Overcharged battery

[Racehorse]

I was not aware I could over charge a battery and left a 18650 on the charger all night. It charged to 4.6 v. How can I drain it back down or is it unsafe to do so? My Vamo will not work with the battery this high.

That is why there are stickies all over this forum about battery safety. No matter how many are posted, it never seems like enough.

buy the best batteries, buy the best charger because they have overcharging protection, and NEVER NEVER NEVER leave a lithium battery unattended, while sleeping, out shopping, etc. on a charger.

This can't be said enough.

Personally, I would toss that battery. The health of any battery that has been overcharged, and/or over depleted, is questionable.

So is the charger that charged it.

But good for you for posting, and also for getting a better charger, and generally being on your way to a more safety conscious vaping style in general.

 

[Tag623]

I'd definitely dispose of the battery. Not worth taking a chance!

 

[Bill's Magic Vapor]

I've got the Nitecore I4. What bag are you using?

It's an Efest charging bag, and, as I recall, cost about $8.00 or so. It's large and will easily fit an I4 charger, but you need the room to get the charger in and out easy. Got from RTD Vapor. Well worth the peace of mind. I know a lot of vapers leave their chargers on their stove tops. Bags relieve me from that.

 

[zarach]

Toss the battery and get an intellicharger

 

[Bill's Magic Vapor]

I've seen this mentioned in this thread so I am going to tack on a related question.

I use the EH IMR's from Madvapes, Are these unsafe? They are red jacketed like the AW, but a different brand, while I have not had any problems with the multitude of them that I have, if I am using something unsafe it would be nice to know

Link to batteries:
IMR 18650, LiMn 2000mAh Battery, Flat Top

I've used those batteries in the past and had no issues with them. However, over time you realize that you want the best batteries, and not the second best batteries, for safety reasons. I strongly suggest everyone read about lithium manganese and lithium cobalt batteries at Battery University. Once you understand that quality is different even in similar batteries, and the problems that can arise in a failure, I gave my EH batts, like you have, to others for their first APV's, not that they are unsafe, they are just not perhaps, as-safe, or rather, not as good of quality control is used in testing them off the line. In my world, there is no room for second best batteries. AW, MNKE and Panasonic IMR's is all I will ever use, based on the current market options.

 

[Recon Number 54]

While not as inherently dangerous/risk-prone as handloading ammunition, batteries are (just like ammunition) a "container of stored energy" and should be treated with due caution and respect for their potential to release that energy in an unintended or uncontrolled way.

Of course there are many things like that in life. Hell, something as mundane as a pot of beans on the stove if not given the appropriate care and attention can lead to disaster.

Being aware, informed and conscientious of "what we are doing" when working with nearly ANY tool is part of being a responsible operator. I am glad that we have discussions like this, because I believe that there are lurkers/readers who may not post, but when they read, they walk away more aware and better educated as to this important safety topic. Double thanks to those who share their personal "close calls" and even true disasters, because it helps illustrate the seriousness of the matter.

 

[Katya]

Yes, the first charger I bought (before returning it for a Nitecore I2) was an Xtar and I really didn't care much for the Hot terminals on it. They don't line up unless you juggle the battery around to fit. I like the Nitecore design because the batteries line up perfectly.

Xtar is a great charger, but when I figured out that I would need 5 spacers to charge my 18350s, I chose the Nitecore. BTW, the Xtar only comes with 4 spacers...

 

[Katya]

Thanks for posting this. I will be buying my first AW batteries from RTD Vapor. Looks like they do have some nice prices on them!

They are good people.

 

[DruidPriest]

I have worked building custom battery packs. A 3.7 v battery fully charged will always be over 3.7 volts. 4.2-4.5 is normal. Its the same way with cell phone batteries and cordless drill batteries. Charge one up then test the voltage you'll see.

DruidPriest
Vaping on and off for years. Coffin Nail free since 9/30/13 now Free

 

[Katya]

Good decision. The Efest batteries are Ok. I have a couple and they've given me no trouble.

Out of curiosity, does your existing charger have a label on the back? If so, can you read the output? It should be expressed in "ma" (milliamps).

"Output current: 375mA × 4 / 750mA × 2"

http://www.nitecore.com/productDetail.aspx?id=18

 

[Pirate_Freder]

While not as inherently dangerous/risk-prone as handloading ammunition, batteries are (just like ammunition) a "container of stored energy" and should be treated with due caution and respect for their potential to release that energy in an unintended or uncontrolled way.

Of course there are many things like that in life. Hell, something as mundane as a pot of beans on the stove if not given the appropriate care and attention can lead to disaster.

Being aware, informed and conscientious of "what we are doing" when working with nearly ANY tool is part of being a responsible operator. I am glad that we have discussions like this, because I believe that there are lurkers/readers who may not post, but when they read, they walk away more aware and better educated as to this important safety topic. Double thanks to those who share their personal "close calls" and even true disasters, because it helps illustrate the seriousness of the matter.

Lol right off the bat with the reloading the gears started turning and as soon as I saw "pot of beans" I knew you had to be from Texas...*looks to the left* Yep. The town I live in is basically an extension of Texas. Anywho, too true, I used to lurk here and gleaned an unfathomable amount information from it. Can't imagine how much I'm gonna learn being an active member now.