My charger just EXPLODED

[lkWinnipesaukee]

Not really, but it seemed like it.

I just finished charging my battery with the canon OEM charger. When I pulled the charger out of the plug, it made this HUGE *pop* and sparks went everywhere. Now both the socket and the outlet are covered in black soot and one of the prongs is burned.

It scared the HELL out of me.

What do I do? What happened? Is it save to charge a battery again? Should I call Canon and see what's up?



Thanks

 

[DSLR noob]

was the battery still in the charger? If it was then then the circuit was complete and the electricity jumped the prongs. I.E. don't do that again without removing the battery first.

 

[lkWinnipesaukee]

Dang, thats probably what I did.

But how can only 110V jump about an inch? I'm no electrician or expert, but I didn't think that was possible; it takes something like 1000V per millimeter of air.

Anyway, is the cahrger and battery safe to use?

 

[doenoe]

maybe it was humidity or something. I think it gets easier for electricity to jump when the air is humid.

 

[Alex_B]

could be humidity, had the same thing happening with a laser printer on a rainy day when I transported the printer outdoors and some humidity got onto the plug. Be careful when you use that plug again, maybe get a new one. sometimes such a bang leaves the plug broken (having a conductive path now producing short circuits whenever it is plugged in), at least thet had happened to my printer's plug.