and "Lithium Battery Fires" and other than some generic articles there is really not much there (based on the threads I have just read I expected to see at least a hundred articles from this week). I've never heard anything on my local news about lithium battery fires, I've never had a problem, nor do I know anyone who has had a problem. Does it happen? Yes, but a lot of other unexpected things happen also. This week I did see a Chevrolet on the side of the interstate on fire so maybe they are subject to explosion and fire, or maybe it was just one of the millions made had some kind of issue. Probably your chance of a battery exploding from normal charging is about the same as being struck by lightning.

For the paranoid amongst us, watch and feel your batteries................I have other things to do.

 

[stonedboss]

I assume that there are millions of these batteries in use in various devices. I just Googled "Lithium Battery Explosions" and "Lithium Battery Fires" and other than some generic articles there is really not much there (based on the threads I have just read I expected to see at least a hundred articles from this week). I've never heard anything on my local news about lithium battery fires, I've never had a problem, nor do I know anyone who has had a problem. Does it happen? Yes, but a lot of other unexpected things happen also. This week I did see a Chevrolet on the side of the interstate on fire so maybe they are subject to explosion and fire, or maybe it was just one of the millions made had some kind of issue. Probably your chance of a battery exploding from normal charging is about the same as being struck by lightning.

For the paranoid amongst us, watch and feel your batteries................I have other things to do.

You are the prime example of why I made this thread. It takes a lot of willpower for me not to criticize your intelligence, but I know it is not your fault for how ignorant you are. There is a reason why the shipment of lithium batteries on airplanes is heavily regulated while the shipment of bubblegum is not. There is clearly a known risk with the use of lithium batteries and thus precautions are highly useful when dealing with them. Your reasoning for your conclusions is so horrid that nothing in your post resembles the truth. You should step back and look at what you can regard as useful evidence. The fact that it has not happened to you and you know very little about it, is no evidence at all for any bit of the truth. Also, extrapolating from what you've said I am sure that you do not know how inductive logic works to have anything useful to say about probabilities, and which instance is more probable than another.