Hot battery - toast?

[OBDave]

Okay, so my wife just brought me the battery out of her K100 (Panasonic NCR18650PD). Very warm, but not super hot...I immediately put it in a metal bowl and put it out in the backyard, then asked what happened. Apparently she was tinkering with the telescoping screws and screwed the K100 down too tight, to the point that the battery was constantly firing.

I asked how long this went on, she said maybe a minute, minute and a half until she felt the mod getting warm and took it apart.

Went and checked on the battery after a few minutes, it had cooled down. Checked charge on my multimeter, got about 3.7v - which would make sense given she's used it on and off for about a day since charging.

Inspected the plastic wrap, found the tiniest scuff on one part, maybe 3-4 mm wide - doesn't appear to go all the way through.

Thoughts on whether it's safe to continue using, or would one event like this render the battery unsafe? Thanks all...

 

[Baditude]

IMHO, a battery should never feel warm or hot to touch. This indicates that the battery has been stressed and possibly suffering from internal damage. Having had a battery explode in one of my mechanical mods, if it was me I would dispose of the battery. Spending $10 for a new battery is a wiser choice than risking a venting battery and its consequences. But that's my opinion having gone through the above experience.

You didn't mention what juice attachment, and most important what coil resistance she was using on the K100. This may have also played a part in causing a warm battery.

 

[OBDave]

Thanks, Baditude. The mod was topped with an Igo RDA with a single coil that I'd built at 2.2 ohm - 10 wraps of 28g Kanthal on a 5/64" drill bit - probably would have been worse had it happened to me, I run around 1.6 ohm.

Regardless, it doesn't sound like it changes your advice, which I value quite a bit - if a battery that gets warm even once is a battery to be trashed, so it goes. We're new to the mod world and only have 2 batteries each, so she'll just have to choose between her VAMO and her mech until I can get some batteries ordered...

 

[OBDave]

Edit: was asking for a US battery supplier, went to MBV and just bought a bunch of VTC5's and a couple Smok DCTs to try - yesterday was my break-even spending date, now back in the hole for another few weeks!