Looking after your device.

So, you’ve gotten your first device, but you don’t want to have to buy another one next month and the month after. I get you, it’s not cheap the initial set up. Cheaper than smoking still but lets help you keep that device.

First off,

you want to retain your receipt and the packaging, at least till you know it’s working properly. While the products sold at VapeHQ are from reputable companies, there is always a chance that something faulty slipped through the net and if you are unlucky enough to get this one, you’ll want to get that exchanged under warranty.

Okay, onto some common sense points.

Don’t stick it in a fire, don’t dump it in water, don’t hit it with a golf club. For one, you won’t be covered by the warranty, but also extreme cases of damage are at risk of causing the battery to go into something called Thermal Runaway where it will burn at over 1000C and as you’d expect, causing some severe damage to anything they’re touching.

Let’s be a little more serious though on what you should and shouldn’t do to take care of your device.

First off, seasons.

In the summer, even Britain can get pretty hot, especially in direct sunlight. You will want to avoid leaving your device in direct sunlight, both for the sake of your battery, and the liquid in the tank. This is because the liquid will get thinner as it warms up and when this happens, it can leak through the coil. For the battery, too much heat can damage it, resulting in premature failure. Unfortunately batteries don’t live forever, but a standard Lithium Ion battery has hundreds of recharges before they die. If you leave it in high heat for long periods however, this can reduce the total recharges, or worse, cause sudden failure of it.

In the Winter, again, Britain gets pretty cold, and like how the summer causes the liquid to get thin, the cold winters will thicken your liquid. When you’re travelling, try to keep your device in an inside pocket where it can be kept warm from your body heat. DO NOT put it in front of the heater in your car, see the point of heat in the summer for why. You don’t really need to worry too much about the battery getting cold, it will lose some charge but unless it goes from extreme to extreme, it’s not enough to do damage to it. Being that we’re talking about Britain however, where 4 out of 7 days are wet and rainy, you do want to protect it from suffering a deluge, and no, Gandalf still won’t do anything about it…

Drops and bangs.

While it is expected that you will likely drop your device from time to time and so devices are made with a level of durability in mind, you should still be careful. The battery in most devices (like the QSeries devices) is protected against general falls, bangs and knocks, but it is still an electronic device, and unlike IBM, we don’t recommend dropping it as a fix. Be sure to check your device after a drop. If you notice a hissing or smoke, especially if it is coming from the charging port, move the device outside if it is safe to do so or move away from the device as the battery may be damaged. Usually if you hear a hissing sound, it will be that the button was hit and jammed on, but most if not all modern devices are made with a light indicator to show that it has been activated. In this event, press the button firmly and release it to allow it to pop back into place.

Charging your device.

You have 400 spare cables lying around, hidden in your sock drawer, probably behind the beans in your cupboard, but not every battery is designed to be charged with every charger. If you take your laptop charger (if it’s a USB C charger) or an Honor 200 Pro charger which will deliver a whopping 100W at max output, you can easily damage your battery, in the worst case scenario, this is also a dangerous fire risk. Make sure to use the charger that is provided or recommended by the manufacturer and do not leave your device on or next to a radiator while it is charging. This isn’t always easy, especially if like my home half the radiators are right next to the plug sockets… but charging a device generates heat, and adding to that heat can cause damage. Once again, see summer and the above mention of FIRE risk. You don’t want that. This is the same for all your electronic devices that you charge too.

Some devices are designed with something called Pass Through charging. This allows you to use the device while it is on charge. It’s better to let it charge before you use it as this will give your device’s battery the best chance at lasting.

Finally, due to a fact or flaw in rechargeable batteries, over time they lose their life. One way to reduce this loss of life is to charge the battery when it gets down to 20% and only charge it up to 80%. Don’t leave it charging overnight as this will put more stress on the battery.