first mod, a little concerned about safety

[letsbuildasnowman1]

Hey everyone new to the forum and new to vaping. Have only used gas station e cigs so far.
I have some things coming in the mail..juice, cartomizers, and a bolt mod with a buttontop imr 18500 battery.
I am a little concerned about safety. What would happen if juice were to leak and come in contact with the + post on the mod? Is there anything I can do to best avoid it or something I can add to prevent me from blowing my face off? Thanks!

 

[thinkingaboutit]

You can google the "2 cent fuse" for more safety...but you have an IMR battery...not much worry if you treat it properly. A juice leak won't make it explode.

There is extensive battery safety info for you to read on this site.

 

[Devaper]

The juice isn't likely to do anything to your battery mod. I have 2 Bolts myself, and love 'em. Once in awhile I swipe out the 510 connector with a tissue to remove any condensation which may have collected there. The chances of anything getting to the battery are pretty slim (unsless you try to tank up your cartomizer from inside the mod itself, which is highly unlikely...).

Inside the head, the wires are protected with a silicone sheathing, and it's full of hot melt glue, which also holds the firing button in place. The imr batteries you chose are also very stable, so you don't need to worry about anything except which flavor liquid you want to try next

 

[letsbuildasnowman1]

awesome thanks

 

[letsbuildasnowman1]

The juice isn't likely to do anything to your battery mod. I have 2 Bolts myself, and love 'em. Once in awhile I swipe out the 510 connector with a tissue to remove any condensation which may have collected there. The chances of anything getting to the battery are pretty slim (unsless you try to tank up your cartomizer from inside the mod itself, which is highly unlikely...).

Inside the head, the wires are protected with a silicone sheathing, and it's full of hot melt glue, which also holds the firing button in place. The imr batteries you chose are also very stable, so you don't need to worry about anything except which flavor liquid you want to try next

Good deal that makes me feel better. Bought the bolt because of my budget. I am very excited about trying this stuff out I already have some rawr juices sitting here and some dfw juice coming in. All different pg/vg combos to try out.

 

[Devaper]

Just wait till you get your first rebuildable. There's a learning curve (some have been tempted to throw the things out the window), but once you get the hang of it, it'll be bye-bye cartomizers. But that's for later. You're starting out the right way, and you'll make lots of exciting discoveries as time goes by. Enjoy!

 

[letsbuildasnowman1]

Just wait till you get your first rebuildable. There's a learning curve (some have been tempted to throw the things out the window), but once you get the hang of it, it'll be bye-bye cartomizers. But that's for later. You're starting out the right way, and you'll make lots of exciting discoveries as time goes by. Enjoy!

Yea that is something I will probably be looking into down the line. And thanks, I think I will too. I'm the kind of person that gets really into hobbies and this one is positive for my health compared to when I was smoking reds all day long.

 

[kiwivap]

Hi, Just a few things - you may know these already.
1. Don't leave your batteries on the charger unattended, and don't leave them charging all night while you're sleeping.
2. Remove your batteries from the charger when they are charged (light goes green). Give them a rest time before using them in your mod.
3. Keep an eye on your batteries condition. If you notice rips or tears in the exterior don't use them.
4. If you are using two batteries at the same time in a mod then charge both batteries together and use the same pair of batteries. Don't mix up an old battery with a new one. ETA: I don't like to stack batteries in a mod myself (see ECF link below) , but some mods do take two.
5. Invest in a digital multimeter. These can be bought quite cheaply and then you can check the battery voltages.
6. From the ECF http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/ecf-library/129569-rechargeable-batteries.html

"IMR Li-Mn rechargeables
Manufacturers include AW and BDL. AW are reported as higher quality. These batteries are unlikely to explode in use and there are no reports of this occurring (but they can melt down with flames if abused by for example short-circuiting or APV switch lock-on). They are recommended in place of Li-ions and do not need protection. These batteries are of high quality and are therefore expensive - but you get what you pay for."

Notes:
- No memory effect.
Cautions:
- They have a high current discharge potential and therefore it may be wise to have a protection circuit in the main device. The discharge rating is often 8C, meaning it is likely that a lot of amps would be available if the battery were to be short-circuited (= a dead short or shorted-out).
- They will be overcharged by old-technology chargers and may burst.
- Overcharging (>4.25 volts) will shorten the service life, which is 500 charges under ideal conditions.
- Discharging below 3 volts will shorten the service life.
- If you run a Li-Mn down below the minimum discharge voltage, the cell can be damaged. As there is no 'trip out' as with a protected Li-ion, this is a concern.

You can extend the service life of these cells by not recharging above 4.15 volts or discharging below 3.3 volts."

I recommend reading that whole page.

 

[letsbuildasnowman1]

Hi, Just a few things - you may know these already.
1. Don't leave your batteries on the charger unattended, and don't leave the charging all night while you're sleeping.
2. Remove your batteries from the charger when they are charged (light goes green). Give them a rest time before using them in your mod.
3. Keep an eye on your batteries condition. If you notice rips or tears in the exterior don't use them.
4. If you are using two batteries at the same time in a mod then charge both batteries together and use the same pair of batteries. Don't mix up an old battery with a new one. ETA: I don't like to stack batteries in a mod myself (see ECF link below) , but some mods do take two.
5. Invest in a digital multimeter. These can be bough quite cheaply and then you can check the battery voltages.
6. From the ECF http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/ecf-library/129569-rechargeable-batteries.html

"IMR Li-Mn rechargeables
Manufacturers include AW and BDL. AW are reported as higher quality. These batteries are unlikely to explode in use and there are no reports of this occurring (but they can melt down with flames if abused by for example short-circuiting or APV switch lock-on). They are recommended in place of Li-ions and do not need protection. These batteries are of high quality and are therefore expensive - but you get what you pay for."

Notes:
- No memory effect.
Cautions:
- They have a high current discharge potential and therefore it may be wise to have a protection circuit in the main device. The discharge rating is often 8C, meaning it is likely that a lot of amps would be available if the battery were to be short-circuited (= a dead short or shorted-out).
- They will be overcharged by old-technology chargers and may burst.
- Overcharging (>4.25 volts) will shorten the service life, which is 500 charges under ideal conditions.
- Discharging below 3 volts will shorten the service life.
- If you run a Li-Mn down below the minimum discharge voltage, the cell can be damaged. As there is no 'trip out' as with a protected Li-ion, this is a concern.

You can extend the service life of these cells by not recharging above 4.15 volts or discharging below 3.3 volts.

I recommend reading that whole page.

This is very helpful thank you so much. This forum in general already is great people seem willing and happy to help.
The batteries, do they come charged? (I do have a multimeter so I suppose I can just check when I get them)
No memory..meaning they do not need to be discharged before being recharged? If I was to discharge them how would I go about doing that? I have one of those multi trustfire chargers coming.
When I will not be using a battery for an extended period of time should I store charged or not?

Thanks again, let me know if im asking too many questions, I can always go searching throughout the site Also I went ahead and ordered a 2 cent fuse, seemed like it couldnt hurt. Hopefully it fits fine in the bolt.

 

[Ryedan]

letsbuildasnowman1, first off, you are not asking too many questions - keep on asking .

Batteries do, in my limited experience, generally come charged at least half way. Lion batts do not have any memory, so you can re-charge anytime you want to (and this will not shorten battery life either). You will not have to discharge them unless you want to store a fully charged one for a while and don't want it to be fully charged, in which case I would just use it for a while. If I know I will not be using a battery for a few months, I discharge it until it read about 3.75 v. See this link for much better info on Lion batteries.

 

[Baditude]

Since we are on the topic of battery safety, and the Bolt, I would make a recommendation that might be obvious to most people. Although the Bolt is quite a bit larger than the Altsmoke BB, notice that they appear similar in design. Especially with the protruding power switch on both mods. Be aware that neither mod is pocket worthy, for the following reason.



I had not been using my new BB for long. I had been bringing it to work with me and keeping it in my locker, tossed into a pants pocket hanging on a hook. I would go to my locker and take a few vapes when on a break.

One time I reached for the BB in my pocket and realized it was too hot to touch! I protected my fingers to pull it out of my pocket, and then I smelled the burnt plastic odor. Both ends of the battery appeared to have exploded out and the plastic casing on the battery was melted.

What had happened, is the control button on the BB had become compressed, continuously firing until the battery went thermal. The BB vented the hot gasses out of the control button as it was designed to do. The battery in question was a Trustfire "protected" battery.

This incident was 100% user error on my part. I no longer put my BB into a pocket, but acquired a Serenity Gear lanyard to put the BB in to hang on a locker hook.


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[letsbuildasnowman1]

Thanks bigsmke that answers my questions for now

 

[letsbuildasnowman1]

Thanks for sharing Baditude, good point!

 

[kiwivap]

This is very helpful thank you so much. This forum in general already is great people seem willing and happy to help.
The batteries, do they come charged? (I do have a multimeter so I suppose I can just check when I get them)

Check them when you get them.

No memory..meaning they do not need to be discharged before being recharged? If I was to discharge them how would I go about doing that? I have one of those multi trustfire chargers coming.

No, they don't need to be fully discharged before recharging. In fact Li-Mn last better if not fully discharged before recharging. They discharge through being used.

When I will not be using a battery for an extended period of time should I store charged or not?

On this one I think storing it at about half charge is better.

Thanks again, let me know if im asking too many questions, I can always go searching throughout the site Also I went ahead and ordered a 2 cent fuse, seemed like it couldnt hurt. Hopefully it fits fine in the bolt.

You're welcome. The most important part of any vaping system is you.

 

[letsbuildasnowman1]

Appreciate the info kiwi!