Is it still safe to use? I only own two VTC5's and I really want to continue using it. It's very small and on the negative end, right on the edge. It doesn't heat up or do anything weird.
Slight dent in VTC5
- Thread starter windxrunner
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If anyone thinks it's not the same color as a VTC battery, it's because the battery sled on my homemade mod ripped the original wrap so I put a new one on it.
Even though it's a small dent, I wouldn't trust it. The force required to do that could have caused something to go wonky in the battery...and...well nobody want's a wonky battery.
I want to add that I'm not sure how this happened. I imagine it must have been dropped (I drop stuff a lot lol),,,it definitely has not been like, hit with a hammer or had something heavy fall on it or anything.
Given the safe chemistry of this battery, I can't imagine anything would go wrong without it heating up first, and them it would vent, not blow up, and not before the mod and battery became so hot I would get at least second degree burns. Honestly I'm going to continue to use it, I just needed to hear people's information. I realize a lot of people's reaction will be similar to TikPandora's: idk, wouldn't trust it,,,but does anyone actually know?
IMO there is no conclusive answer to this. The problem is there may be internal damage in that battery that could cause it to have an internal short pretty much at any time. An internal short is IMO the worst kind of short a battery can have.
So it may be just fine, or it may go into thermal runaway sometime because of this damage. The difference between a burn and an explosion is the speed of the burn. Internal shorts are nasty though and if any event will cause a fast burn in a otherwise safe battery it is a internal short.
Personally I would retire that battery because the risk is not worth it to me.
So it may be just fine, or it may go into thermal runaway sometime because of this damage. The difference between a burn and an explosion is the speed of the burn. Internal shorts are nasty though and if any event will cause a fast burn in a otherwise safe battery it is a internal short.
Personally I would retire that battery because the risk is not worth it to me.
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Well I'm too stubborn to retire one of only two VTC5's lol, I'll just tell you that right now. Especially because it is really much smaller than it looks in that photo. My iPhone camera couldn't pick it up close to the camera lens so I had to intentionally catch the light on it. It's much much smaller when it's physically in front of you. Anyway, that being said, I'm not too stupid to retire it as well. What are some signs that it definitely should be put away? Getting hot? Getting hot just in that spot? Thanks guys.
I'm stubborn too, so if it was me...I probably would keep using it as well. I was just trying to give good advice. XD
Basically if you are ever concerned about a battery, it should be retired. If it feels too hot, is acting weird, or just looks at you the wrong way...
Basically if you are ever concerned about a battery, it should be retired. If it feels too hot, is acting weird, or just looks at you the wrong way...
Ok, thanks. Sorry if it seemed like I was ragging on you, that wasn't my intention. I'm just going to monitor it more closely than my other ones. You know, like remove it every so often and check it out. If it gets hot all over in in that spot or deforms more, I'll discontinue use immediately. But I'm not really worried by this little dent at the moment. I basically posted in case someone said, "omg that's the most dangerous thing ever ur gonna die!"
Everybody here is going to recommend you discontinue use, but whether you do or not is truly up to you~ vape on!
The battery's construction consists of different layers of material. That dent has changed the spacing of those layers.
You may be fine. You may not.
That particular battery should not be trusted.
Edit:
I just can't help but add;
Omg, I can't believe it! I was only chain vaping my .09 build when my dented battery blew up!
You may be fine. You may not.
That particular battery should not be trusted.
Edit:
I just can't help but add;
Omg, I can't believe it! I was only chain vaping my .09 build when my dented battery blew up!
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I hear ya windxrunner. You know what I think the risk is. It's up to you to decide if it's worth it to you.
If it does develop an internal short I believe it will vent quite fast, probably before you have a chance to do anything about it. If any battery ever gets warm at low current draw for the battery there is a problem. All the 30 amp batteries that I know of get a bit warm when you draw more than around 20A from them, but that should be a slow heat buildup when vaping. It goes faster if you have a constant fire situation.
If I continued to use that one, I would make sure my mod had good venting in it and I would be more careful not charge it when I'm not around.
I'd toss it and buy a new one, on the basis that the $15 is cheaper than my time constantly checking a damaged battery every time i use it, charge it, recharge it, check it for further damage.....
I regard batteries as disposable items in the same fashion as coils and wicks.
T
I regard batteries as disposable items in the same fashion as coils and wicks.
T
IMHO, if you have to second guess it. It's not worth the chance of a battery venting or worse. If you are running double deck setups, you have to use 2 of the same age batteries also. If it was me, I would pick up a new one.
If you've got a multimeter, why not compare it in terms of charge, internal resistance and time to discharge, to another battery of the same type? That would let you know if the battery is still performing as an undamaged one.
Personally, I would relegate it to a flashlight and get another one, but then, I am slightly OCD!
Personally, I would relegate it to a flashlight and get another one, but then, I am slightly OCD!
I would buy another but there's pretty much nothing but fake VTC5's out right now. But how would I go about doing the tests on the multimeter? I have one, but have never gone that in depth with it.
Hey ryedan, I was looking for answers in other threads in this forum and found a post where you said you had some dented batteries that you still used at the time. How are those holding up? Do you still use them and have you noticed anything off with em? If you've noticed anything strange maybe I can "guinea pig" you so I know what to look for
Here is a thread about the one I recycled. It has a picture of the dent on the negative end. The damage was caused by dropping the mod on the switch end.
Not long after that I realized I had another battery that had an identical dent but it was about half as deep, 0.15mm, 0.006". I continued using that one and ten months later it has not changed in any way compared to the others I bought at the same time.
Here's a diagram of what is inside one of these batteries. If the anode and cathode make contact you have an internal short and it will vent quickly with a lot of heat.
IMO if any of the insulators are damaged the battery will likely give no warning until it shorts and vents.
Probably doesn't help you much, but it's all I've got.
On another note, there is nothing magic about the VTC5s. The VTC4 is also rated 30A and may have a bit less voltage drop when it's pushed hard than the VTC5. The Samsung 25R is rated at 20A, but it's a bit better at 20A compared to the VTC4. The LG HE2 is also no slouch at 20A. All these batteries are available now at reasonable prices.
Thank you, that helped a lot actually! I'm as positive as I can be that there is no danger in this battery, just from all the info I've received and looking at the dent itself. And I agree that there's nothing special with VTC5's, but I like them. I own VTC4's, 25R's and LG HE2's, as well, and they are all great batteries. It's not so much better performance as just a personal preference. I just love VTC5's, with their 30A limit, safe chemistry, and higher mAh than any other battery I own. Plus they are pretty much impossible to replace at the moment, so I would like to hold onto the ones I've got.
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