My Laptop Charger Exploded!

So, a few months ago my laptop died on me. I traded it in for parts as well as for a refurbished laptop.

Image credit: OpenClipartVectors
 

This refurbished laptop came with a cheap-looking adapter which, despite appearances, seemed to do the job okay. Until yesterday.

I suddenly heard this weird ticking noise. Then I heard a crackle. Then I saw smoke. I ran to switch the power off at the mains before I heard one final POP and the charger decided to permanently exit the world.

Tick-tick-tick-tick…BOOM!

I’m not entirely sure what happened, but I’m guessing the charger overheated and exploded. A few of my electrical items seem to have stopped working lately, so perhaps I have a faulty wall socket causing a power surge or something.

The scary part is, I was on my way out. I sometimes leave my laptop on standby with the charger plugged in if I forget to switch it off at the mains. I dread to think what might have happened if I had decided to leave just a few minutes earlier.

Moral of the story? Don’t buy cheap replacement power supplies!

I mean, in this situation I hadn’t anyway – this was the charger that came with the laptop, so I wasn’t really to know. I could probably threaten to sue his ass (the guy who supplied the charger with the laptop) but he seemed alright and besides, accidents happen.

It’s still a lesson learnt though, because before the charger exploded it had been working intermittently. Obviously faulty, I had ordered a cheap replacement off Ebay.

However, having ordered it two weeks ago, it has yet to turn up and I’m in the process of getting a refund. Perhaps the delay in delivery has been a blessing since my laptop charger decided to spontaneously combust, proving that cheap electricals come with a risk.

It’s made me wary of buying cheap replacement electricals, especially online when you can’t be sure of the quality and if appropriate safety measures have been followed.

I’m also now cautious about leaving things plugged in when I’m absent from a room. My mum and sister still have massive CRT televisions in their houses which I now just see as major fire hazards – I’ve heard stories of these appliances overheating and causing devastating fires.

I think everyone tries to find the best deal when purchasing things and we hate it when we’ve paid more for something we could have gotten for cheaper. But sometimes it’s worth paying that little bit extra for a better quality item (which is likely to last longer anyway) and to ensure the product has come from a reputable company.

Especially with my kind of luck...it’s probably best to err on the side of caution.

We’ve got to remember, electronics aren’t made to last forever.