Lithium-ion batteries power so much of our lives, and smaller ones, like those in our laptops, tablets, and phones, go with us everywhere. As much of a boon as these batteries are, when they catch fire, they can also be a real threat. Most of these battery fires start during charging. Here's how to safely charge your tablet or laptop, and keep your home and family safe.
Wait – Is Charging My Phone Actually Unsafe?
When cells in a lithium ion battery hit 300 degrees Fahrenheit, they can go into thermal runaway, where the cell creates its own fuel; the fire can then cascade to another cell, until every cell in the battery is burning at high temperatures and generating toxic gases. Thermal runaway can happen for many reasons, but the most common is substandard aftermarket battery chargers: the majority of all PED (personal electronic device) runaway incidents occur while charging.
Even UL certified chargers can speed through thermal runaway, for reasons such as ventilation, drop damage, or even a loose wire. And some batteries will simply degrade over time, from too many charging cycles.
How Much Damage Can a Battery Fire Do?
As we see on the news time and again, the results can be catastrophic, ranging from property damage to personal injury – even death. The reason is that lithium-ion batteries, even small ones, burn at very high temperatures. Temperatures can quickly hit 500 degrees F, and top out at over 1000 degrees F. That means almost anything in close proximity, except metals, can ignite. Clothing, furniture, carpeting – you name it.
And once those things are burning, the danger to your home and family is severe. In New York City alone, lithium-ion battery fires are responsible for 239 fires, 124 injuries, and 17 deaths this year alone.
How to Safely Charge Your Tablet or Laptop
There are several steps you can take to make sure you're protecting your home and family while you charge your tablet or laptop.
Unplugging your charger when the device is fully charged is one way to mitigate the risk of thermal runaway. That reduces the amount of time that you're at risk for thermal runaway from a defective charger.
Unplugging your charger is not always practical, though. There will always be times when you'll be out of the room or asleep when the charge gets to 100%.
And, unfortunately, sometimes the battery or charger has an undetectable defect, in which case there's really nothing you can do.
The very best way to protect yourself from thermal runaway in your laptop, tablet, or phone, is to keep it in a protective sleeve while it's charging.
Is There a Difference Between Laptop Sleeves?
There are differences between laptop sleeves. The safest one, which has been tested Beyond Compliance, is the Safe Charge Sleeve D Series from CellBlock.
This sleeve isn't like other laptop or tablet sleeves. Some laptop sleeves claim to give you protection from thermal runaway. However, when put to the test, they simply fail. Watch what happens when we test a competitor's sleeve and the Safe Charge Sleeve side by side.
Need more convincing? Watch CellBlock's proprietary fire- and heat-resistant fabric survive a brutal 30-minute high-temperature assault.
How We Designed the World's Safest Laptop Sleeve
The Safe Charge Sleeve features a durable aramid-blend outer shell that protects your tablet or laptop from dust, dirt, scratches, and spills. It also features a fire-rated hook-and-loop closure that lets you easily slip your device into the sleeve and securely holds it there.
But the crucial difference between the Safe Charge Sleeve and other tablet or laptop sleeves is our proprietary fire resistant interior lining. This lining is rated for temperatures over 1823 °F (1000 °C). It has demonstrated full containment of fire, explosions and projectiles in rigorous third-party testing under worst-case scenarios.
Protect Your Home and Family With the Safe Charge Sleeve D Series
As Dylan Vandemark, CellBlock’s CTO, says, “Finally, there is an answer to safe personal device charging worries. Most people don't think about their aftermarket charger when they head for bed – but they should. The D Series mitigates that stress.”
The Safe Charge Sleeve is currently available in two sizes – laptop and tablet – with a phone size coming soon.
You can find out more, or purchase a D Series sleeve, here.
