We have seen a rise in recent viral media about electronic cigarette accidents and we even recently covered a story about an incident involving a battery exploding and almost injuring a worker at a pub. Just a few days ago, yet another incident in the UK, involved a fire in a bedroom cause by yet another e-cigarette battery used with a different type of charger.
Lucy May, a 22 year old woman, was past asleep in her bed when all of a sudden she was woken to a fire next to her. The flames had made their way up to her bed, and caused minor burns on her legs. Had she not woke up at that moment, her life could have seriously been at risk. The fire started in the middle of the night when her electronic cigarette battery and charger both caught fire. It turns out she was using an Apple charger, one designed to charge powerful Apple iDevices such as iPhones and iPad batteries.
Although some may feel it is common sense that chargers are different and provide different levels of electrical current, we see how some people are allowing USB connectors to confuse them. USB stands for Universal Serial Bus, and is an industry standard connection that was originally designed for computer peripherals such as your computer mouse, keyboard, printer, webcam and the list goes on. Hence Universal, as any peripheral cable will work with any compatible device.
But chargers are a whole other animal. Charging a device requires a specific measurement of voltage and amperage for each given device being charged. Additionally, all these new and advanced lithium batteries are able to contain much more power in a small space compared to older technologies. That is why they are prone to exploding and catching fire. If you push to much electrical current into one, it will inevitably overheat and eventually catch fire. So please, never use the wrong charger. Always use the given charger for the given device you want to charge, and that goes for any electronic device.
Here are some easy guidelines and tips;
- Always use the correct charger for the device
- Do not buy cheap replica chargers – Always use original manufacturer charging units
- Never make an exception to the rule – Even if you are using a limited computer USB port
- Do not leave batteries charging unattended for a long extended period of time
- Do not leave your battery charging in a place prone for heat, such as a car or window sill in summer
- If your charger is not labeled by the manufacturer, label it yourself with a sticker
(Unfortunately, we sometimes see e-cigarette manufacturers fail to brand their USB charging adapters, and once you own more than a few e-cigarettes, this can become an issue. An easy way to counter this is by adding a marking of your choice to differentiate each charger by brand.)
Advantages of good charging habits;
- Avoid sub-par to poor battery performance overtime
- Avoid long charging times due to using lowered powered chargers
- Avoid permanent electronic damage from overpowered chargers
- Avoid overheating, which also causes battery life to diminish
Safety is #1 and a little common sense is all that is needed, but just like many things, sometimes you just have to be told how it works to know the dangers, so if you see a friend or even a stranger using an incorrect charger on an e-cig battery, show some love and let them know!