Exploding Vapes and E-Cigarette Safety: Your #1 Cheat-Sheet
A look at the causes of exploding vape devices and how to avoid it happening to you.
Last August, one of London’s busiest train stations was cordoned off by police during the height of rush hour. The year of 2017 saw London come under very strict public security, and when a loud bang in the middle of Euston Station created mass panic during peak commute times, a bomb disposal unit was sent in and trains to the station were cancelled.
The culprit? An exploding vape. While it was a complete accident, an overcharged vape mod left in a man’s bag caused a loud bang, created a bustle of panic, and could have injured the man himself.
So, why do vape devices explode? And how can you stop it happening to you?
Unregulated Mods Can Cause Exploding Vapes
Unregulated or “custom” mods are vape mod devices which are customised or tailored to the individual vaper for various reasons, including to allow for more cloud production, better power output, custom coils—the list goes on.
And while these mods are great for cloud chasing, the process of modifying these vapes can lead to the electrical circuit no longer being capped at a maximum voltage or wattage. This means that it’s up to the vaper to get their units right—to ensure that they don’t exceed the maximum power their device can handle. With a regulated mod—one that you’d buy in a vape shop, for example—the circuit automatically cuts out when there’s too much power.
Too much power, and boom: hundreds of commuters end up waiting for buses because you overdid it chasing clouds. It sounds silly, yes, but the danger these “eruptions” pose can be quite serious.
Overcharging Your Vape Device
You’ve been warned against leaving your phone plugged in overnight and charging your laptop when it doesn’t need it. You should take the same precaution with your vape, particularly if it has a large internal battery or utilises external batteries. Except instead of simply destroying the device’s battery life over time—as is the case with phones and laptops—overcharging your vape can have more… explosive consequences.
Overcharging your device can lead to the battery putting out too much power, which can cause an exploding vape. Many devices nowadays have overcharge protection (meaning that they stop intaking power from the charger once the battery is full); however, this isn’t the case for most devices.
To Prevent Overcharging
- Only charge your device until the battery is full
- Do not leave your device on charge when it has a full battery
- Remain present while charging your vape, or keep track of how long it’s been plugged in for
- Never leave it plugged in overnight or while you sleep—this is when the majority of recorded vape explosions and electrical fires have occurred
The good news is that many new device models take a USB Type-C connection, allowing them to charge much faster—with some starter vape kits reaching full charge now in as little as 10 minutes!
Broken or Damaged Batteries
Most exploding vapes are traced back to issues with the battery. Vape batteries are usually lithium-ion, like many electrical devices that we use on a day-to-day basis. When the battery is fired, it heats up the rest of the elements within the device (as is its job, usually). When there are issues with the battery, its job of heating the other parts of your vape device can go awry.
A very brief anecdote: I once had a phone with a sliding keyboard (back in ancient times), and after about 6 months, the phone would shut off every time I slid the keyboard open. When I took it for repairs, the technician pulled out the battery (a lithium-ion battery, no less) and showed it to me: it was bloated along the edges, slowly dislodging itself from the device. Every time I’d slid the keyboard open, the battery would just disconnect. The cause? I’d overcharged it, causing the battery to swell to a point that it needed replacing.
The main issue with lithium-ion batteries is that they can boil and cause internal pressure if they’re heated past their limit. This can eventually lead to the battery itself not just swelling, but exploding under the pressure. The main way to avoid this issue is to refrain from overcharging.
It may not seem dangerous to those who leave their phones on charge every night—but tell that to the guy who caused panic at Euston Station and lost a whole backpack full of personal items in the process.
Summary: Protect Your Battery
We’ve learned some lessons from the Great Exploding Vape Scare of Euston Station.
Chiefly, you’ll want to make sure that your vape battery is compatible with your device, and ensure that the battery you’re buying is tested, approved, and from a reputable distributor (like Vape Green, for instance).
Vapers using unregulated or custom mods will need to make themselves familiar with Ohm’s Law and do some extra maths if they are to practice vaping safely, to ensure that they stay within their device’s limits.
Above all else, the main causes of exploding vapes are battery-related. If you don’t want your vape to explode on your way home from work, make sure you don’t overcharge it, and that you follow all of your device’s safety precautions. You can find these listed in your device’s user manual.
If you have any worries or queries regarding your vape, don’t be hesitant to contact our support team.