Optimal Battery Maintenance

[bcartervol98]

This is something I have been wondering about almost a year and never think of it to post and ask. I wonder if others wonder the same thing. With batteries, both 18650s and Ego style (Spinners, Evods, Std non VV Egos), is it bad for them to sit very long with a full charge?

The reason I ask is I have now amassed quite the collection of both. I have 6 18650s and as little as I use my Vamo anymore opting to use my Spinners and Evod VVs more I am using about 1 18650 per week. With my Ego batteries I have about a dozen and it seems like my 1300mah Spinners get used very rarely. There is one in my desk at work that hasn't been used in a couple months sitting with a full charge.

I seem to remember reading it was bad to do this so I have started a cycle of using all my batteries to put them at least through one charge-discharge cycle before recharging any of them.

Any info on this will be appreciated as always.

[Tam]

Good question, B. I'm rather interested in hearing the answers too.

[Bebop]

Actually I read somewhere (and this was months ago on a site re lith ion batts) that storing them with a charge is more optimal than not. And as I recall they actually hold their charge pretty well with only a tiny bit of fade. I'll see if I can find this again and I'll post it up.

[bcartervol98]

Actually I read somewhere (and this was months ago on a site re lith ion batts) that storing them with a charge is more optimal than not. And as I recall they actually hold their charge pretty well with only a tiny bit of fade. I'll see if I can find this again and I'll post it up.

Thanks Bebop. I was getting concerned because I haven't used some of my 1300mah Spinners in a few months and they have been stored with a full charge. It seemed like I remembered reading around 3.6v was the "storage voltage" recommended but that may have been 18650s

[joejoevapekins]

Storage Basics

Lithium ion batteries are sensitive to extremes of temperature, especially heat. When you are not using the battery it should be stored in a cool place. The storage area should also be dry and not in a bathroom or other area that tends to be damp. If you don't have a suitable location, lithium ion batteries can be placed in a sealed container and kept in a refrigerator (not a freezer). Avoid storing the batteries in areas that will be heated by sunlight or other heat sources. Finally, never place a lithium ion battery on a metal or other conductive surface. This will greatly increase the rate of self-discharge, draining the battery.

Long-Term Storage

If a lithium ion battery won't be used for a prolonged period (weeks or longer) it should be properly prepared for storage. Charge the battery to only 40 percent capacity. This keeps long-term capacity reduction to a minimum with limited self-discharge. You should recharge the battery to 40 percent every two or three months

[bcartervol98]

Thanks for that! Maybe the best thing for me would be to just use them all in rotation instead of letting them sit so long. I store them all in a large glass in my "Vape Gear" area so no metal. Its not a huge deal I just want to maximize their life.

Not really sure how to tell if an Ego style battery is charged to 40% though.

[Bebop]

"Self-discharge is a phenomenon in batteries in which internal chemical reactions reduce the stored charge of the battery without any connection between the electrodes. Self-discharge decreases the shelf-life of batteries and causes them to initially have less than a full charge when actually put to use.How fast self-discharge in a battery occurs is dependent on the type of battery, state of charge, charging current, ambient temperature and other factors. Typically, among rechargeable batteries,lithium-ion batteries suffer the least amount of self-discharge (around 23% discharge per month), while nickel-based batteries are more seriously affected by the phenomenon (nickel cadmium, 1520% per month; nickel metal hydride, 30% per month), with the exception of Low self-discharge NiMH batteries (2-3% per month).Primary batteries, which cannot be recharged between manufacturing and use, have much lower self-discharge rates.[citation needed] Self-discharge is a chemical reaction, just as closed-circuit discharge is, and tends to occur more quickly at higher temperatures. Storing batteries at lower temperatures thus reduces the rate of self-discharge and preserves the initial energy stored in the battery. Self-discharge is also thought to be reduced over time as a passivation layer develops on the electrodes."

I think your fine if you're talking months. The 40% figure is just to keep the battery above a minimum voltage. Once a lith ion batttery goes below a certain voltage it cannot be recharged. Our batteries have a circuit that shuts the battery down when it reaches a threshold. This prevents it from "over discharging".

And as joe joe has pointed out. Heat is the number one enemy of a lith ion.

[VIAWOL]

I'm very glad this topic is being discussed. This has been something that has been on my mind as well. I have 4 18650's but keep all in rotation. I use my Sony's in my mech and my AW's in my VTR. I figure that each one gets recharged at least once a week and I wasn't sure if that was good or bad. Another thing I wondered is how many cycles each battery had and how long before I had to worry about replacing them.

[Bebop]

Somewhere on the order of 250 - 300 full cycles.

So you should get anywhere from a little less than a year to as much as 2 depending on how you vape and you dont mistreat or let batteries heat up in a car or something

[Patricia]

I have 8 Vision 1300 Spinners that I rotate. I use 2 of them for a week alternating them, while one is charging I am using the other. At the end of the week I charge them fully then put them at the back of the line. It is a mystery to me that when it comes time to pull out the next 2 batteries in line for the upcoming week I will check them to make sure they are still fully charged and sometimes they are and sometimes they are not. Sometimes I have to charge one for several hours before it is fully charged again. I keep them in a cool place in the top of my closet so I don't understand why some do hold the charge and some do not. I bought all Vision Spinners and I have only had one that went completely dead in just a few months and that was using them as described above. I started rotating mine because it was advice from Jeff. He said it was not good to let batteries sit up unused for long periods of time.

[Dasfriek]

I'm an 18650 user mainly and I'm glad the rules of storage hasn't changed much over the years when ive been away and not paying attention.

To add to the suggestion part, I keep mine in an order so they stay rotated evenly and used equally.

I use a front too back order and use the first closest and the newest charged one goes to the back of the line.

[Joshuab3687]

I've got mine numbered, for rotation

[fishguy1123]

Date of purchase on them is good too.

[Aquatroy]

I usually buy two at a time, and rotate colors or brands, makes it easy.