My Chuck Blew Up---LITERALLY

Status
Not open for further replies.

TheBigD

Senior Member
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Nov 16, 2009
110
13
glad you're ok.

however, CR123A is not the same as RCR123A.

CR123A is not a rechargeable battery.

RCR123A is a rechargeable battery.

that really makes a big difference in this whole story.

Understood. However, I used the same naming scheme Jeff uses on his site, meaning the "R" at the beginning is implied. Most do not put "R18350" when describing those batteries, or when referring just to the size. Also, it was my impression that all Lithium Ion batteries were rechargeable.

if you put non-rechargeable batteries on a charger for hours at a time, that seems to be the actual issue here, and would have NOTHING to do with "the safety" of protected/unprotected batteries. from all the posts in this thread, you've listed them only as CR123A which does seem to indicate you ordered NON rechargeable batteries.

i'm sorry your Chuck exploded in your face, and i'm glad you're ok. the issue here seems to be a mistake in ordering single use batteries and assuming they were rechargeable, throwing them in a charger, and then trying to use them.

As I mentioned before, when I got them I put them in and the Chuck didn't work, I put them on the charger and they indicator showed red, then some time later (I didn't use a stopwatch) they showed "green" and they worked. I drained those while another two were charging, used the other two while charging the originals, drained those, used the originals, and then swapped them out and used the next set, and then the Chuck blew up.

Maybe it was the fact that the batteries were not rechargeable. Maybe it was because they were unprotected. I assumed that the batteries blew up because I have read that unprotected batteries blow up.

I didn't make all this up so I could somehow "slam" unprotected batteries v. protected ones. As I mentioned before, I read all I could about batteries before ordering mine with a laymen's knowledge about them (at best) before I began. Every other battery I purchased and have used for vaping has been protected.

I would imagine that the vast majority of people who are interested in a mod have only ever used the batteries that are available at checkout stands at the supermarket, just like me.

I posted this incident in the hopes of sparing others a negative, possibly life altering accident. I have provided as much information as I could as to the circumstances of the accident, and fully realize that it was carelessness on my part--whether getting unprotected batteries and assuming they were, getting non-rechargeables and assuming they were, using an adaptor and thinking it was safe (not sure if a short would cause this or not, don't have enough knowledge/data to conclude that one way or the other), or maybe even having a bad charger (Made in China, but very doubtful as it charges my 18350s fine).

The bottom line, as many posts have shown, is that there are many variables that can make batteries dangerous. Even if unprotected batteries can be safe the majority of the time, the fact that they can blow up AT ALL should lead people to conclude that they shouldn't use them. I am sure that any and all variables regarding my accident were easily avoidable, to be sure, but the dangers are there and I hope that everyone out there using vaporizers remembers to be more vigilant than I, and to be safe.
 

Pete54

Ultra Member
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Oct 30, 2009
2,637
3,412
Clearwater, Florida
First of all, BigD, I'm happy that you escaped without serious injury. Secondly, I'm getting a little tired of people always crying "user error" whenever a battery blows! Last, but definitely not least, if everyone only used protected batteries we would not be having this conversation. What on earth is so hard to understand about NOT using UNPROTECTED batteries.
 

raqball

Vaping Master
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Jan 22, 2010
4,283
9,282
I don't think the OP needs a lecture... He / she has openly admitted that mistakes were made on his / her part..

I am glad the OP is OK and decided to post this so others may learn from it...

To the OP... Thanks for posting and read on past some of the rude and uncalled for posts... You learned a lesson and others reading this will as well...

:thumbs:

My .02

Kris
 

Shelbeethehmmrgirl

Ultra Member
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Jul 25, 2009
1,868
1,207
46
Belle, West Virginia, United States
Ok, I am jumping in here. The OP has openly admitted fault. It is not the place of forum members to lecture someone especially when the person admits fault. Whether you agree or not using UNprotected batteries places you at risk for this type of accident. Use at your own risk, as there are protected batteries out there. Please remember we are here to learn from each other.
 

skydragon

ECF Guru
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Oct 7, 2009
11,551
7,998
Mountain Cave
I don't think the OP needs a lecture... He / she has openly admitted that mistakes were made on his / her part..

I am glad the OP is OK and decided to post this so others may learn from it...

To the OP... Thanks for posting and read on past some of the rude and uncalled for posts... You learned a lesson and others reading this will as well...

:thumbs:



My .02

Kris

My exact sentiments. I for one greatly appreciate the post. I would also like to say that I have read others say they thought they were buying one thing but sent another. I personally don't know the difference just by looking so if the description is wrong, deceptive or the batt mislabeled, I wouldn't even know once I received the batt. I have read many threads on batts but that doesn't mean I actually understand what I am reading. Who would have thought you had to become a chemist and an electrician just to vape.
 

Flitzanu

Ultra Member
ECF Veteran
Feb 9, 2009
1,119
9
48
Tulsa, OK, U.S.A.
www.myspace.com
Understood. However, I used the same naming scheme Jeff uses on his site, meaning the "R" at the beginning is implied. Most do not put "R18350" when describing those batteries, or when referring just to the size. Also, it was my impression that all Lithium Ion batteries were rechargeable.



As I mentioned before, when I got them I put them in and the Chuck didn't work, I put them on the charger and they indicator showed red, then some time later (I didn't use a stopwatch) they showed "green" and they worked. I drained those while another two were charging, used the other two while charging the originals, drained those, used the originals, and then swapped them out and used the next set, and then the Chuck blew up.

Maybe it was the fact that the batteries were not rechargeable. Maybe it was because they were unprotected. I assumed that the batteries blew up because I have read that unprotected batteries blow up.

I didn't make all this up so I could somehow "slam" unprotected batteries v. protected ones. As I mentioned before, I read all I could about batteries before ordering mine with a laymen's knowledge about them (at best) before I began. Every other battery I purchased and have used for vaping has been protected.

I would imagine that the vast majority of people who are interested in a mod have only ever used the batteries that are available at checkout stands at the supermarket, just like me.

I posted this incident in the hopes of sparing others a negative, possibly life altering accident. I have provided as much information as I could as to the circumstances of the accident, and fully realize that it was carelessness on my part--whether getting unprotected batteries and assuming they were, getting non-rechargeables and assuming they were, using an adaptor and thinking it was safe (not sure if a short would cause this or not, don't have enough knowledge/data to conclude that one way or the other), or maybe even having a bad charger (Made in China, but very doubtful as it charges my 18350s fine).

The bottom line, as many posts have shown, is that there are many variables that can make batteries dangerous. Even if unprotected batteries can be safe the majority of the time, the fact that they can blow up AT ALL should lead people to conclude that they shouldn't use them. I am sure that any and all variables regarding my accident were easily avoidable, to be sure, but the dangers are there and I hope that everyone out there using vaporizers remembers to be more vigilant than I, and to be safe.

look i'm sorry if you're taking it as a personal attack or insinuating it was all your fault when you've admitted that it was, but the information is still missing one key element...the exact description and type of battery you used.

it isn't an attack on unprotected or protected, but knowing specifically which battery you bought, and i mean exactly, will help someone in the future.

again, it is very unfortunate and all of us are glad you are ok, but if this truly was an incident with a PROTECTED battery or UNPROTECTED battery is the bottom line, and if people are under the impression that you used a protected battery and this happened, it is creating unnecessary panic and worry. if it was an unprotected battery, then those inherent dangers are already under discussion and generally known as being dangerous.

however, what i'm personally questioning is if you used NON RECHARGEABLE batteries in a CHARGER. that is most likely the reason they failed.

if THAT is the case, the bigger lesson to learn here is to make sure batteries being used on a charger are actually rechargeable.
 

TheBigD

Senior Member
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Nov 16, 2009
110
13
At the very least, I have made it clear that the batteries in question were NOT protected.

I ASSUMED that they were. Therein is the inherent danger. Unless the batteries SPECIFICALLY say "Protected" on the battery itself then do not use them. I think it is safe to say that had they been protected they could not have exploded. QED.

I would also add that it would probably be a good idea to only buy from vendors who spell out the details of their batteries specifically. While I was ordering I was cavalier about things and was just excited to get 3v batteries for my new toy, and while that might be A-OK 99% of the time, I hit the one time when it wasn't, and if not for dumb luck things could have been much, much worse.
 
Last edited:

jeffakamax

Unregistered Supplier
ECF Veteran
Jun 4, 2009
1,795
30
USA
www.ThagBuilt.com
I'd also add that if not for the build quality of the Chuck itself I'd have lost an eye at least. The end the atty fits into stayed put instead of blowing off into my head! I am unable to get the batteries out to see what they look like as the heat has melted everything together, it seems.

I'm glad to hear you are OK!!!!
750+ CHUCKS out and this is the first inident I have heard of.
While it sucks, it definately reinforces the importance of protected batteries.

Now, here is what I am proposing to you...
I want to examine your CHUCK! I have tried to induce a battery venting at least a dozen times for testing and they would never cooperate.

If you send it to me, I will build you a replacement... NO CHARGE.

Once again, glad you are alright!
 

Quick1

Ultra Member
ECF Veteran
Feb 11, 2010
2,684
280
USA
it isn't an attack on unprotected or protected, but knowing specifically which battery you bought, and i mean exactly, will help someone in the future.

again, it is very unfortunate and all of us are glad you are ok, but if this truly was an incident with a PROTECTED battery or UNPROTECTED battery is the bottom line, and if people are under the impression that you used a protected battery and this happened, it is creating unnecessary panic and worry. if it was an unprotected battery, then those inherent dangers are already under discussion and generally known as being dangerous.

It's not magic it's science. It's not secret, it's not brand new, it's not unknown and it's not classified information. The behavior of protected and unprotected batteries under all conditions is very well known. The behavor of different battery compositions/technologies is very well known. A statement or pointer to information on this would be useful. Anecdotal information such as "I've used lot's of x and never had a problem" is useless. Especially without detailed context. "All the failures here have been with y and none with x" is also pretty much useless for the same reason.

Resistance, current, discharge rate, capabilities, usage all in the context of the application is important. You need to consider the system as a whole. WHY did it fail is what you want to know. Not what type failed. People are promoting the high discharge LiMN batteries as the safest solution. They very well might be... even though they are NOT protected. So there's a lot more to it than "I was vaping and battery X blew up" or "I've never had battery Y blow up". The thing you want to uderstand is "why?".

To be absolutely safe you would want a battery that is completely safe when shorted out. Then there are all the aspects of charging. "Safe" is a relative term too. Let's say the battery doesn't explode but does get white hot. Does that qualify as "safe"? If a battery vents, how slowly would be considered safe? Does that change if you enclose it in a sealed metal container?

There doesn't seem to be much interest in the devices themselves. Maybe it's not interesting and they're all the same for practical purposes. Do some introduce more resistance and therefore less current draw on the batteries? Maybe battery X is much less likely to blow up in device A than in device B? No one that I have heard about has done a real forensic analysis on any of the failures. Maybe it takes a switch failure? or a dead short? and people just happened to be using battery X.

These are some of the things I'd like to see more of rather than focusing on "battery X exploded".
 

notsoogood

Vaping Master
ECF Veteran
Oct 19, 2009
3,782
6,099
67
The REAL Washington
I'm glad to hear you are OK!!!!
750+ CHUCKS out and this is the first inident I have heard of.
While it sucks, it definately reinforces the importance of protected batteries.

Now, here is what I am proposing to you...
I want to examine your CHUCK! I have tried to induce a battery venting at least a dozen times for testing and they would never cooperate.

If you send it to me, I will build you a replacement... NO CHARGE.

Once again, glad you are alright!

YOU ROCK JEFF!!! I think this is a wonderful idea and offer!! Another reason you are #1!!!;)
 

raqball

Vaping Master
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Jan 22, 2010
4,283
9,282
Now, here is what I am proposing to you...
I want to examine your CHUCK! I have tried to induce a battery venting at least a dozen times for testing and they would never cooperate.

If you send it to me, I will build you a replacement... NO CHARGE.

Once again, glad you are alright!

Wow.... Now that is customer service!!!!

:thumbs:

Kris
 

doots

Vaping Master
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Aug 22, 2009
7,414
2,054
safe-list.com
I'm glad to hear you are OK!!!!
750+ CHUCKS out and this is the first inident I have heard of.
While it sucks, it definately reinforces the importance of protected batteries.

Now, here is what I am proposing to you...
I want to examine your CHUCK! I have tried to induce a battery venting at least a dozen times for testing and they would never cooperate.

If you send it to me, I will build you a replacement... NO CHARGE.

Once again, glad you are alright!

That is great Jeff!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Users who are viewing this thread