Since vape culture has really begun to expand with the e-cigarette, offering as it has millions of Americans an enjoyable pastime and an alternative to cigarettes and chewing tobacco, it is understandable that a fair amount of controversy would surface about the technology and its use. After all, any time a new, cutting-edge approach to doing something is brought to the table, it is always met with a fair degree of backlash from the naysayers or competition.
Take for example the hyped up concern about e-cigarettes exploding. First, we’ll take a look at this problem and see if it is really a true problem or not, and then we’ll take a look at three ways to ensure that this never happens to you.
Do E-Cigarettes Actually Explode?
First, let’s examine the rumors and concerns that people have had over whether or not e-cigarettes actually explode or not. Does this ever actually happen? Technically, yes, it has happened before. But how often has it happened? Well, you could probably count the number of times that an e-cigarette has truly exploded on one hand, and that is from millions of people using tens of millions of different e-cigarettes over the last two decades.
In the United States, there was a recent instance of a man’s vape pen exploding, but reports indicate that his pen has been personally modified. While it is not uncommon for vape enthusiasts to modify their vaporizers, an excessive modification is discouraged and that is exactly what the Florida man had done with his e-cigarette.
Across the world, there have been isolated incidences of various e-vaporizers rupturing or “exploding” (which is not an explosion by the way in the way that one would normally think of when they think of the word “explosion”). Rather, in the rare incidences where this has occurred, the vaporizers in question had ruptured or combusted where one of the side panels of the unit had broken off with some force.
The Science Behind Why a Vaporizer Could Experience an Explosion-Like Phenomena
When we look at the science behind vaporizers for the e-cigarette, it is a little bit easier to understand how one could possibly experience such a dramatic failure, even if only rarely. Essentially, vaporizers on an e-cigarette are quite safe, though their relative safety drops pretty quickly if and when they are:
a). Used incorrectly.
Or,
b). Modified incorrectly.
An e-cigarette works by using electricity to heat an atomizer, which then converts the e-liquid or juice into vapor in the vaporizing chamber. This is the process by which a vaping enthusiast can inhale on the vaporizer, breathe in the vapor, and breathe out the exhalation of the vapor. The intake of air and a depression of the e-cigarette device’s “activation” button causes the voltage to kick in and the atomizer to heat up. Because vaporizers are electrical units that involve high-heat temperatures, there is always that risk for an electrical or heat-related failure.
That risk is exacerbated when vape enthusiasts modify their vaporizer units excessively or make additions or subtractions to their units that are not kosher with the design of the individual unit. The condition of the batteries for an e-cigarette is also something to watch out for, as any time a vaporizer fails it almost always has something to do with the vaporizer’s batteries.
Three Tips for Avoiding Vaporizer “Explosions”
Based on the above information, we can pretty clearly see what one needs to do to ensure a vaping e-cigarette “explosion” will never happen to them. Three tips would be:
- Do NOT get creative with your e-cigarette vaporizer and try to do some “ingenious” home modifications to it. Customizing an e-cigarette vaporizer by using parts specifically designed for that unit is fine, but “home modifications” should absolutely be avoided.
- Ensure that you are buying your e-cigarette vaporizers from a credible and reputable store and brand. Because vaping is such a new hobby and pastime, regulations on the construction and sale of e-cigarette vaporizers have been slow to develop. Be sure to only buy products from manufacturers and retailers whom you know and trust.
- Last but not least, take very good care of your batteries. Only charge batteries in the chargers that they come with. Don’t leave them on the charger overnight. When batteries start to get hot easily, it’s time to discard them. If batteries become weak, damaged, wet, corroded, flakey, or in any way worn or compromised, it’s time to replace them.
Vaping is a fun pastime and a safe activity when done right. Even when people get risky and start playing around with it, it’s still a far cry safer than smoking cigarettes or chewing tobacco. But for the benefit of you and those around you, please be safe when you vape!
