E-cigarette battery problems are a constant reminder that although the electronic cigarette is a wonderful device, it isn’t perfect. Whether it’s slowly or suddenly, all e-cigarette batteries eventually die, which is why I usually recommend against buying a starter kit with only one battery. If your e-cigarette battery isn’t working properly, your only recourse is usually to simply dispose of it. However, when some e-cigarette battery problems occur you may be able to revive the battery — or you may not have a battery problem at all. If either of these is the case, there may be some hope. Read more: Ultimate E-Cigarette Battery Safety Guide

E-Cigarette battery problems can occur because of liquid, corrosion and overuse.

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Why do E-Cigarette Battery Problems Occur?

Unsealed Battery Terminal

Many e-cigarette kits include automatic batteries. When you inhale, the battery turns on. This is usually accomplished through the use of a flexible membrane inside the battery. When air passes through, the membrane causes the battery terminal to touch the atomizer or cartomizer, turning it on and generating vapor. Usually, the membrane has a hole so puffs on the e-cigarette don’t feel tight and restricted. The downside of this is that e-liquid can sometimes run through the hole and short out the battery. This is especially common with dripping. If your e-cigarette has an automatic battery that fails suddenly, try placing it on a paper towel with the terminal facing down for a day or two. You may find that the battery begins working again after the e-liquid drains from it.

Charger Corrosion

Even if your e-cigarette battery has a sealed terminal, it may not be completely immune to the problems caused by leaking e-liquid. If you don’t clean your batteries before charging them, moisture on the terminal can eventually cause your charger to corrode. If this has already happened, you may be able to clean the corrosion and get your batteries to charge normally again. It’s far better, though, to prevent it from happening in the first place. Before charging an e-cigarette battery, push a paper towel into the threading to clean away any e-liquid that may have dripped through the atomizer or cartomizer.

Faulty Charging Case

I know of at least one e-cigarette brand that doesn’t include a standalone USB or wall charger. Instead, you have to charge the internal battery in a portable battery charging case, which you then use to charge your e-cigarette batteries. This creates a huge potential for battery problems because if the battery in the charging case fails, you’ll have nothing to charge your e-cigarette batteries with. If your e-cigarette works this way and all of your batteries appear to have failed suddenly, blame the charging case — not the batteries.

Limited Life

Although there’s no way to guarantee how long a lithium-ion battery will last, they’ll generally fail before they’ve been used 500 times. Now, suppose you have an e-cigarette kit with two batteries, and you recharge each battery twice every day. This means that both batteries are highly likely to fail within the first year. You can’t do anything about this — it’s simply a limitation of the technology. Your best bet is to plan ahead and buy a spare battery at least every couple of months. This way, you’ll have plenty of spares and can simply dispose of old batteries when they stop holding a charge.

According to Wikipedia, the lithium ion battery was first proposed by M. S. Whittingham — then an Exxon employee — in the 1970s. Because metallic lithium burns when exposed to air, only lithium compounds are used in lithium ion batteries. Nevertheless, lithium ion batteries do pose a potential safety issue in e-cigarettes and other devices because the contents are flammable and stored under pressure. Some companies sell battery charging bags as an extra measure of safety against explosions.