E-cig Battery Troubles==$$$$$

[UncleWesley]

Heynow,

Hello there. My name is UncleWesley and I've been having problems maintaining an e-cig habit. I'm having terrible luck perhaps.

This evening I just ruined two riva-510 batteries. I was trying to dry burn any caked on minerals off the atomizer that spent a day drying after a dual hot water bath. My method apparently ruined both of my batteries? What was I doing?

I was holding the button for 3 seconds, letting it vape and crackle, then cool down before another round. I thought it would be wise to do this until I stopped seeing vapor--all the minerals would be cleaned off, right? Well NO!!!!!!!!!!

You see at some point in between ruining both batteries I decided to switch to a method I saw on youtube that suggested eliminating the cool down step and dry burning for one second, let the element cool for one second, dry burn for another. This made things very HOT!!!!! Very hot.

At some point I heard distinct crackling (after about 45 seconds of the faster method) and saw some white flashing. So something's not right. At the same time I notice the battery light flickering as if it were dead. I try to recharge, but no more light flickering at all. The charger says full. NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

Double NO! when I realize the second battery I have is also in the same state, as I didn't realize that I 'fried?' this battery before hand. So yay, two more dead batteries to add to the the other two I ruined less than a month ago.

Oh E-Cig community...what am I doing wrong? Which of the bazillion atty cleaning methods is the right one? How can I best avoid that nasty burnt taste?

Let me add some detail and experiences
------------------------------------
Lately, I've been vaping an incredible amount. Maybe 5 mLs a week? I really enjoy it and wish that I could stop running into the various pitfalls where I'm stuck with out any vaping options until the mail comes, usually three days later. Ok, so I'm vaping a lot.

Second. It seems to me to be kinda important to clean the threads and inside the base of the battery and the atomizers fairly often. I broke one of my batteries by being to vigorous trying to mop out some of the residue using paper towels. Now I'm using q-tips.

Thirdly. I'm pretty sure that I broke battery number two by continually plugging it into the charger when the charger was already connected to a wallwart or the computer. Apparently this shouldn't be done.

Fourthly, is this something that happens to peeps? Ruining their batteries by over dry-burning? I would really like to know, though I'm already thinking ahead for when the next two arrive (and $25 gone) that I'll attempt to only do the slow method of dry burn until I stop hearing crackling which is noticeable on the first few rounds.

And lastly, what should I do with the atomizer I over-dryburned with? Will it be a threat to my new batteries?

Thanks guys (gals), look forward to all comments and the next relaxing vape.

-UW

 

[swedishfish]

You could always try cartomizers if you haven't already. Do away with the whole atomizer thing. I just fill it, screw it on the battery and vape.

Are you sure the battery is dead? Sometimes the pin on the battery gets pushed down from screwing it on and off the atty or the charger a lot. Get a tiny screwdriver and gently pull the center pin on the battery up slightly.

My batteries lasted close to 7 months. But they were on their last leg and I started using dual coil cartos on them. That might have done them in for good.

 

[meems]

A paperclip will work for prying up the pin a touch too...I have to do that frequently with one battery of mine.

 

[JC Okie]

I've never heard of ruining a battery during a dry-burn. It shouldn't hurt the batteries at all. It could burn up your atomizers.....but not the batteries. I think something else is going on...I wonder if it couldn't be a bad charger.

Also...on the battery you say you ruined by wiping it out with a paper towel...not sure about that. Sometimes if you're a little too zealous, you could accidentally push the center post down a little, then it won't make a connection. On that battery, I'd take a pair of pliers and gently tug the center post up just a tiny bit and see if you can't resurrect it.

Do you have more than one charger? Maybe it's a bad charger...sounds more reasonable to me than anything else. A dry burn isn't any harder on a battery than a long drag. It's the atomizer that could pop, but that's all.

Maybe your batteries are under warranty....check where you got them and see if you can find out about a warranty.

 

[swedishfish]

My mother overfills her cartos and gets her batteries so encrusted with juice it isn't even funny. I have to clean them all the time with tooth picks, q-tips, I've even dipped the end in a shallow bowl of alcohol.

I can't see how cleaning them or dry burning would kill the battery.

Like JC Okie said, it could be the charger or the pin. Is the charger clean of juice?

 

[UncleWesley]

Hmm...

I did try this and have the following results:

-when I touch the battery with the screwdriver I'm getting a flashing battery (not fried!)
-after coaxing the pin up some, I try to recharge. The battery light does not flash once it starts (as it usually does), but the charger light does go from green to red, which it wasn't doing before.
-the batteries do not flash or turn on when I press the button without an atomizer in it. I'm still waiting to see if the battery will "re-charge"
-the battery light does turn on when pressed, with an atomizer present. However the atomizer is not heating up at all. I've tried two different atomizers.

Conclusions:
I have none really. HELP!!!

 

[Iffy]

Sure sounds like you fried your coil. Have you tried another?

BTW, my dual port eGo charger is plugged in 24/7. I just screw in my batts and the LED goes from green to red. As suggested, insure the center contacts (batt & charger) are making contact.

ETA: You reposted prior to my post. Let 'em charge and see what happens.

Good luck!

 

[dormouse]

I never try to dry burn atomizers dry. I wash one only with freshly boiled water then shake/blow it out, then soak it in alcohol making sure all air bubbles are out, next day I shake that out and set it to dry. Since it is alcohol it dries well. next time I need an atomizer I prime the clean one with juice and let that soak in and start washing the dirty one.

Now I mostly use Boge cartomizers and don't need to clean atomizers very much since I only use them for trying new juices and vaping some that didn't warn cartos or are thicker than I will put in cartos (I use 20% or less VG juices in cartos).

And wow you are rough on batteries. Yes you need to keep the threaded end clean. if you have loose liquid in the threaded connection it can cause a short between the battery post and threads. The protection circuits usually catch that and flash unless they have been damaged by repeated shorts or by extreme LR attys or something. Constantly running batteries down all the way can also be a strain on batteries. If you got any liquid in the charger that could also cause problems. Still I am very surprised you killed Riva 510s if they are from Liberty-Flights. Mine are fine.

I screw my Riva 510 batteries in while the charger is connected to power - else how would I know when it is screwed in far enough. I know they say not to but I am past my warranty period and I don't want to screw them on too far and depress the center post.

Maybe you are a good candidate for a mod. Use $5 industrial AA-shape batteries. That way if you kill batteries it won't be so expensive. Use protected batteries only if you get a mod.

Just double checking - you are not using a 510-T charger, an FS510 charger, and FS Ego charger, Ego-J charger ot any other stupid clone charger right? Some of those can fry batteries other than their own.

 

[rwnielsen]

I think you just popped your atomizers and your batteries are fine. All they are is a coil of resistance wire. Your batteries are probably fine. Ease off on the dry burns.
Atomizers work great right up until the second they don't work at all. No warning whatsoever.
Be patient, there is a learning curve, I have a cupboard full of examples
Take care
Richard

 

[UncleWesley]

I'm using a new charger.

Is it possible to pull the center pin too far and break it, I think that's what happened to my first battery. The second, I thought just died because I was using a LR atty on it and thought I shouldn't have been. Apparently they can handle it, but because I am going through a 750 maH battery a day, I was recharging them often, just screwing them in and out of the charger hooked into my computer. The website where I bought this kit and extra batteries actually says in italics, don't do this.

I'm worried because I'm taking the batteries off the charge and still attys won't fire up.

 

[UncleWesley]

I'm pretty sure this is the right charger.

I'm feeling pretty doubtful because of how these batteries are behaving. I think I may have popped the center pin on another battery as well. These are not supposed to come off right? Because one of them I can pop it right out and on the bottom is looks like I broke a sautered connection.

 

[dormouse]

You bought these at Liberty-Flights right? I just don't know. Lots of use use Riva 510 from Liberty-Flights. And got your charger at the same place?

 

[UncleWesley]

And...the light isn't turning on after 10 minutes of charging. It should. I did something very wrong or something is definitely not working right.

I'm inclined to think that I vexed my new batteries by using the old charger early on as I couldn't wait for the new charger to arrive in the mail. Somehow the old charger, which I used to charge my batteries while it was connected to a power source, corrupted my batteries and I'm screwed. As ridiculous as that sounds, that's what I think.

 

[dormouse]

Did you check if there is any juice in the charger?

 

[UncleWesley]

Yeah, everthing from Liberty Flights. The guy did slip up my order when I emailed him asking him to revise an order that I had already confirmed. He said no problem, he'd make a switch (I wanted a wider variety of strengths, and had order all the same), but he actually didn't.

Actually one of my two attys only lasted a couple of days before it died. It wouldn't heat.

 

[Iffy]

These are not supposed to come off right?

No, they are not! When 'lifting' the center contacts, you only raise them 1/1/64"-1/32". You definitely 'lost' the one batt!

'

 

[UncleWesley]

yep, no juice in the charger. It's pretty much brand new (two weeks old?).

 

[UncleWesley]

No, they are not! When 'lifting' the center contacts, you only raise them 1/1/64"-1/32". You definitely 'lost' the one batt!

'

Hah...I may as well order some new ones.

 

[UncleWesley]

So let's recap the status of my four Riva batteries.

1.) Will not give a red charge as it is dead as I ripped the center pin out by accident.

2.) Perhaps may work, as I thought it was previously dead, but gets a red light after I slightly nudged the pin. Will the battery light for me after a couple of minutes?

3.) Gets a red light, showing that it is chargeable, but battery doesn't show light up after a couple of minutes of charging unless it is connected to an atty, but the atty doesn't heat. Usually the light will appear when the button is pressed if there is any charge.

4.) Same as number 3 battery.

 

[simply me]

If you have a bad atomizer it will fry the batt. Also if you have a bad batt. it will fry your atomizers. Found that all out the hard way.