In light of recent horror stories about vape battery explosions, it’s still possible for you to enjoy vaping while prioritizing your safety.
According to Battery University, battery explosions are exceedingly rare, occurring about once per ten million times. The good news is that they are preventable.
What you should and should not do to ensure the safety of your vape battery is covered in this Vaping battery safety tips article.
Article Summary
- The Vaping Battery – Are vape batteries safe?
- Tips for Ensuring your Vaping Battery Safety
- Can a vape battery catch on fire?
- Why do vape batteries need to be wrapped?
- How to know if a vape battery is bad
The Vaping Battery – Are vape batteries safe?
A battery for a vaporizer is very similar to the battery in your mobile phone. Vape batteries are available in a wide range of sizes and shapes. Most use lithium-ion chemistries, which offer tremendous power and are also used in tablets, laptops, medical devices, and tablets.
Vape devices aren’t any different from other electronic devices because explosions or flames are always possible. On the other hand, cell phone batteries use lithium ions that are specially created to fit the demands of the device, which sets them apart from vape batteries.
The fact that many vaporizer batteries are not “manufacturer authorized” causes them to operate somewhat differently. Vapers are increasingly customizing their devices to generate more power and larger vape clouds by selecting their own batteries and other components. As a result, many vapers who lack the necessary expertise are in danger. Explosions can also be linked to improper use, materials purchased on a budget, and low-quality equipment.
Tips For Ensuring Vaping Battery Safety
Batteries for vape devices are different from regular AA or AAA batteries. Battery-powered regulated mods use far more powerful 18650s or 20700s, which need to be handled with care. Here are our top 5 vaping battery safety tips.
Keep the battery wraps intact
The vape batteries’ wrapping protects from metal-to-metal contacts, which can result in malfunctions and even explosions. Always ensure the battery wrappers are in excellent shape before putting them into your vape. Examine each side, carefully examining the areas towards the top and bottom of your vape battery. It must be re-wrapped if the wrapper has a tear or nick. You can re-wrap your batteries for free at most local vape shops, or you may do it yourself.
Use battery cases
Always keep spare batteries in the appropriate battery cases when traveling with them. They must never be abandoned carelessly in bags or pockets. Batteries can short-circuit and explode if improperly stored and come in contact with other metal objects or batteries in the pocket.
Use a dedicated charger
Nowadays, many mods have charging connectors built right into the body. However, a specialized battery charger is preferable if your batteries are removable. Your batteries may be charged effectively with simple battery chargers. Chargers with more features offer extras like health monitoring and battery data.
Make use of married batteries
Always marry each battery that matches when using a mod that needs more than one battery. If your device, for instance, requires two batteries, keep the two together and simultaneously charge them. This helps reduce the likelihood of capacity and performance imbalance by keeping them charging and discharging at the same pace.
If your vape’s batteries become damaged or wet, replace them
Finally, as with your vape batteries, everyone knows water and electronics don’t mix well. A damaged or moist battery has a far higher likelihood of malfunctioning and exploding. Your batteries should be thrown out immediately and replaced with new ones if you see any dents or scratches or suspect they may have become wet.
Can a vape battery catch on fire?
A vape battery can overheat to a runaway temperature, whether it is in your pocket, a mod device, or a battery charger. When a lithium-based battery becomes overheated, a chemical process starts inside it. This reaction lasts until an explosion or a large fire occurs.
While a vape battery fire is harmful in and of itself, significant physical harm can result if the battery explodes in your pocket or, even worse, in your mouth. To avoid a fire or an explosion, dispose of your battery securely and quickly if it has been damaged or overheated. A damaged battery must be thrown away and never used again; you can’t wait for it to cool down before using it again safely.
Why do vape batteries need to be wrapped?
Some batteries are usually wrapped for a straightforward reason. A spark could result if a battery’s positive pin and edge ever make contact with metal simultaneously. And how about that? It might, at worst, result in an explosion or a fire. Therefore, the wrapping is the last line of defense against the worst, though highly unlikely, scenario from occurring. Please note that if a battery’s wrapping is destroyed and you continue using it, you are taking this same risk. Without a doubt, you must inspect the battery wrapping frequently—in fact, more often.
How are batteries that are wrapped damaged?
Wear and tear is the foremost reason for cracked or damaged battery wrapping on e-cigarettes. Likely, the wrapping will degrade with use, peeling and cracking away from the top and bottom of the battery. However, the decay of the wrapping due to improper battery handling should only happen if you’re careful with how you store, hold and insert your batteries into your device. In addition, you might easily indent or scratch the wraps, which will require replacement.
How to know if a vape battery is bad
When you constantly observe that your vape battery no longer lasts as long as when you initially started using it while vaping at around the same wattage, it is probably time to get a new one.
When recharging or being used, a vape battery may become hotter than usual, indicating that it needs to be replaced. Also, you still need to change your coil resistance or power settings.
Suppose your device repeatedly displays “low battery” even after slightly increasing the wattage. In that case, it is another sign that your vape battery needs to be replaced.
Lesser hits
Lesser hits are also another sign of a failing battery. Finally, underwhelming hits happen when a storm is getting close to its end of life; it will still be functional but unable to heat things properly.
Battery cell cannot reach 4.2V
Another sign that it’s time for a replacement is if you use an external charger to charge your mod battery and the cell cannot reach 4.2V. However, before you buy a new one, try switching the charger bays first. Yes, it is safe to charge your vape batteries with external chargers. In actuality, they frequently do a good job of protecting battery life.
A battery that leaks fluid or vents
Furthermore, a battery that leaks fluid or vents even slightly is a sure sign that something is wrong. For example, a leaking battery might overheat, resulting in a thermal runaway or explosion.
No vaper wants this.
Key Takeaways
A bad battery can ruin your daily vaping experience because it won’t be able to power your vape as it should.
Suppose your vape device exhibits any of these signs. In that case, it is essential to replace the battery immediately because failure will compromise more than just your vaping experience.
If ignored, these problems could eventually worsen and affect the vaporizer itself, costing you extra money because you would have to replace it.
Even worse, it might be a health risk that could have unfavorable physical effects, which is one of the dangers of vape pens if not correctly cared for.
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