When to throw away a battery?

[kingdal]

Hi guys

How do i know when its time to throw away a battery? Any signs I should be looking out for?

Thanks in advance

 

[SirSteve]

I would guess when it stops holding a charge, I would pitch them if they get physically damaged, or if you subjected them to overcharging or a sudden discharge. Any really noticeable abnormality should be a sign that something is not right.

 

[Switched]

When they are spending more time on the charger than on your device or as Steve said when noticeable damage exists e.g a cracked or chipped outer casing.

As the chemical inside the battery gets depleted it no longer serves a useful purpose and becomes what is known as "rock content" or ions no longer capable of accepting a charge. Not only do you no longer have a large capacity to hold a charge think as rock content as plaque build up in your arteries = restricts the flow. Same is happening in the battery when under load. In turn, your battery will charge faster (less material to charge) but will not last as long under load for the same reason. A good battery should see you through a year, then it is time to start looking at replacing them. I number all my batteries for easy recognition of which one is aging faster than the others. e.g my #4 AW 18500 is just about toast.

 

[kingdal]

Thanks Guys!

 

[Bullette the Cowdog]

I am sooooo confused. Please help.

I have only had my REO for 6 months & my batteries same time.

I thought I was supposed to replace my AW IMR 18490s after 6 months no matter what.

Assuming no battery damage, what do you veterans recommend for replacement time?

 

[pizza2me]

I'm no expert, but would say same answers as above. I've had some around a hear and a half. They are now not holding a cabbage near as long. Got replacements on the way. I don't see how anybody could make a blanket statement of X months. I would think it depends on each individual batts usage.

 

[Bullette the Cowdog]

Thanks for the reply pizza

Looks like I misunderstood about batteries way back when I first got my REO. It is my first mod. So my first time with the real batteries.

Sounds like I'll be good for awhile now. I have 3 AW IMR 18490s that I've rotated & used 6 months, plus another 5 that are unused.

Enjoy your vape today.

PS. My batteries are still "holding a cabbage". LOL

 

[pizza2me]

Awe chit! Yup. once it drops that cabbage, time to let em go


Sounds like your set for a good long time bullette.

<dam spell ck>

 

[aarik]

Is there a rule of thumb for the number of charge cycles an AW battery will accept?

Saying it should last a year of use does not take I to account how many batteries are in rotation and how often each one gets actually charged.

I which there was a simple way of testing them for charge capacity.

 

[djezewski]

You could get a multimeter and test it I suppose

 

[WarHawk-AVG]

Is there a rule of thumb for the number of charge cycles an AW battery will accept?

Saying it should last a year of use does not take I to account how many batteries are in rotation and how often each one gets actually charged.

I which there was a simple way of testing them for charge capacity.

How to Prolong Lithium-based Batteries - Battery University

hope that helps

 

[Switched]

Is there a rule of thumb for the number of charge cycles an AW battery will accept?

Saying it should last a year of use does not take I to account how many batteries are in rotation and how often each one gets actually charged.

I which there was a simple way of testing them for charge capacity.

Specs for the 14500 IMR:

Nominal Voltage : 3.7V
Capacity : 600mAh
Lowest Discharge Voltage : 2.50V
Standard Charge :
CC/CV ( max. charging rate 1.5A )
Cycle Life : > 500 cycles
Max. continuous discharge rate : 4A
Operating Discharge Temperature : -10 - 60 Degree Celsius
Size : 14.07mm ( diameter ) x 48.80mm ( height ) +/- .1mm

Specs for the 18650 IMR:

Nominal Voltage : 3.7V
Capacity : 2000mAH
Lowest Discharge Voltage : 2.50V
Standard Charge : CC/CV ( max. charging rate 2A )
Charging Cycles : > 500 cycles
Max. continuous discharge rate : 10A
Operating Discharge Temperature : -10 - 60 Degree Celsius

They are all the same under normal operating conditions (read above link). That being said...

We say a year because there are many factors that come into play with them etc.... vaping sub Ohm coils etc, regardless if the battery can handle it or not, will shorten its overall life, a factor accepted as the price to pay for the vape I am achieving.

The other thing, charge cycles are not a given number perse, everytime you charge where the battery was not depleted completely may only count for lets say 2/3-3/4 of a complete charge. There is no accurate measurement available to the layman to determine the rock content of a battery during its use (molecules no longer capable of carrying a charge and adding to internal resistance). As internal resistance increases (due to rock content) so does rock content, and so on.

As rock content increases the battery's efficiency decreases, which in turn means: A less vaping time available and your battery is spending more time on the charger, whilst spending less time charging (ciomes of the charger sooner) because it doesn't have as many molecules to charge.

 

[pokerplaya]

My AW IMR batteries are rated for 500 charge cycles. I take a sharpie and write the month and year that I put that battery into service. Then when a year has passed, I will replace those batteries with new ones and "retire" the old ones. I figure that even if I charged them every day thats 365 charges...roughly. I have 4 that are dated 12/12 and two that are dated 6/13

 

[00gt1]

I would hope it goes without saying that you should never throw away one of these types of batteries. You should always recycle them properly. I hope that goes without saying but I didn't see it anywhere in the posts.

 

[Bullette the Cowdog]

@gt
Very good point. Thanks for bringing it to our attention. These batteries need RESPECT.

Vape on.

 

[JWM2]

I have batteries that have lasted me well over a year and some that only last a few months. You'll know when to discard a battery. The newer ones all seem to be much better than they were years ago. I remember when I first started with the 510 (2008) I used to buy batteries every time I ordered more atomizers. It was just the cost of vaping back then. Now they last for 6 months or longer and I can vape for half a day on one 1100mah battery, heh.

 

[niczgreat]

I have a more or less scientific way of handling this.

I own a Soshine SC-S7 single battery charger.

I put a battery that has been fully discharged in it. The charger sometimes will say. Bad Battery. So no Problem.Toss it.

It has a feature charging capacity indication. This feature is not exact, but it is a great indicator. If you discharge the battery to the maximum then put in the charger it will tell you the estimated MAH. If that figure is low, then I know it's time to throw away the battery.

If you have a Provari for example, you could use the battery until it shuts off. Then take a new battery with the same mah and use until shut off. Then you put both in the charger. If the one is substantially lower then the other you know it's time for a new battery.