Have you ever found yourself in the later months of the year, strolling down the street on a rather chilly day when you go to take a hit from your vaporizer only to find it… out of battery!

Well you are not alone because here at Wulf Mods we seem to be asking ourselves “why does my battery die quicker in the cold” every single time the winter season rolls around!

In order to put this issue to bed, we’ve put on our extra coat of fur and created this quick blog to explain to you everything you need to know about how colder weather affects your batteries.

To properly set off on this expedition into the chilly world of batteries, we wanted to start off with a quick FAQ to get you up to date on all of the basics.

Are Vaporizer Batteries Affected By The Cold?

Yes! If you have been noticing that your vape battery has been activating differently when the temperatures start to drop - your instincts are correct!

It’s a scientific fact that colder temperatures can cause your vaporizer battery to act in suboptimal ways. Later on we are going to go into those, but for now just know that cold temperatures absolutely can affect the performance of your battery.

Are Vaporizer Batteries Affected By Heat?

To provide a bit of heat to this icy article, we briefly wanted to point out that the extreme heat can be incredibly dangerous for the lifespan and safety of your battery. Always remember to keep your vaporizers out of direct sunlight and away from any sources of heat like a radiator, oven, stove, ect.

Do Vaporizers Run Out Of Charge Quicker In The Cold?

Yes. It’s not ghosts using your vaporizer while you are not looking - all batteries, even the ones used in your car drain their charge faster when the temperatures drop.

This explains why if you bring your vape pen to the ski hill, it will barely last you a fraction of the time it normally does. This isn’t because your pen would rather be snowboarding, but instead is a direct result of being exposed to the chilly temperatures.

Why Does My Vape Battery Die Overnight?

As your battery will run out much quicker in the cold, it is only natural that when you go to sleep at night and the temperatures drop, that your battery will be exposed to the elements the whole time.

Additionally as you are not using the vaporizer at this point, you don’t have its own internal functionality warming it. Thus it is a double whammy of lower temperatures being combined with your device sitting idle that causes your battery to die overnight!

So next time you wake up and your vaporizer is dead, don’t blame the ghosts for ripping your cartridge all night - know that it's just a part of how batteries work!

What’s The Science Behind Batteries In The Cold?

Time to toss on our lab coats and get into the nitty gritty! You see when your battery is exposed to colder temperatures it starts to physically slow the chemical reactions that take place within your battery that allow it to keep its charge.

When you charge your battery you are essentially priming these chemical reactions to be used up to warm your materials but when the cold comes in it slows the bonds of these reactions and slowly they begin to fall apart / lose the charge.

The slower the chemical reaction, the less electrical current that is going to be produced. This is then coupled with the fact it requires more current to heat a cold battery means that just to do your regular vaping, your battery is going to be already working over time.

Thus your battery is both having to work harder, while the “work” itself is harder as well. This is important to keep in mind when dealing with batteries in the cold as you should know it's not the fault of the battery, but instead a natural reaction to temperatures.

How Can I Keep My Vape From Dying In Cold Weather?

Now that we have addressed the issue at hand, the question turns to how we can prevent our batteries from being exposed to the element to avoid this battery drainage.

Also - don’t worry if your battery does drop in the cold, while you can do your best to try to keep it at room temperature, the reality is that you will have to deal with these issues throughout the colder months no matter what.

That’s why we recommend the below methods as just preventive ideas and not fool proof protection for your batteries from the elements.

Keep Your Vape With You

One of the most effective ways of avoiding a cold dead battery is to simply keep your vaporizer with you either in your pocket or backpack to ensure that your device is staying in the nice room temperatures that you are.

By having them alongside you, then you are able to use the surrounding heat and body warmth to keep your vaporizer right where you want it to be.

Note that never carry your vape in a puffy jacket or anything that could overheat it. You want your vaporizer to be warm without it getting hot as that can lead to a whole host of issues all by itself.

Avoid Leaving In Your Car Overnight

While this is a measure you should always follow, making sure to remove your vaporizer from the car before you head in for the night when it is cold out is a whole different level of necessity.

Because your car won't be heated, that means that your battery is going to be exposed to the full brunt of the chilly elements for the entirety of the night. This can get your battery close to freezing depending on the location and should be avoided if possible.

Make sure to do a once over when you get out of your car to make sure you haven’t left your battery or do a mental check in your apt. / house before you go to bed to double check that you haven't left it behind.

Start With Lower Temperatures

When hitting your vaporizer in colder temperatures, we recommend starting off with a lower temperature at first in order to slowly warm your battery up. Like we mentioned earlier, the colder temperatures cause the chemical reactions in your device to slow, so if you suddenly start hitting it at the highest temperature it is working ultra, double overtime.

This is called a “cold start” and it is putting the maximum amount of pressure on your vaporizer’s battery. To avoid this simply start with the lowest setting on your vaporizer and then work your way up from here.

By easing your battery into the session you are giving it the time to start working properly and avoid just instantly dying.

Don’t Charge Cold Batteries

One important note is that if you leave your battery in your car or just outside accidentally overnight it will more often than not be completely dead when you get to it. Now you will want to charge your vape immediately, but if it is frozen or close to those temperatures you are going to want to wait till your vaporizer warms up before charging it.

Try bringing it inside for a while until it doesn't feel frozen in your hands or put it in your pocket for 10 minutes. After this, it should be warmer and all ready to properly receive a recharge without running into more issues.

Keep Warm and Wulf On

Winter may be here, but that doesn't mean we are letting it get in the way of our enjoyment of dry herb, cartridge, and concentrate vaporizers. That’s why we recommend following the tips above to ensure that your battery keeps going strong no matter the season!

So stay cozy and keep your vapes warm this winter to make sure that your sessions keep on rolling! For more tips, products spotlights, and insights from the team at Wulf Mods make sure to check out the rest of our postings right here on our Official Vaporizer Blog!