Stories regarding “exploding e-cigarettes” have become more commonplace in the media over recent years but it is never the e-cigarette that explodes, it is the battery. In spite of the impression given by the media, these incidents are rare.

Between April 2014 to March 2015, fire and rescue services were called to 62 e-cigarette battery related fires. This compares with 1,878 fires caused as a result of lit tobacco products during the same period. There are nearly three million regular vapers in the UK and virtually all of them will go through their vaping lives without any battery related fires. This is however a very serious issue, particularly as these incidents are easily avoided. They can almost always be attributed to batteries that were cheap, bought in a pub or from a market or perhaps were being stored or charged incorrectly. In other words, all these incidents can be attributed to user-error. Electronic cigarettes contain rechargeable Lithium Ion Batteries (the same as mobile phones). It is very important to treat rechargeable batteries with care and with this in mind, employing some very basic commonsense and following a few simple rules will help to keep you safe and will also prolong the life of your battery.

 Charging

• • Never leave a battery charging unattended.
  • Never charge or leave the battery in the charger overnight.
  • Once the battery is charged, remove it from the charger.
  • Only use chargers and adapters supplied with your device or made specifically for it.
  • Do not use chargers or adapters intended for other devices.
  • Never charge with a modified charger.
  • Never charge with a damaged charger.
  • Never attempt to charge a battery that has been dropped or damaged.

Battery Care

• • Never attempt to modify the battery.
  • Never disassemble a battery.
  • Always keep your batteries away from extreme sources of heat.
  • Never carry spare batteries in your trouser pocket or handbag- they could come into contact with loose change, keys or other metallic objects. If this happens, they can easily short- circuit, causing them to become very hot and in extreme cases, explode.
  • Never dispose of batteries in fire or water.
  • Never place a battery next to mobile phones, e-readers or magnetised objects.
  • Clean the contacts between the battery and clearomiser regularly, as e-liquid can seep into this area.

If you take good care of your batteries, the risk of them failing is very low indeed. However, if you would like total peace of mind we do sell safe charging bags which are designed to keep your batteries completely sealed off while charging.