It does seem strange that a simple task like charging a phone can be hazardous, but there are many hidden dangers that come from our habits when it comes to charging our devices. we have put together some best practices to follow in order to reduce risk or fires or damage to your device.
Cheap or fake chargers
It may seem like a good idea to save some money and buy a generic or fake charger for your device, but this can often lead to problems further on down the road. You can buy these cheap generic chargers online or from discount stores but the reason they are cheap is that they have cut costs during the manufacturing process and are not produced to the higher standards of the main branded chargers.
Using these chargers can be a fire risk, a recent report by Japan’s consumer affairs agency recorded around 100 cases of smoke fire or overheating involving smartphone chargers and cables.
There’s also a higher risk of electrocution from using uncertified cables, some counterfeit charges can supply only half of the amp charging units unit and wattage they claim to have, you may also be missing the proper insulation and have cheaper outer coverings, all of these mounts up to an unacceptable risk of having an electric shock.
You can also damage your device by using the incorrect charger, many generic chargers and cables are rated incorrectly, don’t have sufficient overload protection, during the manufacturing stage they can have less separation between the high and low voltage components, they can also have huge spikes and voltage levels will vary wildly. All of this has a higher chance of damaging your very expensive device. Surely it is worth paying a few pounds more in order to avoid all of these dangers
Where You Charge The Device
The first thing to consider is where do you actually plug-in and leave your device, it should be in a dust-free dry area with plenty of ventilation, though most of us do you should never leave your mobile phone to charge overnight. It can cause a fire risk as the phone battery can heat up while charging potentially causing a fire risk when no one is around to see it. also many people charge their phones overnight with the phone under the pillow. This is a hugely dangerous activity. It definitely increases the chance of overheating your device.
If you have children you should be he checking how the charging the device, making sure that they follow simple safety rules and do not keep your phone plugged in overnight in around the bed area again as they can overheat and cause a Fire Hazard.
To sum up it is best practice to always use the correct charger for your device, also make sure that you charge your device in a suitable area, ideally use a surge protection socket and always make sure to unplug the charger from the socket once the charge has completed. if you follow this simple advice you will protect yourself your device and your home.