Degassing of batteries: understand the causes to better avoid it!
It sometimes happens that the media publish shocking information about batteries that have exploded and injured their owners during the so-called explosion. More rarely, do we hear of burnt users following the degassing of a battery, although this is nevertheless a more probable risk, less spectacular… In both cases, these events are not very reassuring when it suffices simple precautionary measures to never see this kind of problem happen! Thus, a few tips will allow you to choose the batteries best suited to the use you wish to make of them and a few basic safety rules will allow you to use your batteries without risk, but also to extend their lifespan. Let’s go, Taklope tells you all about the subject and gives you good practice on a plate!
Choosing the right battery
1: Check compatibility
When looking for a battery for your equipment, it may seem difficult to find your way around. Of course, in the first place, it will be necessary to choose a battery compatible with its equipment, according to its size. On Taklope.com you will find 16340, 18650, 20700, 21700 or 26650 batteries. The first two digits indicate the diameter of the battery in mm, and the next two digits indicate the length of the battery in mm. The bigger the battery, the greater its autonomy, so the less often you will have to recharge it. You will find battery life written as a mAh value, ranging from 500 to over 4200mAh. 1mAh corresponds in fact to the quantity of electricity traversing a section of a driver by a current of an intensity of 1milliAmpère during 1 hour.
2: Prioritize stable chemistry (IMR)
Batteries are classified according to their particular chemistries. To put it simply, be aware that batteries that contain Cobalt (ICR or hybrid batteries) are those with the most unstable chemistry and at risk of explosion in the event of misuse, and are therefore not the most recommended for this same reason. ! Some of these batteries can, however, be coupled with an electronic protection circuit placed on the negative pole of the battery to cut them in the event of a short circuit, high current (charge) or deep discharge, overload and overheated. Their negative point remains that the electronic circuit increases their size by a few millimetres, which sometimes makes them too large to be compatible with many mods. Their advantage: a long service life, between 300 and 500 charging cycles.
Batteries that contain Manganese (IMR) are on the other hand much more stable in their chemical composition and do not require an added electronic circuit to be secure! However, in the event of improper use, degassing or even a risk of flame could occur, hence the importance of respecting a few rules of use despite everything! By degassing a battery, it releases acid vapour at a temperature above 100°C… You might as well take the right precautions to never see this happen! In terms of life, you can count on 300 charging cycles.
Finally, the most stable batteries in their composition are the IFR batteries (LiFePo4) containing iron phosphate, which only present a simple release of heat in the event of a problem, allow up to 8000 charge/discharge cycles, but have a lower nominal voltage, which means that they are not used the most.
The batteries most recommended and used with mechanical and electronic mods are therefore those that contain Manganese (IMR), because they are the ones that combine stable chemistry and a high nominal voltage, but also because they offer the strongest Maximum Continuous Discharge Current (CDM). What is that? Don’t panic, we’ll explain!
3: Opt for a CDM adapted to your hardware
The Maximum Continuous Discharge Current (CDM) is an essential technical data to look for on a battery, which indicates the maximum discharge intensity in Ampere (A) that a battery can withstand while avoiding the risk of overheating and therefore also of degassing. Depending on the resistance you use, the battery will be required to have an electric current intensity to heat it. This intensity should never exceed the capacity of the battery if you want to avoid ending up burned or crippled!
A calculation rule exists to take no risk depending on its material and the value of its resistance: CDM > U (voltage of the battery in Volt) / R (value of the resistance in ohm), which means that the CDM must always be greater than the ratio of voltage to resistance.
So, if for example, you are looking at a battery that has a voltage of 3.7V and the resistance you want to use at a value of 0.8ohm, you will have to make sure that its CDM is at least 3.7/0.8, which gives for result 4.63, or 4.63A before buying it! To simplify the matter, even more, tell yourself that the more you vape at high power on a mechanical or electronic mod with low resistance, the more you will strain your battery(ies), and the more important it will be to choose a battery with very high CDM. raised! As a logical consequence, the higher the value of the Maximum Continuous Discharge Current of your battery, the less risk you will run, whatever your equipment!
Bad habits to banish
1: start using your battery with a very low resistance
To establish a beautiful and long friendship with a battery, go to meet him gently! To do this, observe how the battery reacts in your mod and how it heats up, with a resistance of medium value, and only gradually lower the value of the resistance by monitoring the heating of the battery to make sure that it does not there is no problem even with low resistances.
2: leave your battery loose, in contact with metal objects
Pockets and purses can be more dangerous than you think! Because everything and anything is often left there, and very often metal objects such as keys or coins, for example, it is extremely dangerous to place a battery there without protection! On simple contact with metal, a short-circuit can indeed occur, which would result in degassing of the battery which could lead to serious material damage or even a serious accident!
To avoid encountering this kind of situation, make sure you always place your batteries in storage boxes specifically designed for this purpose, keeping your batteries well separated from each other, or in a silicone case if you want to take a battery in a pocket (but still remove your keys, it’s safer!).
3: incorrectly locking your mod out of any use
Users of mechanical mods should be particularly vigilant on this point as well! Admit that it would still be a shame to see your battery degas in your pocket because you forgot to lock the fire button! Users of electronic mods can be more serene on this point since these mods are generally designed to automatically cut the circuit after a certain number of seconds. This does not prevent you from locking your device anyway or at least verifying that the device has turned off on its own after these famous seconds.
4: leave your batteries in your mod, even off, unattended
It is best never to leave your batteries unattended. All it takes is an unfortunate shock, unplanned exposure to the sun, or any heating to risk degassing! So, in the same way, when you are not using your box, do not leave your batteries in it, even if it is switched off as a precaution.
5: still use a slightly damaged battery
If your battery has been left in extreme temperature conditions (hot/cold) for too long, for example in a car in direct sunlight, or if it has been in contact with liquid or if it has been knocked and is slightly deformed, it is not even worth imagining to use it! It should be changed before an accident
If the heat-shrink sheath (wrap) of your battery is damaged, even if it is only a little torn, there again the same fight, we do not use it! On the other hand, no need to separate yourself from it in this case, it will be enough simply to redo the wrap of your battery very cleanly and to indicate on a label the characteristics of the battery for the next uses, just to always have access to it in if needed. Plus, it costs next to nothing!
6: not being vigilant for recharging, especially when using dual battery equipment
Waiting for your batteries to be empty to put them back in charge is a practice that will cause your batteries to lose autonomy, but which will also make them less secure as you go! Don’t wait too long to get them loaded.
Moreover, for recharging, even if you have a USB charging box, prefer the use of a battery charger. Certain box models are certainly designed to distribute the load well when there are several batteries to charge, but not all of them do it, and above all, during charging, the box heats up, which is not good for the chipset. . In short, we can never say it enough, the battery charger is good when it is used well of course. Using a charger adapted to your batteries will be the most secure way to obtain an optimal and well-distributed charge between your batteries. On the other hand, be careful not to leave your batteries unattended for long periods, for example overnight, at the risk of the charger heating up and causing a risk of fire.
If you use a box that works with several batteries, you will have to use the same batteries, of the same brand, with an approximately equivalent number of charge and discharge cycles. And if one of your batteries shows a sign of weakness, know that you will have to replace the whole set of batteries to avoid disasters! It does not matter whether you have a box with a battery assembly in series (the two in a row) or in parallel (the two side-by-side, which is rare on the market), a difference in charge between the two batteries could lead to gassing!
7: handle your battery by the poles
Touching the poles with your fingers can cause oxidation of the pole contacts by electric flashes, which manifests itself by the appearance of “black spots” and which leads to the creation of additional resistance in the circuit. In this case, no need to try to make them disappear or use your battery despite that! Rest assured, there is a simple method to avoid the appearance of these “black spots”: hold your batteries only by their plastic protective sheath and be sure to maintain your equipment regularly by cleaning the contacts of the batteries and your mod!
8: exceed the CDM of a battery
As explained above, it is not for nothing that it is mentioned on the battery of its CDM: you should never exceed it otherwise you will incur big trouble. Be aware that the smaller a battery, the lower its autonomy but also its CDM. Therefore, small size batteries (like the 18350 for example) are not suitable for use with high currents and low resistances. If you do not want to go with the back of the spoon, you will need powerful batteries otherwise they will not support it.
And here you are, vaping friends, you are now armed with good practices to pamper your batteries and avoid any risk of degassing! Do not hesitate to click on More advice if you are currently looking for a battery for your box and on Batteries to find our models for sale on the site!