I have a 1000wh unit with a Lithium Ion battery that was, through unforeseen circumstances, left in a vehicle at a temperature between 20 and 30 degrees fahrenheit for a period of about 6 days. No buttons work and the readout doesn't light up unless I plug it in, and then the readout says 0% among other things, but it's flashing so I don't know if that is a genuine 0% or just the panel flashing because it got too cold. It had 86% charge before it was left in the cold. Does cold cause the battery to drain to zero? Should I plug it in right away, or wait till it gets warmer (I've taken it inside and wrapped it in a heating pad on low)? Or does it not matter because it's basically fried?
What Exactly Happens When a Lithium Ion Power Unit is Exposed to Cold?
- Thread starter Mary
- Start date
MichaelK
Solar Wizard
Attempting to charge a below freezing li battery can result in permanent damage resulting in irreversiable loss of capacity. Do not attempt to charge it till it has fully warmed to room temperature. Don't assume the battery core is at room temperature because you laid a hand on the casing and it feels OK. I'd give it at least 24hr before attempting a charge cycle.
Thank you!
I'm thinking not a lot of people are going to be on here, since it's New Year's Eve, but what the heck...
Here is a video of what my unit is doing right now. It was left in the cold, as stated earlier in the thread, and it's been about 36 hours since it's been inside at a normal temperature. I briefly plugged it in and it was flashing like in the video, only it read 0% instead of 87%. An hour later, when I plug it in briefly, it still flashes, but says it is 87% charged. Nothing turns on, but the buttons for 110, 12v, and USB all light up. I only plugged it in long enough to shoot this, and I was feeling more optimistic, actually, when it was flashing zero, because I guess it made sense to me it would flash if it was at zero. Flashing while reading 87% seems a little weirder. What do you think?
Here is a video of what my unit is doing right now. It was left in the cold, as stated earlier in the thread, and it's been about 36 hours since it's been inside at a normal temperature. I briefly plugged it in and it was flashing like in the video, only it read 0% instead of 87%. An hour later, when I plug it in briefly, it still flashes, but says it is 87% charged. Nothing turns on, but the buttons for 110, 12v, and USB all light up. I only plugged it in long enough to shoot this, and I was feeling more optimistic, actually, when it was flashing zero, because I guess it made sense to me it would flash if it was at zero. Flashing while reading 87% seems a little weirder. What do you think?
Sillyputty
Solar Enthusiast
- Joined
- Jul 21, 2020
- Messages
- 188
Hi Mary - We need more information.
1) What is the specific make and model number of your 'battery' (power supply? generator?)
2) Does it have a Lithium Ion or a Lithium Iron Phosphate battery?
#1 Will give us the most info to help out.
1) What is the specific make and model number of your 'battery' (power supply? generator?)
2) Does it have a Lithium Ion or a Lithium Iron Phosphate battery?
#1 Will give us the most info to help out.
Hello!
1) here's a link though it's no longer available because the factory producing it seems to have gone under in the pandemic. https://www.amazon.com/Kyng-Power-G...07SQDY6BB/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8
Manual says UA1000 as the model number; I suspect it's made in one of those factories that companies just put their brand on, though I've never seen one like it from any company other than Kyng. It claims to have low and high temperature protection.
2) Lithium ion.
As stated in the first post, it was exposed to a temperature between 20 and 30 degrees for about 6 days. Might have gotten colder, but that's the general range.
1) here's a link though it's no longer available because the factory producing it seems to have gone under in the pandemic. https://www.amazon.com/Kyng-Power-G...07SQDY6BB/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8
Manual says UA1000 as the model number; I suspect it's made in one of those factories that companies just put their brand on, though I've never seen one like it from any company other than Kyng. It claims to have low and high temperature protection.
2) Lithium ion.
As stated in the first post, it was exposed to a temperature between 20 and 30 degrees for about 6 days. Might have gotten colder, but that's the general range.
Sillyputty
Solar Enthusiast
- Joined
- Jul 21, 2020
- Messages
- 188
Hello! - thanks for the info - I'm more familiar with lithium iron phosphate batteries (lifepo4) which do have particular conditions which they can be charged/recharged under. The lifepo4 batteries can be stored and discharged (used) in the temperatures your talking about, but they cannot be charged/recharged below freezing ( 0 centigrade or 32 F). I'm unsure about lithium ion though. You might try a search for "lithium ion" or your specific model number and get some better results that provide more information.
Thanks for the reply! I have the manual, and it seems clear (and i've always been under the impression) that it can be discharged but not charged at the stated temperature, but not much below. I didn't charge it at that temperature, and I didn't discharge it either, but it was either completely discharged, completely and permanently dead, or in some kind of shutoff mode when I retrieved it. It's unclear, and I haven't found this specifically stated anywhere, what behavior can be expected if it sits unused at that temperature range for a while, and what to expect when "reviving" it. Is it normal, for example, for it to drain to zero? Is it really drained, or is the readout malfunctioning because of the cold? Is it flashing because it's not warm enough to charge yet, or is it flashing because it's toast? Is there something special I should be doing? I know a bad thing happened. I'm jut trying to assess how bad and whether it's salvageable.
Thanks... nothing will turn on though
. The buttons light up, but don't power.Tried it without plugging it in... if it has the 86% charge I had when I last used it, or if it had anything, it should turn on, right? Then I plugged in the wall charger briefly, which resulted in the readout you saw, and it did not turn on in this situation either.
So... you're saying the lack of function is unrelated to the cold?
it was not that cold,so yea.besides,i leave my solar stuff in my van and it was alot colder than that recently and all my stuff works great.
here is my out door equipment.
MichaelK
Solar Wizard
One possibility is after bringing it back in from the cold, condensation may have formed on some of the internal connections, resulting in some kind of short-circuit?
Back in school, while working in the cold-room of the lab, using either a pump, or an electrophoresis unit, I routinely plugged in and ran the unit the moment I took it out of the cold room. That way the internally generated heat would keep off condensation till the unit was back to room temperature. Our rule of thumb was NEVER to take anything out of the cold-room and let it just sit there unused.
Sadly, that rule wouldn't apply to a battery that can't be charged while cold. It seems to a failure just waiting to happen.
Back in school, while working in the cold-room of the lab, using either a pump, or an electrophoresis unit, I routinely plugged in and ran the unit the moment I took it out of the cold room. That way the internally generated heat would keep off condensation till the unit was back to room temperature. Our rule of thumb was NEVER to take anything out of the cold-room and let it just sit there unused.
Sadly, that rule wouldn't apply to a battery that can't be charged while cold. It seems to a failure just waiting to happen.
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