This page contains many details, dispelled myths and facts on the care and maintenance of your Vapour Product (Electronic Cigarette) batteries. Most of this information has been extracted from the Battery University which is sponsored by Cadex Electronics Inc., a world-wide leader in battery and charger analysis. The rest is based on our knowledge and experience with vapour product usage.
The list of topics should address most concerns or questions as well as address “Do’s and Don’ts” for your batteries. The better you understand the equipment; the better satisfied you can be with the products. If however, you have additional questions about your battery that are not covered here, please let us know through our Contact Us page
1. Safety Concerns with Li-ion
Information Source: Battery University
Safety is a sensitive issue that gets much media and legal attention, especially with Li-ion batteries. Any energy storage device carries a risk, and in the 1800s steam engines exploded and people got hurt.
Lithium-ion has a high specific energy and even though safe, high usage by millions of consumers is bound to generate failures. In 2006, a one-in-200,000 breakdown triggered a recall of almost six million lithium-ion packs. Heat-related battery failures are taken very seriously, and manufacturers choose a conservative approach.
Li-ion using conventional metal oxides is nearing its theoretical limit on specific energy. Rather than optimizing runtime, battery makers are improving manufacturing methods to enhance safety and increase the calendar life. The real problem lies in rare occasions when an electrical short develops inside the cell. In such a case, the external protection peripherals are ineffective to stop the thermal runaway, once in progress.
A mild short will only cause elevated self-discharge and the heat buildup is minimal because the discharging power is very low. If, however, enough microscopic metallic particles converge on one spot, a sizable current begins to flow between the electrodes of the cell, and the spot heats up. Heat is always an enemy of the battery. When fully charged, elevated temperature causes a harmful reaction between the positive and negative electrodes and the electrolyte.
This thermal runaway that occurs is known as “venting with flame”. The preferred term by the battery industry is “Rapid disassembly”.
So what do you do with a device in Thermal Runaway? We are glad that you asked because this actually applies to ANY device (not just vapour product batteries) that contains a Li-ion battery.
- Immediately remove the device from proximity to flammable materials and bring it to a non-combustible surface
- If at all possible, put a disintegrating device outdoors and let it burn out
- If this occurs in an airplane, FAA tells flight attendants not to use fire extinguishers but specify water or pop (soda)
- Water cools the adjacent material and prevents the fire from spreading. Many research laboratories and factories also use water to put out battery fires.
- Allow good ventilation while the battery burns itself out
Summary: Now that you have had your safety briefing, let us assure you that the lithium-ion vapour product batteries are as safe as any other lithium-ion power device and that heat-related failures are rare.
2. Battery Memory
The short answer is: No, li-ion batteries do not have a “memory” meaning that you do not have to fully charge/discharge the battery to maintain capacity. There is much discussion on the topic of Battery having Memory but these batteries do not.
There is an excellent article at Battery University called Lithium-based Batteries that we encourage you to read. It contains a significant amount of information that we decided not summarize here. We thought it best that people read the entire article.
3. Perform shallow discharges
Instead of discharging to 0% all the time, lithium-ion batteries do best when you discharge them for a little bit, then charge them for a little bit. The table below, from Battery University, shows that discharges to 50% are better for your battery’s long-term life than, say, small discharges to 90% or large discharges to 0% (since the 50% discharges provide the best number of cycles-to-usage ratio).
| Depth of discharge | Discharge cycles |
Cycle life and depth of discharge A partial discharge reduces stress and prolongs battery life. Elevated temperature and high currents also affect cycle life. |
|
100% DoD 50% DoD 25% DoD 10% DoD |
500 1500 2500 4700 |
This may not be the case with ALL vapour product batteries and chargers but the standard that we have found is as follows:
- The battery discharges as we vape
- The light flashes indicating it needs to be charged
- Putting a volt meter on a flashing battery reads around 3.0V
- We put it on the charger and the charging light turns red
- After an hour or two, the charger light goes green
- When the light turns green, the battery is no longer charging
- The volt meter reads around 4.1V
- Rinse and repeat…
Effectively, we are performing a 25% discharge every time we perform that cycle. That means we should get around 2500 cycles per battery in a perfect world, which is GREAT news! Now honestly, I do not expect to ever get 2500 cycles out of a battery but it is good to know that just charging and using the battery through the normal cycle listed above is effectively getting a great life out of the battery.
4. Don’t leave it fully charged
Lithium-ion batteries don’t need to be charged all the way to 100%. In fact, the life expectancy is greatly improved if they do not remain fully charged for any length of time. A 40%-80% charged range is a good guideline. When possible, keep it in that range to prolong its life as long as you can.
Summary: If you charge it, use it at least for a little while.
5. Keep it cool
Most people overlook this one. The simple fact is that excess heat is not good for your battery and will significantly shorten its lifespan. See the table below (source Battery University) – a hot battery will degrade in health much quicker than a cool one.
|
Battery Temperature |
Permanent capacity loss when |
Permanent capacity loss when |
|
0°C/32°F |
2% loss, 1 year; 98% remaining |
6% loss, 1 year; 94% remaining |
|
25°C/77°F |
4% loss, 1 year; 96% remaining |
20% loss, 1 year; 80% remaining |
|
40°C/104°F |
15% loss, 1 year; 85% remaining |
35% loss, 1 year; 65% remaining |
|
60°C/140°F |
25% loss, 1 year 75%; remaining |
40% loss, 3 months |
Summary: We highly recommend, for example that you not leave your vapour product on your car dashboard or lying out in the sun at the cottage on the lake this summer. We also highly discourage baking your battery in an oven.
6. Charging at High and Low Temperatures
Rechargeable batteries operate in a wide temperature range but this does not give license to charge them at extreme temperatures. Extreme cold and high heat reduce charge acceptance, and the battery must be brought into moderate temperature conditions before charging.
| Battery Type | Charge Temperature | Charge Advisory |
| Li-ion | 0°C to 45°C (32°F to 113°F) |
No charge permitted below freezing (0°C/32°F). Good charge/discharge performance at higher temperature but shorter life. |
7. Charging from a USB Port
The Universal Serial Bus (USB) was introduced in 1996 and has since become one of the most widespread and convenient interfaces for electronic devices. The USB port is a bi-directional data port that provides a supply voltage to power memory sticks, keyboards, mice, wireless interfaces, cameras, MP3 players and chargers.
Most home computers now have USB ports accessible with 5V and 500mA of available current. The USB bus can charge a small single-cell Li-ion pack, but there is a danger of overloading the USB hub when attaching too many devices. Plugging in a charger that draws 500mA along with other devices will exceed the port’s current limit, leading to a voltage drop and a possible system failure. To prevent overload, some hosts include current-limiting circuits that shut down the supply when overdrawn. Another method is limiting the current of all attachments to 400mA to reserve 100mA for housekeeping.
Many vehicles now have USB Ports that come standard. Adapters are also available that convert the cigarette lighter in your vehicle to a USB port or even multiple USB ports. With these adapters however, you will need to be certain that it is rated with enough power (mA) to drive your charger device. An adapter rated for 500mA should suffice as a rule but you will want to check the sticker on your charger device.
Summary: You can charge your vapour product battery from a USB Port, but there are things to consider. Vapour product USB chargers will draw between 200-480mA, depending on the particular model. It will be printed on the charging device label. You must consider that the output of the USB may not be able to deliver enough power for the charge.
With that said, another consideration to be aware of is the version of USB device. Now, USB 1.0 has been around for a while (since 1996 as stated above) and it had an output limitation of 100mAh which will not be sufficient to charge your battery. USB 2.0 was released in April 2000 and more than likely any device that you are still using has at least USB 2.0, but it is worth checking before you try to charge your battery. USB 2.0 or higher is definitely what would be needed. On most electronic devices, it will specifically say USB 2.0 or “Hi-Speed” or “SuperSpeed” (for USB 3.0).
And finally, if you are going to use USB to charge your batteries, we highly recommend that you consider an externally powered USB Hub (remember USB 2.0 or higher). A USB Hub will have an external power adapter that plugs into a standard wall outlet. This will not only protect your computer’s USB but provide you with much more power available to spread across more than one port.
8. Recycle your Batteries
Lithium batteries contain metallic lithium that reacts violently when in contact with moisture and the batteries must be disposed of appropriately. If thrown in a landfill in a charged state, heavy equipment operating on top could crush the cases and the exposed lithium would cause a fire. Landfill fires are difficult to extinguish and can burn for years underground. Whenever possible, before recycling, apply a full discharge to consume the lithium content.
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