Hole in the Mech Mod for safety???
- Thread starter Christopher Molina
- Start date
- th_trl_thread_readers 0
- Status
Great list! All looks good except #5.
Batteries age faster at higher voltages. This is why you typically receive them at half charge when you purchase them. But, it's also bad to run them down to a low voltage, below 3V. Li-Ion batteries are happiest somwhere in the middle, in terms of voltage.
It's better to charge them just before you use them instead of the night before or just after you finish vaping (as long as the voltage isn't too low). But, this is a lot less convenient. It's more of a battery life issue rather than a safety issue so do what fits in with the way you vape.
This issue has interested me with my phone before vaping. I agree that storing batteries is best at around 50% charge (and I've read RC model guys saying keep batteries stored long term in the refrigerator). I'm talking about the couple of batteries I'm using every day. I have charging for the phone and vape rig in the car, at work, and in several spots at home. When a charager is within reach I'm using it. When I walk out the door it's nice to have the batteries at 100% and, I speculate, higher voltage means less the drain. If there is something wrong with this logic I'd like to know.
Ahh...you're talking about regulated mods and how the higher the battery voltage is, the lower the battery current is? That's true and it's always best to used fully charged batteries in our mods...for lots of reasons. In a mech mod though, higher voltage = higher battery current.
I wasn't advocating using batteries when only half charged. That would be very frustrating to me.
I was only saying that for the for the sake of service life and endurance (not battery run time), that your post was asking about, that batteries are happier at lower voltages.
But that is often quite inconvenient and most people, including me, recharge them right back up so they're ready to use when needed. But when I'm rotating batteries I will often leave the unused set uncharged until the day before I need them. Or if I won't be using them for a while.
I agree with this.
Rolygate, our forum administrator and quite a battery expert himself, has this to say:
"August 2014: We have now had the first confirmed mechmod explosion due to sub-ohming, which took place at the recent VapeBlast event. The device exploded, blew a hole in the ceiling 20 feet above, brought down a ceiling tile, and burnt a hole in the floor. As this was witnessed by dozens of people (also, the explosion was heard by a hundred people or so) and the photos are widely available, it is impossible to deny that it occurred. It seems lucky that no one was hurt; indeed the mechmod owner ran away in order that if any injury occurred he wouldn't be held accountable and to avoid paying for the damage. As the device became hot he threw it down, then it exploded. The incident occurred at a Cloud Contest although it is not known if the vaper who caused the explosion was a bystander or a competitor; since he was clearly stressing-out his rig it seems possible he was about to compete.
What can be learned from this
An incident like this is caused by a chain of design errors, user actions, and possibly a battery fault.
- Sealed metal tubes will probably explode if a battery vents violently
- Small vents at the bottom of the tube are useless, only very large gas vents near the top have a good chance of preventing an explosion
- Building coils lower than 0.2 ohm will raise the amp draw exponentially and this increases risk - the power graph shows a significant change at 0.2 ohms and starts to climb vertically as resistance is reduced further
- Using cheap batteries with ultra low res coils is a certain route to high risk - it needs 30 amp batteries of guaranteed high quality
- Using a 26650 cell is intrinsically safer as it can take a higher load
- Using long draws or machine-gun draws to create monster clouds stresses the battery much more
- Cloud Contests are events where people put ultra high stress on their rig to create monster clouds; if spectating, you could consider standing at the back of the room to stay safe
- If you run a Cloud Contest then you should probably check that your personal and business insurance is really, really good and is appropriate for dangerous sports
- People are now discussing the safety (!) involved with putting 100-amp pulses on their batteries in order to create the biggest clouds with the lowest resistance coils; there is only one way this is going to go and you don't want to be within the explosion radius: someone may have a counterfeit battery, or one that is just too small for this extreme usage mode together with ignoring the device getting warm or even hot."
"Rest batteries after charging. One commonly reported factor in almost all the incidents we hear of where batteries failed violently while in use is that they were taken directly off the charger and then used immediately, at which point they failed.
Because of this, we think it may be a good idea to rest batteries after charging them. This advice will not be found in the usual reference bibles on batteries, but we see more and different reports than other. Therefore we now advise: Do not use batteries directly after charging them. Use a battery or batteries you previously charged, and that have rested for several hours. This is especially important if using a stacked pair for higher voltage, as statistically the risk is far higher."
----Rolygate: Warning: Batteries for APV's
What can be learned from this
An incident like this is caused by a chain of design errors, user actions, and possibly a battery fault.
- Sealed metal tubes will probably explode if a battery vents violently
- Small vents at the bottom of the tube are useless, only very large gas vents near the top have a good chance of preventing an explosion
- Building coils lower than 0.2 ohm will raise the amp draw exponentially and this increases risk - the power graph shows a significant change at 0.2 ohms and starts to climb vertically as resistance is reduced further
- Using cheap batteries with ultra low res coils is a certain route to high risk - it needs 30 amp batteries of guaranteed high quality
- Using a 26650 cell is intrinsically safer as it can take a higher load
- Using long draws or machine-gun draws to create monster clouds stresses the battery much more
- Cloud Contests are events where people put ultra high stress on their rig to create monster clouds; if spectating, you could consider standing at the back of the room to stay safe
- If you run a Cloud Contest then you should probably check that your personal and business insurance is really, really good and is appropriate for dangerous sports
- People are now discussing the safety (!) involved with putting 100-amp pulses on their batteries in order to create the biggest clouds with the lowest resistance coils; there is only one way this is going to go and you don't want to be within the explosion radius: someone may have a counterfeit battery, or one that is just too small for this extreme usage mode together with ignoring the device getting warm or even hot."
"Rest batteries after charging. One commonly reported factor in almost all the incidents we hear of where batteries failed violently while in use is that they were taken directly off the charger and then used immediately, at which point they failed.
Because of this, we think it may be a good idea to rest batteries after charging them. This advice will not be found in the usual reference bibles on batteries, but we see more and different reports than other. Therefore we now advise: Do not use batteries directly after charging them. Use a battery or batteries you previously charged, and that have rested for several hours. This is especially important if using a stacked pair for higher voltage, as statistically the risk is far higher."
----Rolygate: Warning: Batteries for APV's
I'll also add that if your mechanical mod uses a wire spring in the battery department, make sure it is a so-called "hot spring". This spring is designed to melt or collapse should the battery reach a critical temperature, breaking the electrical connection to the atomizer, and hopefully prevent the battery from going into full blown thermal runaway.
Mechanical mod manufacturers need to develop safer designs to avoid inadequate venting episodes. Small holes or no holes in a mech is a pipe bomb waiting to happen. Batteries are designed to vent from their tops. Adequate venting near the top of the mod where the battery will release gas needs to be incorporated into their design.
Imagine this IMR battery exploding in your mechanical mod
For example, the AltSmoke Silver Bullet mechanical is designed to vent gas via the fire button, which is located on the side and upper end of the mod exactly where the top of the battery is located.
It is also a recessed button, which makes accidental firing of the switch unlikely in a pocket or purse. Most mechanical mods utilize a bottom firing button, simply because they are easier and cheaper to manufacture. Setting these mods down on end could accidentally depress the fire button. Those with a locking mechanism on the fire button must use that mechanism each time the mod is set down, and who does that each and every time?
Recessed side fire button in a Silver Bullet
Last edited:
18650s when stored for long periods should be kept at 40% charge which equates to 3.82 volts.
Source: BU-702: How to Store Batteries – Battery University
Source: BU-702: How to Store Batteries – Battery University
I agree with pretty much everything Baditude said.
However:
Who does that each and every time?
Advanced users. You know, The people for whom mechanical mods are designed.
Some things in life are not meant for amateurs or careless people.
Know your limitations and vape safe.
However:
Who does that each and every time?
Advanced users. You know, The people for whom mechanical mods are designed.
Some things in life are not meant for amateurs or careless people.
Know your limitations and vape safe.
Personally, more than a couple of weeks. Officially no idea, have a read through the site I linked to, there may be an answer there.
I have a SMPL as a backup but it only gets used when my regulated mod needs a recharge. My SMPL has several (6 or so holes through the bottom button
I never build lower than .8 ohms. So I should never have a problem.
Most of not all regulated mods both battery and lipo or li&on have low ohm warning. Battery too hot warning. Short protection, and not to mention wattage control that simply is not there on mech's.
I would never use something like a Kanger Subtank on a mech because their highest wattage rating is only 30-35 watts.
The high temperature warnings are only for the circuit board, not the battery...unfortunately. The sensor on the circuit board is way too far away from the battery to know its temperature.
We are both right..
The sensor IS on the board but when the mod gets too hot it will not Fire until the mod battery and sensor cools down to operating temperatures.
I respectfully disagree.
Problem is, the board cooling down has little to do with the battery cooling down. They are thermally isolated. And the board's sensor wouldn't indicate a problem with the battery heating up until the battery was at extreme temperatures and eventually radiated/conducted enough heat to the board to trigger the overtemp protection.
If the heating up and cooling off happens slowly enough then there's enough time for both the battery and board temperatures to equalize. Otherwise, the different power losses in the board and the battery, the different amounts of surface area, etc., means that they will heat up and cool down at different rates. This means that, depending on the board and battery combination, this can easily lead to a battery overheating before the board...or vice versa.
We can agree to disagree. But that sensor is supposed to prevent the battery from getting too hot and becoming hazardous.
Agreed...we disagree.
If you had any links to a manufacturer who has said that about their mod or board (that it specifically protects the battery) it be great if you could post a link.
Last edited:
- Status
