Ego-T safety and battery discussion

[voxpopulli]

So I do not post often but have been vaping for about 6 months. I have tried a few different e-cigs but currently am using the Joye ego-T 1000 mAh and have been for a few months. Just started catching up on the news and heard about the possible exploding e-cigs. I have tried to read the threads but I don't get the difference between a protected or unprotected battery. I also have no idea how to look at my own battery to tell the difference. So any suggestions on what to do or if to do anything? I would rather go back to smoking analogs than to blow my face up...ya know?

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[Patrick21]

Hey hopefully someone can come along who knows their stuff about egos but in my honest opinion if you get it from a reputable vendor you shouldnt have any problems with it. Just my two cence.

 

[voxpopulli]

I got it from Goodie-juice back in November I think. I found them through discussions on ECF.

 

[TommyG]

If you're vaping with an ego battery you're fine, really. The exploding PV problem came, mostly, from tube modes made with no vent built in the tube being used with low quality unprotected batteries. You only really need to worry about this if you're buying someones custom built mod and buying your own batteries, and even then you can look at the battery description to see if it's protected or not (most PV vendors sell only protected or safe chemistry batteries).

All a protected battery is is a battery with a protection circuit built in (this normally makes the battery 2mm taller). The circuitry normally shuts down the battery in the event of a really low resistance load, which in turn pulls high amps much like a short would. In short it keeps you from over loading the battery, over charging the battery, and over draining the battery. Many mods use protected batteries in conjunction with a switch designed to act much like, or in place of, the protection circuit of these batteries.

The explosions you've read about are usually from a mix of poor engineering, a lack of understanding, and poor decision making. If you take a weak, unprotected battery, throw it in a tube with no venting (holes to allow gas to escape in the event of catastrophic failure like an explosion), and thrown on you're favorite 1.5+/-.2 ohm carto that reads out at 1.2 (I found one in my collection) then the outcome most likely wont be good. The low resistance of the carto will put a huge draw on the battery, which probably wasn't built to put out the amperage being drawn and has no fail safe to shut itself down, the eventual outcome of this setup is either an leaking battery or a battery that blows up. If the battery explodes with no vents then once the gas expands enough your tube is going to pop like a metal balloon when it's being used (normally in front of your face).

It has been my experience, through reading only, that the majority of ego type battery explosions happened when charging the battery for too long. The general consinsus seems to be that a bad charger is normally to blame, though it is not recommended you charge your batteries overnight or leave them unattended. I think that using a decent surge protector is also a good idea when charging any battery.

That's my two cents.

 

[shawnpcnj]

I have never had a problem with ant ecig batteries. Ill take the chance of an exploding battery slim to none over lung cancer

 

[ChaosTheory]

I heard about this guy on the news today, really really sucks man... dude's tryin' to mitigate harm and ends up worse off with ecigs.. doesn't look good for our cause. I gotta admit I've been feelin' pretty shaky about the whole deal since I heard it today on the way to work. Of course I'm still vaping... didn't run off to get a pack of cigs or anything, but I would like to research my equipment a little better. I have a morbid fear of losing my teeth... I take such good care of my teeth it sickens people... all developed from these horrible nightmares I had when I was younger, but anyway, needless to say, I feel bad for the guy, and I don't want it to happen to me.

I'm currently using lithium ion batteries from V4L. Are these well known, reputable batteries that are safe?

 

[mooreted]

People really need to read the information here before they start messing with mods.

Never used stacked batteries. Never use unprotected batteries. If you use Lifepo4 batteries, get the highest C rating you can get. Never leave any battery charging unattended. Batteries are not the things to try and save money on.

Sent from my easy chair using brainwaves.

 

[superphleb]

I don't understand anything about vaping or mods, or any of that. I bought an ecig from smokefree. Their cartomizers were the bomb, stopped smoking same day and never looked back. Then I started getting 3 out of 5 in a pack that wouldn't work. Switched to smartfixx refills. The 24mg do the trick, til I got a few boxes that were defective. Put one on, took a puff and instant overheat. Got so hot it burned out the battery, burned my damn finger. That makes me wonder about the guy who just lost half his face. The company immediately told me to toss em and sent me 5 free boxes. Are these types of ecigs considered safe? Smartfixx claims to be the first ecig out there.

 

[voxpopulli]

Thanks TommyG for the information. The problem with this board is that there is such a plethora of information for us beginners that I know I have gotten frustrated too with trying to keep up or understand. Like, I have no idea what Mooreted means by a stacked battery. I don't think I will ever mod one (I think that means put it together myself) and will always buy a reputable brand like Joye. I guess I will also stop leaving them plugged in over night or while I'm not here. Thanks for the information!

 

[CountSmackula]

@superphleb - Remember, you're dealing with multiple components, with multiple points of failure. The problems with one part CAN influence another, but it's not always the case. The battery can be over-charged & eventually overheat (or explode in extreme cases). Atomizer's can burn out from over-volting (bad match between the battery & the atty's ohm rating) or from being vaped when dry. Cartomizers can suffer the same fate, but might also have wicking/feed problems which result in a burnt taste & early coil burn out.

I did a bunch of research, & decided against pre-filled cartos. Personally, I really like the clearomizers that came w/ my eGo kit. At some point in the future, I'll probably try other options.

 

[FreeFire]

You may find this thread interesting for "stacked" batteries regarding the BuzzPro or Infinity Pro:

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...ase-read-if-you-have-any-doubts-concerns.html

 

[mooreted]

Basically, when you buy a mod, you will also be buying batteries for it since mods have removable batteries. Some people, rather than using the batteries that come with the kit, decide to go with higher voltage by putting two batteries in their mod to raise the voltage and produce more vapor. The risk of this is, if the batteries over discharge, or of one battery has a different charge than the other they can over heat quickly and even explode. The batteries that come with a good mod are "protected". In other words; they have a special circuit that will shut the battery off if it is over-charged or over-discharged so it won't vent out and possibly explode.

With the types of kits you are buying, such as Joye eGo or Riva or Kgo, they use a protected battery with an electronic switch as added protection and the bottom cap is supposed to blow off if the battery decides to vent out. These types of kits are much safer than using a mod unless you know how to care for batteries and know what safety measures to employ.

That said: nothing with a rechargeable battery is 100% safe; not your laptop, cell phone, or PV. You should learn some basics about how rechargeable batteries work and their proper care.

 

[mooreted]

I have learned, and continue to learn a lot about batteries here:

Basic to Advanced Battery Information from Battery University

 

[hairball]

People really need to read the information here before they start messing with mods.

Never used stacked batteries. Never use unprotected batteries. If you use Lifepo4 batteries, get the highest C rating you can get. Never leave any battery charging unattended. Batteries are not the things to try and save money on.

Sent from my easy chair using brainwaves.

Slam on the breaks. I've been stacking safe chemistry batteries for a long time and I'm still alive to tell about it. I don't skimp on my batteries. I buy top of the line and ALWAYS check my voltages going on and coming off the charger. If one isn't playing nicely, BOTH of them hit the trash. Another things is to ALWAYS keep them in pairs and don't mix/match the batteries even if they are the same brand.

Until more information comes out about the last accident, don't jump to conclusions.

EDIT..UPDATE: I just saw this...he wasn't using a mod but an electronic CIGAR!

WEAR ABC 3 :: Top Stories - Niceville man out of hospital from exploding electronic cigarette

 

[ChaosTheory]

What do you mean by "stacking batteries"?

 

[mooreted]

Stacking means putting two batteries into your mod to increase voltage. Normally the mod would only take one battery.

Hairball knows what she's doing. I haven't done it because I don't feel like I know enough. Most manufacturers will tell you not to.



Sent from my easy chair using brainwaves.

 

[NeoLythic]

Good to hear that Tom has been released from the hospital! I hope he makes a speedy recovery. Can't imagine what the poor guy is going through.

Hopefully we will find out what he was using. I think people get wrapped up in the wonder of the e-cig and forget that this is an electronic device with all the potential hazards that can go with them. How many iPhone batteries have we heard about popping in the last few years?

 

[voxpopulli]

Well stacking batteries and creating your own e-cigs is one thing in regards to safety. I dont know anything about that and don't plan to get into making my own. I just want to make sure that Joye's are safe and have been tested.

 

[InTheCity]

I just want to make an observation about faulty chargers, because that seems to be a big issue here.

I had been a 510 users for 2 years and have suffered through tremendous amounts of charger failures.
Some get gunk on them and simply need a cleaning, some fail to work or seem to trip with bad connections, one blew my monitor, another very shortly afterward blew my Laptop (I assumed it was the monitor just dying prematurely).

I've had the Ego-T mega battery now for about a month and was pleased with it until today when I started going through all of these explosion threads. Fortunately it's charger seems very stable, never glitches green then red like the 510 charger, but I'm crapping my pants thinking about how I've let it charge over night, every night, since I purchased it.

What's the charge duration for an Ego-T battery? If not overnight, how long do I need to set aside. How much more risk is there in leaving it? It's been charged and never warm when I get up in the morning (charging on average 7 hours).

I'll trash this device altogether if I hear any more negative feedback. I can't risk explosions with kids around, it's isn't worth the risk.

 

[mooreted]

First of all, Lion batteries don't need to be fully charged so you don't really have to wait for the light to turn green. I charge mine for a couple of hours and check from time to time to see if it's getting hot. I also check my cell phone while I'm at it; I don't really want to lose it either.

When your battery is new it will reach a full charge. When the proper voltage is reached, the charger detects the voltage and shuts off. What happens with old batteries is that they don't ever reach a full charge so the charger sits there and trickle charges until the battery gets damaged. That's why you don't want to leave it on the charger too long.

Of course, charging batteries overnight is bad because you could have a major problem in the middle of the night and not be able to get to it fast enough.

99.999% of people will never have a battery explode. Just be safe and use common sense.