If you are reading this, you are interested in battery safety, fantastic! Depending on what you use, vaping can be the easiest thing in the world, simply fill up, charge and away you go. We have heard the announcement of how much safer vaping is and 99% of you out there will never encounter a problem, save for a device reaching the end of its shelf life or a coil burning out unexpectedly. There is one risk factor in vaping through: batteries – which is completely avoidable if you take some care and follow this advice. It may not be something you ever consider but have a read and familiarize yourself with how to take care of your batteries to ensure you still get the same brilliant experience since switching to vaping.
What are batteries?
Vape mod batteries are lithium ion batteries, similar to the batteries that are used in your other electronics. The major difference lies in the amount of power produced by these batteries and how it is used. In your cellphone or laptop computer, a lithium ion battery is used to give you enough power to connect to the internet or turn on your screen, but even under the most demanding functions, the battery is designed to discharge relatively slowly.
By contrast, a vaporizer needs to create a lot of power in short bursts to heat up the coils. The lithium ion batteries inside of a vaporizer are designed specifically for high-drain usage, and instead of being used to power a controlled, enclosed system of diodes or pixels, all of that power is dumped into an open, exposed coil. It takes a lot of power to heat up an open coil to the point where it can vaporize e-liquid in an instant. That’s where things become a little risky.
So now that you understand why lithium battery safety is important and why it applies specifically to vape mods, it’s time to look at ways that you can keep yourself and those around you safe.
Here is a list of things you should do to avoid dangerous battery situations.
- Always store batteries in a battery case.
- Never expose batteries to heat or extreme temperatures.
- Never use a battery, charger, or device that is not in perfect working order or has any signs of damage.
- We recommend always using an external charger.
- Only buy batteries from a known, trusted vendor of genuine batteries.
- Look for safety specifications / warnings and use as prescribed by the manufacturer
- Always follow safety guidelines, stringently.
GUIDELINES:
Charging:
- Always use a charger made to charge the types of batteries being charged.
- Double check that the settings for the charger are correct for the batteries being charged.
- Ensure that the charging leads are correctly connected.
- Always charge lithium-ion batteries on surfaces that will not catch on fire such as cement, steel, ceramic, or stone. Wooden tables and carpeted floors are not recommended charging surfaces.
- Do not charge batteries near flammable products or liquids.
- Never charge batteries in a place where excess heat will not be able to escape, e.g., under a pillow, under bed sheets or duvets, on top of piles of clothes, etc.
Handling & Storage:
- Keep lithium-ion batteries WELL out of reach of children.
- Do not put loose batteries in pockets or bags where they can short circuit.
- Do not store or transport batteries where they can come into contact with sharp or metallic objects.
- Do not store your lithium-ion batteries in extreme temperatures, i.e., below 0 0C or above 50 0C.
- Do not immerse batteries in water or allow the battery to get wet.
- Do not dispose of batteries in fire or heat.
- Do not store batteries in a vehicle.
Disposing of batteries:
- Never throw your battery in the trash! Please recycle it or bring it to a hazardous waste disposal site.
- Many electronics or home improvement stores and vape shops will accept your batteries for recycling.
BATTERY CARE ADVICE:
Using your batteries in pairs
Batteries should always remain in pairs. Therefore if the device is a dual-battery device, there should be a pair of batteries that are always used together - not 3 batteries alternating.
Replacing your Lithium battery
It is time to replace your battery when you experience any one of the following indicators: physical damage, dents or deep scrapes, leaking fluid or an unusual smell, rust / rust spots, swelling or changes to shape, earlier and more frequent “low battery” alerts, battery warming up during charging, noticeable decline in vapor intensity and length before needing to recharge, if the battery discharges below 2.0V for a long period of time or if your charger will no longer reach 4.20V before stopping.
Dont Discharge to Zero
Lithium ion batteries operate in a very specific window. If you discharge your battery beyond the operating range that it was built for, you could damage the internal structures of the battery itself. In some cases this means that it simply won’t hold as much charge the next time you try to use it, but in other cases it could be far more dangerous. Most modern devices have cutoffs set to shut your device down and give you warnings as your battery is draining to this threshold, but if you happen to be using a mechanical mod or a device without safety cutoffs, don’t ever risk this.
Charge your batteries safely
Some devices offer on-board charging meaning you can charge the batteries within the device itself. Check to see if your device offers this as some devices have USB inputs purely for firmware updates only, not charging. Attempting to charge through firmware update ports can damage your device. We highly recommend purchasing an external battery charger regardless of whether your device can be charged internally. A dedicated battery charge is not only safer and more convenient but it also extends the life of both your batteries and your device by putting less stress on them.
Check your batteries for damage regularly
Your batteries must be kept in perfect condition. Any battery that has damage to the body itself (dents, scratches, marks on the metal) should be safely disposed or replaced.
Batteries always have a wrap on them. An unwrapped battery will be silver in colour (metal) and is EXTREMELY dangerous - a battery should NEVER be used if it does not have a wrap on it. Battery wraps are there to protect the battery from short-circuiting. The battery wrap should always be free of damage. Any small nick, mark or scratch on the battery wrap means you should no longer continue to use this battery and the wrap should be replaced. It is extremely important to keep the isolator ring on the positive end (usually a little black or white O-ring that goes on the top of the battery).
Use a battery case
If you are travelling with your batteries we highly recommend using a battery case to keep your batteries safe. The worst possible thing is to put loose batteries in your pocket with things like keys which, if angled in the wrong position, can cause your battery to short and potentially vent in your pocket! Battery cases ensure your batteries are held in a position where they are safe.
Buy quality batteries
Look out for brands such as SONY (VTC range), Samsung and LG, as these are reputable brands and their batteries are great. Efest is a brand to watch out for as they often overstate the capacity and/or amps on the outside of the battery. We stock Molicel batteries as we have ensured these are safe to use in the mods we stock. Treat any unknown brand or any battery with unusually high capacity/amps with caution, as it is likely, they are poor quality and/or have been intentionally mislabelled.
This information is supplied and recommended by all major
Vape suppliers and vendors.