over discharged my imr 18650 and 18350 batterys

[Mta1206]

In more than one case I have over discharged my batteries to less than 1volt "miss fire in pocket" I use to throw them away because they would not charge in the charger. But the last few times I have used jumper wire to put them on an old AA charger to get them up a little. Then put them back in my xtar or intel, so for this has worked out ok just wanted to know if anyone else has tried something of this sort. I hate to throw away a batterythat has just had a few cycles on it

 

[Royaldrunker]

You mucked them up.. Recycle and buy new ones.. I wouldnt push damaged batteries plus i dont know how you could enjoy a vape below 3 volts..

 

[r77r7r]

If you don't have a Lock or Off switch on your PV, you can just twist your atty off a hair to break the connection...........

I still do this with my ego's- quicker than clicking 5 times.

 

[Traver]

You have a very high tolerance for risk.

 

[UncleChuck]

As far as I'm aware, and I could very well be wrong on this, but IMR batteries vent because of physical damage, which dislodges the wraps inside the battery causing a dead short, and thermal runaway, or from drawing too much current, causing thermal runaway. Draining the cell to a lower voltage simply degrades the cell's overall life, but shouldn't cause any additional chance of thermal runaway or venting.

Can anyone with a bit more knowledge on the subject either confirm or deny this?

 

[Traver]

When a cell is over discharged, the electrolyte starts dissolving the electrodes and damage the cells. It is when recharging that a thermal runaway is most likely to occur but the cells are already damaged and it can happen any time. If it was at 3 volts maybe it can be saved. You also need a different charging cycle to rejuvenate a lithium battery that is too low. My charger and some other higher end chargers also have a setting to rejuvenate batteries. Timing is also crucial, the longer you wait the worse the damage. I would risk doing it at 3 volts for a flashlight but not for vaping.

 

[Baditude]

The batteries that we use in mods are li-ion batteries. They are available in three classes based on adjustments to their inner chemistry: ICR (cobalt), IMR (manganese), and hybrid (nickle or other metals).

ICR batteries have a voltatile (flamable) chemistry. When they go into thermal runaway they may vent with flames or explode; this is why they can only be used with protective circuits built into the battery. At one time, these were the batteries recommended for mechanical mods.

IMR and hybrid batteries are "safer chemistry", meaning that they are more tolerant to excessive heat production than ICR's and less likely to go into thermal runaway. They will vent if pushed beyond their means, but less violently and less likely to result in flames or explosion. Because these batteries use an inherent safer chemistry, the don't require built-in circuits in the battery and are called unprotected.

IMR and hybrid batteries are also "high drain" batteries. They have a much higher reserve in amps, making them a much better battery for high amp applications such as regulated VV/VW personal vaporizers, mechanical mods using a Kick, or for use with an RBA/RDA. TECHNICAL - WHY HIGH DRAIN BATTERIES?

IMR and hybrid batteries are now recommended for all applications over ICR batteries as a safer alternative. Batteries must not be discharged below 3 volts or they will be damaged. http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/ecf-library/129569-rechargeable-batteries.html

BATTERY BASICS: IMR OR PROTECTED ICR BATTERIES?

DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF MOD BATTERIES

Basic to Advanced Battery Information from Battery University



Above is an AW 18490 IMR battery which vented (thermal runaway) rather dramatically in a book bag (not in a mod). Under circumstances which were not made clear by the owner, it's been assumed that the battery made contact with something metalic in the book bag (completing the electrical circuit) which over-discharged the battery causing it to vent and explode the internal components of the battery. Placing a spare battery in a pocket or purse where it can come into contact with something metalic (car keys or change) can result in the same thing. Keep all loose batteries in a protected plastic battery case.

 

[Mta1206]

You mucked them up.. Recycle and buy new ones.. I wouldnt push damaged batteries plus i dont know how you could enjoy a vape below 3 volts..

I was not vaping they just went off in the holster they had a lock but it sometimes backs off

 

[Rickajho]

When a cell is over discharged, the electrolyte starts dissolving the electrodes and damage the cells. It is when recharging that a thermal runaway is most likely to occur but the cells are already damaged and it can happen any time. If it was at 3 volts maybe it can be saved. You also need a different charging cycle to rejuvenate a lithium battery that is too low. My charger and some other higher end chargers also have a setting to rejuvenate batteries. Timing is also crucial, the longer you wait the worse the damage. I would risk doing it at 3 volts for a flashlight but not for vaping.

Xtar chargers will attempt to process under voltage batteries by applying low current until it gets the battery up to 2.5 volts and will then begin a normal charge cycle. This is assuming the Xtar does not detect a fault condition - in that case it won't do anything. If the OP's Xtar didn't do that, or if the OP didn't give the Xtar sufficient time to try to do that - toss the batteries. It's not worth the risk. (It may take several hours before an under voltage battery in the Xtar switches from a green status LED to red to indicate the normal charging cycle has begun.)

Bottom line: Do whatever it takes to prevent under voltage from happening to begin with.

 

[pjmarkert]

I believe that the longer it takes to bring a battery up to 3 volts with low current, the farther gone it is. I took 16 samsung ICR18650's out of a couple dead laptop batteries and charged them on a lab power supply at low current for about 2 minutes. They all came up to 3 volts from less than 0.5 volts in 2 minutes, indicating that there is probably no damage. They all stayed above 3V for the next week. I have now fully charged all of them and will start load testing them in a lab environment to see if recycling them is practical. Evidence has shown that a lot of the cheap batteries on ebay are recycled laptop batteries with new pvc shrink wrap on them. A lot of them had marks on the terminals from where welded connecting tabs were removed. Currently some recylers have reported that 80-90% of batteries removed from laptop battery packs are still good. One bad cell or a fried protection circuit will render a laptop battery pack dead.

 

[hazarada]

the moment you let a lithium battery drop below ~2.5v(depending on battery) they start eating themselves on the inside, you may be able to revive their use but the damage has been done and they now have an increased internal resistance which increases the amount of energy they waste and heat the battery while charging or discharging. That damage might not be enough to trigger a thermal runaway reaction right away or for even years of use but its a snowballing kind of damage and will worsen over time as you use the battery.