Are you putting yourself at risk with these battery charging mistakes?
Are you charging your phone at night while you sleep? And is your phone charging while lying on your sofa or bed?
Then you are putting yourself and your household at increased risk of fire.
Dangerous charging habits
A new study from the Danish Safety Technology Authority and the National Emergency Management Agency shows that half of the Danes have dangerous charging habits that increase the risk of a fire in the home.
These bad habits include using faulty or damaged chargers, charging phones on top of flammable material like fabric, and charging at night when you are not able to respond quickly to, for instance, an overheated charger catching fire.
6 tips to minimize the risk of fire from battery charging
Based on their findings, the Danish safety authorities have issued six “battery tips” to follow for safer battery charging:
- Only use undamaged, original, and rechargeable batteries.
- Always use chargers that are intended for your specific product – and check that the cable and plug have no visible damage.
- Charge batteries/products so that you can act if heat, smoke, vapors, or noises occur from the charger or battery.
- Have at least one functioning smoke alarm in the room you are charging in.
- Do not charge near flammable material and never cover the charger or battery – they may overheat.
- Do not charge in spaces where a fire can block escape routes such as doors or stairs.
Reduce the risk of fire with smart plugs and intelligent smoke alarms
Charging your phone or other electronics unattended – such as while you’re asleep – is not recommended by fire hazard experts.
But if you want to make sure you don’t forget your charger for a long period of time while the charger or battery could overheat, a smart plug can help you stay out of danger.
With a smart plug placed in between your outlet and your charger, you can easily switch off your charger from anywhere with your phone or set up a rule to turn off the charger automatically at a specific time.
This way, you can limit the time your charger or battery is connected to power, limiting the risk of overheating and potentially catching fire.
Also make sure to have functioning smoke alarms installed throughout your home, especially in rooms where you charge your electronics in case of an accident.
With the Intelligent Smoke Alarm from frient, you will not only hear a loud sound if the smoke alarm triggers – you can also be warned with a notification on your phone if you are away.
This way, you will immediately know if you should let someone check up on your home.
