The Dangers of Modding On A Close To Dead Battery
Why You Shouldn't Over-Drain Your Mech Mod's Battery
Most vapers who turn to mechanical mods use coil builds with low resistance ohm ratings and it becomes a high power drain usage of the battery that they use. Learning the limits of your battery and its relationship with your mechanical mod is important because mech mods put a lot of strain on the battery that is being used.
If the user doesn’t realize the relationship between the ohm rating of their coils in comparison to what their battery can handle, it can cause the battery to fail prematurely. That is why it is important for the vaper to keep tabs on the voltage that is left in their battery when they are vaping because over-draining a battery is just as bad as over-charging it.
Learn more about Ohm's Law & Mech Mod Battery Safety
The general rule is to stay within at least 20% of your battery’s capacity and to not get close (as in more than 20%) to its safety limit.
If you want to put it into perspective the results of using a battery that is almost dead; imagine plugging many electrical devices into one outlet in your house, if you turn all of the items on at the same time, the circuit overloads and will blow a fuse in your house. Now imagine stressing the battery that is in your mech mod, it is a small powerhouse that is being overstressed and one that you are holding your hand.
Overcharging and over-discharging are the two main culprits of battery failure. Keep within the safety parameters of your batteries’ capabilities by not draining them below their minimum voltage or allowing them to become overcharged.
Regulated devices like the LAVATUBE 3 have smart circuitry like the DNA 40 chip, which guards against low battery drain, in turn not allowing the user to vape any longer if the battery’s power is too low.
But if you are vaping with a mechanical mod that does not have built in circuitry or a regulating chip for protection it is up to you to monitor the condition of your battery and learn the rate that it is being discharged, as an over-discharge of a battery can cause a hard short, which can quickly lead to thermal runaway (battery venting).
How to Prevent Over-Discharge of A Battery
Get to know your mechanical mod as overtime you will begin to familiarize yourself with its vapor production. Most vapers will simply know when it is time to change out their batteries due to the fact that their mod begins producing much less vapor
But until you get used to the voltage / vapor drop on your device while you are vaping, a multimeter will definitely be a useful tool to have in your vape kit.
Learn how to properly use a multimeter
When fully charged, most lithium-ion batteries will have a charge rating of 4.2 volts. This voltage level will drop steadily as you use the battery. For the best and safest vape, it is recommended that you switch out your battery for a new one if the voltage on your battery reads 3.6 volts on the multimeter or even as soon as you notice a noticeable drop in your device’s vapor production.
Some high quality batteries can be used all the way down to 3.3 volts (read your battery manufacturer’s labels before assuming your batteries can handle this low), but it is much safer to pop in a new battery when you hit 3.6 volts. Also the vapor production will already be much less by the time it reaches 3.6 volts anyway, so it is much better to just switch out for a new battery.
Mod Battery Safety Reminders:
- Make sure that the batteries that you use are always high quality batteries bought from reputable manufacturers.
Check out the high drain 18650 & 26650 LAVACELL Batteries
- Consider purchasing a multimeter so you can check the voltage of the batteries that you are using in your mod until you become more familiar with the voltage and vapor drop of your device.
- Remove your battery from your mod when you are not using it.
- When on the go make sure you keep your batteries safely stored in a silicone case or hard case to prevent them from coming into contact with metallic items that you have in your pockets or bag.
Check out the 18650 Battery Silicone Case & 26650 Battery Hard Case