Local NW Floridian with severe injuries from exploding ecig battery

[Mediaguy]

Hope somebody has more info than what is publically reported - like maybe someone from his community or a fellow vaper. Was it an unmarked battery? Or a pass-through or a mis-match? This is quite bad.

This is where I first saw it: Tom Holloway suffers horrific burns as exploding electronic cigarette knocks out all his teeth | Mail Online

And at least they mentioned that it was the first time they'd ever heard of something like this happening...

 

[Landhew]

When I read the article, I admit to freaking out a little. I pulled my Roughstack away from my mouth and looked at it suspiciously for the first time since I've had it (since August '11). I'm using protected Ultrafire 18350 batteries. The mod has 2 vent holes in the bottom. I'm hoping since I'm only a 3.7 volt vaper, I'm on the safer side.

I feel horrible for Tom Holloway. I'll be praying for his recovery.

 

[ColKurtz]

Several posts mention eGo's blow off out the bottom... is that true for the pass-thrus as well (which have the mini-USB slot at the bottom for charging)? I had a passthru break on me when the top/atomizer side dislodged from the base. I have an incredibly long eGo solution (1000mah passthrus with eGo Booster and eGo-T attys) and the top is always getting bent with respect to the battery.

Basically, it's very easy to wiggle the atty back and forth on an eGo, so I'm surprised to hear it will vent out the bottom.... I figured the top-side was the weak spot.

Crappy news, and wish the victim a speedy recovery, both to this and his alleged cancer. The silver lining is I'm sure a lot of people (like me) weren't even aware this was possible. I'll be paying more attention to battery care and any future mods.

 

[luvinit]

How do we know if our batts and chargers are safe?? Is it dangerous if I leave it on the charger all night? I'm guessing the answer to that is yes! Wow.. who knew? And is there any way to tell if there's a problem with a battery? Questions, questions!! I use V2's and Elite 808's... no plans for acquiring anything much bigger than those as they've worked very well for me.. how unfortunate for this poor man,,, and the rest of us too. The anti-ecig bandwagon is about to get fuller. damn.

 

[DaveP]

I don't leave my batteries on the charger unless I'm close by. I never leave the house or go to sleep with charging going on. That applies to the NIMH batteries I use on my wireless guitar transmitter, too.

So far, there's no brand or model information on the news for the Pensacola accident. It's only been a couple of hours since it was first reported from the time stamps on the articles I've read. I guess the 10 second cutoff on the eGo batteries is a good safety feature. I'm still curious as to what he has.

 

[kittypie]

And BTW for anybody wondering, Trustfire/Ultrafire type batteries are one of the WORST kinds of li-ion rechargeable batteries you can buy for a multitude of different reasons. Yes many vendors offer them as part of their setups, but it is foolish beyond belief to use such a battery. Stick to genuine Panasonic, Redilast or AW li-ion type batteries if you value your safety and quality of the battery.

[/QUOTE]
kittypie is taking this advice to heart.

 

[Stubby]

Didn't check out the article, but this would be no surprise to me. I have been in the specialized flashlight mod world for a while now, and I know how dangerous li-ion batteries can be (specifically secondary rechargeable kinds, which is often found in most, if not all, ecig batteries).

I'm actually surprised this doesn't happen on a more frequent basis, especially given the crap e-cig chargers that are on the market these days which no doubt trickle charge li-ion batteries along with many other unsafe recharging practices. And if you are not familiar with li-ion technology, improper charging methods can cause them great stress and will cause explosions and leaks of great magnitude. Consider yourselves lucky you have not had any problems, because you are tempting fate with whatever ecig charger/battery you are using unless it is proven to be safe.

Li-ion secondary rechargeable batteries are nothing to squawk at, they are incredibly dangerous, borderline highly explosive bombs under the right circumstances. Which is why I prefer using my own 18650 batteries with my own trusted and reliable charger that strictly adheres to nearly every li-ion safe and proper charging protocol and offers true charge termination (one of the most important aspects to a safe li-ion charger).


If you want to know how dangerous these things can be, just go and do some searching on the CPF (candlepowerforums). If everybody here knew the true dangers of li-ion batteries (especially regarding improper charging methods) we wouldn't be so complacent about our ecig batteries as we are now.

And BTW for anybody wondering, Trustfire/Ultrafire type batteries are one of the WORST kinds of li-ion rechargeable batteries you can buy for a multitude of different reasons. Yes many vendors offer them as part of their setups, but it is foolish beyond belief to use such a battery. Stick to genuine Panasonic, Redilast or AW li-ion type batteries if you value your safety and quality of the battery.

Oh and a small tip for those charging ecig batteries, li-ion batteries don't like to be run down all the way and charged back up, they prefer small incremental and frequent charges well before they are dead. If you constantly run your ecig li-ion batteries dead and charge them back up, you are killing them at an exponential rate and will severely reduce their lifespan.

Good post with some good advice. To bad there are to many people who want to go with the cheapest gear they can find, besides doing dangerous things like stacking batteries.

Question for you. At the moment I am using a Tenergy TN 270 charger but am not at all sure it is all that great of a charger. In fact I'm pretty sure its junk. I have been eyeing the 4 stage Pila charger as I hear it's the best and safest charger out there for 3.7 volt batteries. I'm no expert so looking for advice on what are the good chargers on the market.

 

[TomCatt]

Think I'll stick with my Radio Shack project box mods. Strong plastic with the cover held on by magnets.

Wishing you a speedy recovery Tom!

 

[V8P]

Wishing Tom the best and hoping he doesn't go back to smoking analogs after this terrible accident.

 

[ColKurtz]

This story hit Drudgereport earlier today, so that's going to bring more attention than ever.

 

[deluxe]

So sorry to hear this, I hope Tom recovers quickly.

 

[spaceballsrules]

Here's an update from the other thread about this event...

I just spoke to the Chief at North Bay Fire District in Niceville. The incident happened 2/13/12. The battery that failed was unrecognizable but they found several 3.0v (Cr123a) lithium ion batteries and a recharger so it strongly appears the man was using a MOD. For new people: Usually a tube like a flashlight that holds 2 of these batteries to create a more powerful ecigarette. ECF has been very vocal on the dangers of MODs using cheap, unprotected batteries or the incorrect load (rating) for the atomizer attached to it, etc.. These MODs are very common but this shows how dangerous they can be. Be careful people!
Hope Tom recovers quickly.

The story is here:
Battery thought to be cause of e-cigarette blast - UPI.com

 

[SonnyCrack]

If he has been vaping for 2 years, its possible he could have bought a mod in 2009-2010, a LOT of mods used stack batteries without venting in that time period... I still have a Unvented stacked Sparkplug v2 that I bought and used a few times until I found out how dangerous they were..

 

[SonnyCrack]

Also.. IF you are stacking batteries.. Make sure you pair the batteries..

 

[classwife]

Moving this to Media and General News

Will be closing the smaller of the 2 to avoid confusion



change of mind...will leave the 2 open in these 2 areas for now

 

[Calypso53]

I was just reading the "stickies" about batteries on this forum, after reading this horrible news and admittedly am a bit freaked out. There are all these posts referring to protected and unprotected batteries and to make sure you use protected ones. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN...is there a list somewhere of protected and unprotected batteries? I'm new to this, and really would like to know if any of the items I'm using, which is a Lux by Modern Vapor, and V2 e-cigs and GreenSmoke, have any "unprotected" batteries? I also found this statement in one of the stickies:

"3. ECF recommends AW IMR cells because they do not explode in the users face. We will continue to do so, for this very important reason."

So, what is an AW IMR cell, please?? I certainly want to use the type of batteries that "do not explode in the users face'!!!!! Wow.

 

[spaceballsrules]

I was just reading the "stickies" about batteries on this forum, after reading this horrible news and admittedly am a bit freaked out. There are all these posts referring to protected and unprotected batteries and to make sure you use protected ones. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN...is there a list somewhere of protected and unprotected batteries? I'm new to this, and really would like to know if any of the items I'm using, which is a Lux by Modern Vapor, and V2 e-cigs and GreenSmoke, have any "unprotected" batteries? I also found this statement in one of the stickies:

"3. ECF recommends AW IMR cells because they do not explode in the users face. We will continue to do so, for this very important reason."

So, what is an AW IMR cell, please?? I certainly want to use the type of batteries that "do not explode in the users face'!!!!! Wow.

AW Batteries

Protected batteries have a PCB that controls them and monitors for any kind of overcurrent or overheating. There are also safe chemistry batteries that won't go up in flames should there be a battery failure.

Batteries like your V2 have a chip built in that monitors battery performance like the PCB in the protected batteries. They also have auto shutoffs built in for when the battery is engaged for too long i.e. 7 seconds, 10 seconds, 17 seconds, etc.

 

[Semiretired]

Ok. AW Batts - what kind of charger?

 

[Rocketman]

"3. ECF recommends AW IMR cells because they do not explode in the users face. We will continue to do so, for this very important reason."
.

Here we go with Branding again

 

[tigerlily]

It would sure be nice to know what brand of pv he was using and what brand of battery he was using in it. This is pretty scary stuff! I admit to being rather careless with my charging habits. I generally have a battery on the charger at all times. I guess I need to be more careful about taking them out promptly and not leave them on the charger overnight or when I'm away at work. From what I understand, the battery in question was not being charged when it exploded. It was actually being used when it exploded. I've read about batteries exploding when the button was accidentally pushed in a case or pocket for a long time so I'm always careful to make sure that doesn't happen. I don't know how to make sure it doesn't explode during actual use other than making sure you are using the proper equipment.