YouTuber salvages 500 disposable vapes to not only power his gaming PC, but take his entire house and workshop off-grid

I Powered My House Using 500 Disposable vapes – YouTube

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When it comes to my e-waste themed sleep paralysis demons, none are more terrifying than the single-use, disposable vape. Why, oh why do these wretched things exist? And why, oh why do so many of them contain lithium-ion batteries that are in fact rechargeable? I’m breaking out in a cold sweat just thinking about it.

If only this scourge could be repurposed into something more useful than, say, yet another Doom box in every sense. YouTuber Chris Doel has apparently overheard my environmentally themed wailing, having already created a number of projects that repurpose these power cells into fast-charging power banks and e-bike batteries. His latest build dials “it up a couple of notches,” creating something that not only generates enough energy to satisfy his power-hungry editing rig, but also powers his whole house using 500 disposable vapes.

In between repeated pleas to absolutely not try this at home, charmingly creative problem-solving is out in full force throughout. For instance, when a lithium cell discharges below three volts, it can’t really be recharged. So, how do you sift through hundreds of salvaged vapes, sorting the still usable cells from the dead ones, in a timely fashion? Apparently, by deploying a pump from an old CPAP to puff on the vapes, thereby identifying which cells can still hold a charge without wasting hours dismantling already dead devices.

Even with this makeshift vaping device expediting some of the work, the project grew into a months-long endeavour. “It takes about two to three minutes to extract and desolder each cell. So, multiply that by at least 600,” Doel reflects in the video, “And then it takes about two hours for each batch of cells to then be balanced, charged, and tested.”

With any recycling effort being this labour-intensive, it’s not hard to see why it became illegal to sell or supply single-use vapes in the UK earlier this year. But as Doel notes, that doesn’t necessarily solve the environmental issue if retailers only supply the full refillable vapes and don’t keep a similar amount of the vape refills on hand.

After hours of 3D printing and soldering, the hundreds of cells are mounted into a hefty powdered aluminium frame. To stop the whole thing from exploding, Doel installs a battery management system that he previously used in a 50 miles per hour mobility scooter build. On its own, the battery pack generates only 50 volts DC, so Doel then sets up an inverter to convert the current into 240 volts AC—before disconnecting both his home and workshop from the main electricity grid.

Not only does the disposable vape battery pack work, but the YouTuber is already considering future plans to take at least his workshop off-grid entirely. In the meantime, he charges the massive battery pack at night from the main electrical grid, making the most of off-peak pricing and proving that salvaged vapes can be more useful than Battlefield 6’s smoke mortars.