Cigarettes cause a disturbing number of fires each year. The statistics amount to thousands of yearly fires that directly cause hundreds of deaths. In comparison, vaping is orders of magnitude safer because, since vaping materials do not burn, they are far less likely to cause fires.

While e-cigarettes do not burn, however, they do contain lithium-ion batteries – and if you’ve read the reports of battery-related incidents with consumer devices like hoverboards, you know that lithium-ion batteries store an incredible amount of power and have the potential to be quite dangerous if they have manufacturing issues or are handled incorrectly.

Are you handling your vape from V2 Cigs UK or another company in the best possible way to minimize the chance of a battery explosion? This article will present some practical tips to ensure that you’re handling your vape batteries safely.

Charge Your Vaping Devices With Manufacturer-Supplied Charging Equipment

If you have a vaping device with a built-in battery, then you either have a micro-USB cable or a proprietary charger for charging that device. You should charge your device only with manufacturer-supplied equipment. That warning particularly applies to popular devices such as the JUUL e-cigarette.

JUUL is such a well-known vaping system that several companies have manufactured third-party chargers for the device. In the past, you’ve probably read about devices such as mobile phones and laptops overheating and even exploding because they were connected to low-quality third-party chargers.

The manufacturer of your vaping device has not confirmed the safety of third-party chargers, and you should not charge your device with anything that hasn’t been specifically approved by the manufacturer.

Charge Your Device With a Computer’s USB Port

Your vaping device is designed to charge from a computer’s USB port, which means that you shouldn’t use a wall adapter unless the device’s manufacturer has supplied one or you’re certain that you have a wall adapter matching the charging specifications that your device requires.

In most cases, a vaping device requires a 0.5- or 1.0-amp charging current.

Never charge a vaping device with a wall adapter for a tablet or mobile phone. Modern mobile devices have extremely high-quality batteries that can work with high-current “fast charging” adapters without overheating. High-current charging allows a dead mobile phone to become usable within a few minutes. The batteries for vaping devices, however, aren’t designed to tolerate high charging currents and can potentially overheat in that situation.

Consider Buying a Vaping Device With a Removable Battery

These days, the most popular vaping devices have built-in batteries and charge via USB. That’s great for convenience. If you’re buying a box mod with a built-in battery, though, you should keep in mind that the manufacturer of that device most likely used the cheapest batteries and charging circuitry available.

While it’s extremely unlikely that you’ll ever experience a problem if you use a mod with a built-in battery, it’s even less likely if you buy a removable-battery mod and pair it with the highest-quality battery and standalone charger that you can find.

If you do buy a vaping device with a removable battery, you must keep two points in mind.

• Always handle lithium-ion batteries in a safe manner. This article will discuss safe battery handling in greater detail next.
• Choose a vaping device with a sturdy battery door, because you’ll be opening and closing the door repeatedly.

Don’t Carry Loose Batteries in Your Pocket

Although you’re definitely safer using high-quality lithium-ion batteries than you are with cheap batteries, the fact that you’ll be handling the batteries does carry some additional risk that you can mitigate by exercising proper battery handling procedures. The first thing that you must never do is carry spare batteries in your pocket.

A battery’s metal terminals are conductive, and if the battery touches other metal objects, a short circuit can occur. That can happen if a battery touches loose change, keys or another battery. Many injuries have occurred due to improper battery transportation.

If you need to transport loose lithium-ion batteries, place the batteries in padded carriers that prevent the batteries from touching other metal objects.

Don’t Use Batteries With Visible Damage

A battery’s top and bottom terminals aren’t its only conductive surfaces. In fact, the entire battery is enclosed in a metal can that conducts electricity. The insulated terminal at the top of the battery is the positive pole, and all of the rest of the metal can is the negative pole. The battery’s plastic wrapper isn’t just there to tell you the battery’s specifications; it also helps to prevent metal-on-metal contact. A short circuit can occur if a metal object touches the top and side of a battery simultaneously.

If a battery for your vaping device has any sign of physical damage, stop using it immediately. Warning signs include:

• Denting
• Bulging
• Damage to the battery’s outer wrapper

Don’t Use a Mechanical Mod

In the past, mechanical mods – simple tubes or boxes with no electronic components – were popular vaping devices because they were inexpensive, powerful and almost indestructible. Mechanical mods, however, are designed for low-wattage vaping scenarios – and almost no one vapes at low wattages today.

Many modern vaping tanks have very powerful sub-ohm atomizer coils that require much more power than a single-battery mechanical mod can safely deliver. When you use a mechanical mod, in other words, you’re constantly taking the risk of overloading your battery – and a mechanical mod has no safety features to warn you that you’re vaping in an unsafe manner. The time for mechanical mods has passed; don’t use them.

Don’t Charge Your Vaping Device or Batteries Unattended

One of the most important things to remember when you’re handling vaping batteries – or any rechargeable battery – is that you should always be present and awake while your batteries charge. Even in the best possible conditions, a power surge or manufacturing fault can cause a battery to overheat during charging. If you’re present and ready to act quickly, it can make the difference between a minor inconvenience and a major incident that causes property damage and potential injury.