Common sense will prevent laptop fires

This week the BC Coroner announced that a fatal fire was caused by a laptop left on a soft surface (a couch)–Laptop fire blamed for Vancouver death & Leaving laptop on couch poses fire danger, B.C. Coroners Service warns | Vancouver, Canada | Straight.com & Laptop blamed for deadly fire.

First thing to make clear is that this laptop (an HP) was also one that had been recalled for a potential fire danger so it was already at risk to start with. However, the BC Coroner is bang on: don’t set (and leave) a laptop on a soft surface like a chair, couch, bed, etc. Why? Because if you have a laptop you already know that they get pretty warm. If you have a desktop you should know this as well. For Desktop machines the fans and places for air flow to come in are on the side and back … for a laptop these are generally on the bottom of the laptop. This means if you laptop isn’t on a hard surface, those vents will be blocked and it can’t cool itself.

Beyond the fire danger, your laptop overheating is just plain bad for the machine itself. The whole of the guts need to stay cool or they can suffer serious (big time expensive) damage.

Solution?

Simple a laptop desk. I have one a work with two USB-powered fans in it to keep it cooler. In my bag I have a folding one to set on my lap or a table (while on the go) and when I’m at home I use my folding one or a nice one designed for my lap. Granted the home one is a little cushy, so I don’t like to keep it on there too, too long.

What else you can do? Turn off your laptop if it’s going to sit for a while, check the settings for sleeping, and if you’re not going to use the machine for a while unplug it (even if it is off).

More tips? I’ll have some geeky links up shortly for those.

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