Some vaping devices are safer than others. Learn how to avoid dangerous safety issues while vaping and know what to look for.
Earlier this month there was a news article from Hawaii, where a Pearl City man had his vaporizer blow up while he was taking a drag on it. He lost several teeth and his lip was severely lacerated.
Below are three cardinal rules to avoid this happening to you:
Heat
Perhaps the predominant reason why vaping devices malfunction is because they are overheating. If your device feels very hot to the touch, it is likely being overworked. This causes the batteries to become unstable and it can pose a risk of fire and severe burns and other bodily harm.
Batteries
If you have a device that has external batteries it is important to know that they can cope with the level of current that is being output. There is a handy website so that buyers can check on this before choosing which batteries to use.
Buy batteries from trusted larger manufacturers that have a reputation and rapport with its customers. In the battery industry when larger companies discard faulty batteries they often make their way to other, perhaps less reputable companies that put their label on it and resell it. This is called “rewrapping,” and unfortunately it is quite common.
If your battery has any damage or corrosion, throw it away. Never put two exposed batteries in your pocket and carry them around. Make sure that they are safely stored and be sure to install them correctly. This may sound obvious, but just putting batteries in incorrectly can potentially cause a fire, especially in an already faulty device.
Proper Configuration
It is important that you have batteries that will work optimally for your device. To ensure safety and the relative longevity of your device, use a charger that charges at a healthy rate for your batteries. If you have cheap batteries and use a lighting charger; or even worse, leave it plugged in over night this can cause the batteries to be volatile or greatly reduce their lifespan.
If you use a high-powered device, it is important to make sure that it coupled with an appropriate coil for the wattage that is being produced. For instance, using a Smoke Mag device that goes up to 225 watts coupled with a 1.5-ohm coil will almost certainly cause disaster.
Keep in mind, vaping devices are not just one thing. They are many parts that work together. It is important to do your homework and make sure that your configuration is optimal.
A general safety concept, and personal recommendation, I would advise people to avoid mechanical mods. These are devices without a circuit board in them. It is straight, unregulated battery power coursing through the vaping device. Absent the circuit board there is no way for the device to cut off, if for instance, you had it in your pocket and it was being pressed for several minutes. At least a simple majority of fire, and bodily harm is caused by these devices.
