I accidentally goofed up, hard. Is my battery still okay to use?

[Natteulven]

So I got a new Manhattan mod a couple days ago and I love the thing to death so far. the only one they had left in stock was the display model, so naturally it was a little grubby as tons of people had probably fondled it before me. I decided to clean it up earlier with the good ole lemon and salt trick. Cleaned it up and all was good for a few hours. Apparently it wasn't as dry as I thought it was. I went to pick it up a few minutes ago and the thing was really warm. I disassembled it faster than a fat kid chasing an ice cream truck and looked at the firing button, to my dismay, there was a little moisture buildup, fortunately it doesn't look like the firing button is damaged at all, however my battery is a different story. On the bottom there looks to be some black stuff, the rest of the battery looks perfectly fine though, it doesn't seem to be bloated or damaged at all. Can I simply clean up the battery and start using it again or should I chuck it?

another question I have is, even though I cleaned it up pretty good and made sure it was dry, how can moisture suddenly appearing even after a couple hours of cleaning and it working perfectly fine?




Pic related

 

[lamarrk]

I wouldn't use that battery. Toss it in the recycle bin and get a new battery.

No idea why moisture would appear inside the mod. Are you sure it was dry inside before you started using it?

 

[Natteulven]

I'm about 99% I dried it up pretty good, as it worked with no issue for a few hours after cleaning, but I've been wrong before. Hopefully I can find my backup battery

 

[Natteulven]

Was able to easily wipe off the stuff on the bottom of the battery. It just seemed to resemble soot. I've gone ahead and completely tore the mod down to ensure there's absolutely no moisture anywhere and all looks good. test fired it and it works fine, but I think I'll be on the safe side and get a new one

 

[juicynoos]

Hi Natteulven, scary stuff at this time of the morning!! Best to clean your mod with metal polish of some kind and plain old alcohol for the inside threading and switch parts when they get gunked up. Usually strip mine down once a month or so.

The battery may be fine if you took it out fast. If you have a DMM (multimeter) check the voltage after cleaning it and see if it charges normally. If it concerns you, just replace it. Looks like an efest in your picture but I can't see if the wrap is damaged.

The mod is copper right? Using acidic liquid like lemon juice or vinegar is what folks do to make it turn green, black or blue...this is called a patina, so I think you should avoid that unless it is something you want

 

[Ryedan]

So I got a new Manhattan mod a couple days ago and I love the thing to death so far. the only one they had left in stock was the display model, so naturally it was a little grubby as tons of people had probably fondled it before me. I decided to clean it up earlier with the good ole lemon and salt trick. Cleaned it up and all was good for a few hours. Apparently it wasn't as dry as I thought it was. I went to pick it up a few minutes ago and the thing was really warm.

The heat was from the battery discharging. The mod could have been firing the atty or the battery could have been shorting. That's the only way heat develops in a mod.

I disassembled it faster than a fat kid chasing an ice cream truck and looked at the firing button, to my dismay, there was a little moisture buildup, fortunately it doesn't look like the firing button is damaged at all, however my battery is a different story. On the bottom there looks to be some black stuff, the rest of the battery looks perfectly fine though, it doesn't seem to be bloated or damaged at all. Can I simply clean up the battery and start using it again or should I chuck it?

Salt is not something that I would ever, under any circumstances, put in a mod. It's chemically active which means it will corrode things. Saltwater, or lemon juice with salt, is also electrically conductive to some extent, but I don't think that's significant (though I could be wrong here).

IMO, you have a corroded battery. I would recycle it. I would wash out the mod parts with water to the point where I thought no salt or acid (lemon juice) could possibly be left in there, dry it out well and inspect all the parts for corrosion. If I found any, I would remove it completely.

another question I have is, even though I cleaned it up pretty good and made sure it was dry, how can moisture suddenly appearing even after a couple hours of cleaning and it working perfectly fine?

IMO there's no way to know for sure. You might not have got all of the liquid out. The battery could have vented, which would make a lot of heat and some moisture, but the moisture should have come from the positive end of the battery. In any case, vinegar and salt on mods and batteries is not a good idea. IMO if you recycle the batt and get the mod totally cleaned out you can start over and you'll be OK.

 

[Sanphesta]

It looks like the battery vented. I wouldn't trust it enough to use it again.

On another note- in your pic is that the positive end showing? Looks like a button top positive end to me but on mobile so asking...
Make sure to orient your battery correctly in mech mods- positive end towards the atty.

 

[Natteulven]

Hm, I've always used lemon juice and salt for cleaning copper anything and it's done a great job, didn't know it was so bad for mods. Looks like I'll just be polishing the outside. I do indeed have a purple efest, the battery or the wrapping doesn't seem to be damaged at all. I threw it on my charger and it seems to be charging like normal. I thoroughly inspected all the nooks and crannies in the mod and everything seems to be alright. The atty wasn't firing when I noticed it was getting warm.

 

[Natteulven]

It looks like the battery vented. I wouldn't trust it enough to use it again.

On another note- in your pic is that the positive end showing? Looks like a button top positive end to me but on mobile so asking...
Make sure to orient your battery correctly in mech mods- positive end towards the atty.

It's the negative end that's showing

 

[CassiusCloud]

Get you some of that canned air for future cleanings..
I always give my stuff a shot after getting them wet,to make sure there isn't any moisture hanging around hiding someplace i can't get to..

With batteries,when in doubt toss it out..

 

[Chnoubis]

Just toss it that is unsafe, I had a buddy kept using the same batteries wore them out to where the coating on the outside came off watched him one day put in his battery and made a nice arc in his box mod. Better safe than sorry throw it away and just buy a new one.

 

[amitkey9]

Sounds like water were trapped in the threads and when the mod warmed up when holding and using it they can evaporate and then condensate and settle on the smoothest and the coldest surface they found...
Next time you use a hair dryer or something...
Ahhh and don't use this battery again... ever...!

 

[TaketheRedPill]

I'm not familiar with the Manhattan, but I'd think that any copper mod would have some sort of clear-coat to prevent tarnishing? If you use lemon/salt like one would on copper pot bottoms, you may remove that clear-coat and encourage tarnishing, but again, I've never had a Manhattan in hand. Also, any time you do something that you think might have compromised a battery, it 's best to toss the battery. Safe and not sorry is really the best policy when it comes to anything electronic, even a lowly flashlight battery. Have fun and safe vaping!

 

[Bunnykiller]

seems as if you forgot to disassemble the switch after you cleaned it with the lemon/salt. The dark stuff is the results of the conductivity of the lemon/salt mix creating a circuit, the Cu in the mods alloy turns black when exposed to citric acid... wipe off the black, put the battery on charge and monitor the status... if it takes a full charge, its good to use...

 

[juicynoos]

Hm, I've always used lemon juice and salt for cleaning copper anything and it's done a great job, didn't know it was so bad for mods. Looks like I'll just be polishing the outside. I do indeed have a purple efest, the battery or the wrapping doesn't seem to be damaged at all. I threw it on my charger and it seems to be charging like normal. I thoroughly inspected all the nooks and crannies in the mod and everything seems to be alright. The atty wasn't firing when I noticed it was getting warm.[/QUOTE

All in all, you got some good advice here but regardless of the opinion of others it is no substitute for doing your own research and learning. Please feel free to refer to the vast volumes available to you here and if you prefer more visual/audio style..check youtube. I clean my copper pans in the manner you describe also but doesn't follow where electricity is involved.

I also think that the switch was the culprit in this case so please take it apart when you clean the entire mod top to bottom. Use cleaning methods that are tried and tested by veteran vapers and be sure to test batterys and atty's continuously when using a mech mod as a matter of good and safe practice.

Regarding the usability of that efest, it is your decision based on whether it checks out OK and is not damaged. If it didn't vent or even get more than slightly warm (not hot) then it may be fine as already mentioned but once again, be safe and maybe use a different one.

Nice mech by the way, whats your topper?

 

[Natteulven]

Hm, I've always used lemon juice and salt for cleaning copper anything and it's done a great job, didn't know it was so bad for mods. Looks like I'll just be polishing the outside. I do indeed have a purple efest, the battery or the wrapping doesn't seem to be damaged at all. I threw it on my charger and it seems to be charging like normal. I thoroughly inspected all the nooks and crannies in the mod and everything seems to be alright. The atty wasn't firing when I noticed it was getting warm.[/QUOTE

All in all, you got some good advice here but regardless of the opinion of others it is no substitute for doing your own research and learning. Please feel free to refer to the vast volumes available to you here and if you prefer more visual/audio style..check youtube. I clean my copper pans in the manner you describe also but doesn't follow where electricity is involved.

I also think that the switch was the culprit in this case so please take it apart when you clean the entire mod top to bottom. Use cleaning methods that are tried and tested by veteran vapers and be sure to test batterys and atty's continuously when using a mech mod as a matter of good and safe practice.

Regarding the usability of that efest, it is your decision based on whether it checks out OK and is not damaged. If it didn't vent or even get more than slightly warm (not hot) then it may be fine as already mentioned but once again, be safe and maybe use a different one.

Nice mech by the way, whats your topper?

I have an Infinite CLT V3. Needless to say, I learned my lesson and will just be polishing it from now on lol. Found my backup battery and tossed this one. Better safe than sorry.

 

[juicynoos]

Glad to hear that, wise decision my man. I didn't want to say it-your choice and depends on what exactly happened. Have fun but take care using low resistance builds on a mech when you are cloud chasing with that rather nice atty of yours Just be aware of the concerns we all share here about inherent dangers and if you want some built in protection while you build some knowledge, grab yourself a regulated mod for low ohm builds and take it slow and easy on the Manhattan.

I just grabbed the new ipv mini V2 for the 70 watt output to get down and dirty on my Sub-ohming rda's. It is not too pricey at under $70 and has a great form factor. Not much use to most higher ohm vapers but shines for the lower ohm builds and has many useful safety's built in. I love mechs but they are not forgiving-nature of the beast