Take care with e-cigarette chargers

E-cigarette chargers are again in the news after a household in Wales had a narrow escape from a serious house fire started by a fault e-cigarette charger. The charger set alight in the bedroom causing damage to the bedroom. Luckily they managed to raise the alarm quickly enough to prevent their whole house going up in flames.

As electricians in East Nottingham, we see e-cigarettes in use regularly. However what many people don't realise is that the wrong charger has the potential to cause serious damage including electric shock, explosion, house fire or worse. Unfortunately here at Stator Electrical Solutions we have had to repair damage caused to home electrics by e-cigarette chargers on more than one occasion.

Are all e-cigarette chargers dangerous?

The answer is no – but – it is important that you use only the original charger supplied with your e-cigarette or an additional genuine charger (the same as supplied) that you have purchased separately.

E-cigarette charger damage is a huge problem at the moment with several cases reported in local regions around the UK on a daily basis. The main problem is the use of chargers which are not designed to be used with the particular brand of e-cigarette. Many people are under the impression that an e-cigarette charger is suitable for use with all e-cigarettes. This is not the case and the power requirement varies between brands of e-cigarettes.

Take care when charging your e-cigarette

It is easy to make a mistake when charging your e-cigarette particularly if more than one person in the household uses e-cigarettes. Picking up the wrong charger can have dangerous consequences. As a local electrician in Nottingham, I recommend that you have separate charging areas for your e-cigarettes to avoid confusion.

If you are borrowing a friends charger, ensure that you both use the same brand of e-cigarette otherwise you risk electrical injury or house fire.

Electrical damage

The price of a genuine charger is far cheaper than the cost of repairing electrical damage caused by e-cigarette chargers. Even when the charger seems safe, they can cause overheating to sockets which could lead to a fire starting inside the wall. Either way, sockets that are warm to the touch present a fire risk and no electrical item should be used that causes this to happen.

Check, check and check again. If something appears to not be right with your e-cigarette charger than unplug it and do not use it.