My power cord melted and almost caused a fire. What do I do?

[harcosparky]

Tonight I was in the Apple Store, the girl in line before me was buying a Magsafe Charger.

I asked her why she was replacing it, she said it was her 3rd one.

Charger #1 - Caught fire at the connector

Charger #2 - Connector broke and left metal part inside computer.


One of the things I do to prevent this is NOT take advantage of the safety of the Magsafe Connnector.

I insert and remove like any other connector by holding the body of the connector. I have seen some people pull it out by the cord!

Pulling it out by the cord causes stress internally to the cable behind the connector, this could lead to insulation breakdown, shorts and fires!

 

[ltldrummerboy]

I read (I think on TUAW) about a Unibody MacBook Pro that kept frying chargers. The guy went through like three before he realized it was the computer that had problems. Just something to keep in mind.

 

[CJS7070]

I'd say that, as long as this happened to the same unit multiple times, a new charger is sufficient. If further evidence suggests it may be a fault with the computer, fine, but if it's the first time?

 

[NovemberWhiskey]

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/729223/

I have called apple and they say they are looking into it and they told me they had a procedure for when this happens.

They have protocol at Apple for fried MBPs. That speaks volumes about the frequency of the situation.

Also, I believe a class-action suit has already been filed in San Jose.

 

[dannster]

Just thought I'd add that even if your MacBook Pro is out of it's warranty they still have to either replace or repair it. It's part of your statutory rights.

 

[NineSpine]

THE WIRE WAS FRAYED!!!

There has to be a debate about this? Really?

Using a frayed power cable is tantamount to abuse of the product. It's equivalent to driving your car while your brakes are grinding and being surprised when they give way. That's YOUR fault, not the company.

Who the hell uses a FRAYED POWER CABLE? SERIOUSLY? You couldn't pay me to use an even SLIGHTLY damaged power cable. That's insane. That's asking for a fire. You might as well just go and stick metal objects in your wall sockets.

Do you cut the ground off three-prong plugs too?

You can't just go ahead and use damaged power equipment and act surprised when it bursts into flames.

 

[jdaco6]

THE WIRE WAS FRAYED!!!

There has to be a debate about this? Really?

Using a frayed power cable is tantamount to abuse of the product. It's equivalent to driving your car while your brakes are grinding and being surprised when they give way. That's YOUR fault, not the company.

Who the hell uses a FRAYED POWER CABLE? SERIOUSLY? You couldn't pay me to use an even SLIGHTLY damaged power cable. That's insane. That's asking for a fire. You might as well just go and stick metal objects in your wall sockets.

Do you cut the ground off three-prong plugs too?

You can't just go ahead and use damaged power equipment and act surprised when it bursts into flames.

I am sorry but my cable was not frayed!

 

[jdaco6]

Another case on MacRumors https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/729387/

 

[Mactagonist]

Oh go away. This is just blatant trolling.

I hope this post is the last time anyone responds to your troll in this thread.

THE WIRE WAS FRAYED!!!

There has to be a debate about this? Really?

Using a frayed power cable is tantamount to abuse of the product. It's equivalent to driving your car while your brakes are grinding and being surprised when they give way. That's YOUR fault, not the company.

Who the hell uses a FRAYED POWER CABLE? SERIOUSLY? You couldn't pay me to use an even SLIGHTLY damaged power cable. That's insane. That's asking for a fire. You might as well just go and stick metal objects in your wall sockets.

Do you cut the ground off three-prong plugs too?

You can't just go ahead and use damaged power equipment and act surprised when it bursts into flames.

 

[cwykoff]

The magsafe end does have some wire showing, but I think thats from almost 3 years of stress. But still for what did happen towards the power supply, wires just don't spontaneously melt their insulation if they are stressed do they?
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Chris
MacBook Pro CoreDuo 1,1
iPod Shuffle(Orange), iPod G5, The All-New iMac, 8GB iPhone
Last edited by christall109 : Yesterday at 06:29 PM. Reason: Made it more clear

The original poster posted the above.... I'd suggest, that once you see any wire showing you should get a new power adapter, you are partially responsible for what happened (and could have) by using a power supply that was obviously damaged. You ARE lucky. I would take your computer in, and have it checked out, but frankly wouldn't even expect the power supply adapter to be replaced.
Three years of use seems reasonable to me for something that WILL have wear and tear.

Ever since I got my MacBook, I've tried to be very careful to always disengage the magsafe by pushing on the actual connector only, not pulling on the wire to disconnect. Apple does note how to handle the magsafe in the booklet that came with my MacBook.

In addition, I've been trying to be very careful when I pickup the adapter to NOT use the adapter to magsafe connector cord to lift the power supply. It just seems like too much weight for that slim cable, however I don't think that is a design fault.

Good luck, hopefully your computer is ok.

C

 

[MacModMachine]

The original poster posted the above.... I'd suggest, that once you see any wire showing you should get a new power adapter, you are partially responsible for what happened (and could have) by using a power supply that was obviously damaged. You ARE lucky. I would take your computer in, and have it checked out, but frankly wouldn't even expect the power supply adapter to be replaced.
Three years of use seems reasonable to me for something that WILL have wear and tear.

Ever since I got my MacBook, I've tried to be very careful to always disengage the magsafe by pushing on the actual connector only, not pulling on the wire to disconnect. Apple does note how to handle the magsafe in the booklet that came with my MacBook.

In addition, I've been trying to be very careful when I pickup the adapter to NOT use the adapter to magsafe connector cord to lift the power supply. It just seems like too much weight for that slim cable, however I don't think that is a design fault.

Good luck, hopefully your computer is ok.

C

my adapter was 5 months old with the notebook...caught fire...not wear and tear,

if this would have burned my notebook up i would be so pissed you wouldent be able to put it in words, i just installed my second x25m.

dont chalk it up to wear and tear and only a few problems...its somthing that needs to be addressed if this would have been near my son it could have severely burned him. These adapters are dangerous and need to be re designed with a protective casing....not a casing that burns extremely fast and is highly flammable.

 

[drossad]

One of the things I do to prevent this is NOT take advantage of the safety of the Magsafe Connnector.

I insert and remove like any other connector by holding the body of the connector. I have seen some people pull it out by the cord!

Pulling it out by the cord causes stress internally to the cable behind the connector, this could lead to insulation breakdown, shorts and fires!

Agreed. This is the best way to handle the connector. But...

isn't the point of the magsafe to protect your computer from falling off a surface when the cord is yanked. So, inevitably it will be yanked by the cord sometimes in it's lifespan. Because of this fact, Apple should be ensuring that their product is better quality so as to avoid melting problems.

On top of ensuring quality, I think (as someone posted above) that they state somewhere in the setup booklet that comes with a Mac how to properly remove the magsafe adapter from the computer. This at least covers their butts against careless users that constantly yank the cord.

 

[NovemberWhiskey]

Agreed. This is the best way to handle the connector. But...

isn't the point of the magsafe to protect your computer from falling off a surface when the cord is yanked. So, inevitably it will be yanked by the cord sometimes in it's lifespan. Because of this fact, Apple should be ensuring that their product is better quality so as to avoid melting problems.

+1

I couldn't have said it better myself.

You can check out the following link for Apple's long history of dangerous power adapters. They acknowledged the issue, and even put out fixes for it. Apparently, the fixes were not 100%. There are still some people having problems with fires. Just look at all the members on here who have posted.

http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/patterson/49699

 

[Ttownbeast]

Ok, nice attempt however, a defective product no matter how you dress it up still remains a defective product. So your solution (if it works is questionable at best) is to bring a powerstrip with us where ever we go? LOL! Go right ahead and bring that powerstrip with you to a coffee joint and look like a fool. No product should require a band-aid solution.

Not necessary but it is possible to rig up a portable GFI socket small enough to fit in the side of a carry case to put protection between your laptop and a wall outlet probably wouldn't cost any more than 10 bucks at the hardware store for the necessary parts. It's not a band aid solution either if you're plugging in at an office or some other public place and the wiring's outdated in any way then don't plug in without some kind of surge protection between the two, if you use a power strip at home check to make sure its not too old because parts will wear over time too I can tell you the nightmares people have had frying AC/DC power converters inside desktops thanks to surges in the electrical grid, and the following days trying to hunt down the correct part (especially when some poor bastard I knew owned an old mac clone back in the day). You should demand ground fault interrupters as the standard as a protective measure for sensitive equipment when a company, university coffee shop, internet cafe, etc allows access to it there is no set standard requiring that under the electrical code, and I'd bet dollars to donuts it would prevent at least half of these accidents from occurring.

 

[NovemberWhiskey]

Not necessary but it is possible to rig up a portable GFI socket small enough to fit in the side of a carry case to put protection between your laptop and a wall outlet probably wouldn't cost any more than 10 bucks at the hardware store for the necessary parts. It's not a band aid solution either if you're plugging in at an office or some other public place and the wiring's outdated in any way then don't plug in without some kind of surge protection between the two, if you use a power strip at home check to make sure its not too old because parts will wear over time too I can tell you the nightmares people have had frying AC/DC power converters inside desktops thanks to surges in the electrical grid, and the following days trying to hunt down the correct part (especially when some poor bastard I knew owned an old mac clone back in the day). You should demand ground fault interrupters as the standard as a protective measure for sensitive equipment when a company, university coffee shop, internet cafe, etc allows access to it there is no set standard requiring that under the electrical code, and I'd bet dollars to donuts it would prevent at least half of these accidents from occurring.

LOL

Do you actually expect people to do all this?

How about Apple just fixes the problem? I am paying $2000+ for a computer and I have to create my own ad hoc solution to a fire hazard????

Get real.

 

[Gwardys]

I just smelt burning plastic so I looked down and the part of the cord that is near the white box is all melted and the insides are showing. I'm scared as hell to plug it back in! Will Apple cover a new charger or no?

 

[cwykoff]

dont chalk it up to wear and tear and only a few problems...its somthing that needs to be addressed if this would have been near my son it could have severely burned him. These adapters are dangerous and need to be re designed with a protective casing....not a casing that burns extremely fast and is highly flammable.

I was responding mainly to the OP, who DID have damage showing, and used the adapter anyway.

 

[Ttownbeast]

LOL

Do you actually expect people to do all this?

How about Apple just fixes the problem? I am paying $2000+ for a computer and I have to create my own ad hoc solution to a fire hazard????

Get real.

"all this"?????

That's just an argument in favor of being lazy about good simple measures for prevention, like saying that because you didn't put fresh batteries in the smoke detector the construction company owes you a new house--I guess it's really hard work buying a battery and climbing a step ladder too. Think about it this way if you spend 2000 bucks buying a computer, isn't it worth a little time putting some kind of prevention in place compared to a longer wait for a replacement?

Here I'll even make it simpler for you guys. I happened to Google this one at about 30 bucks this looks like its designed for light commercial use they can probably be found cheaper than that:

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_200319033_200319033

 

[NineSpine]

Oh go away. This is just blatant trolling.

I hope this post is the last time anyone responds to your troll in this thread.

Yeah, pointing out the obvious must be trolling.

 

[McGiord]

The interesting things to know about these failures are:
1- Which models are affected?
2- Under what conditions the failure occurs:
- by using the product in certain way
- random pattern
- certain particular parts: lot X, supplier Y, made on Z...

If anyone has a link or details, that would be helpful to know, the burned parts have a serial number than can help identify them?

indeed sources their manufatured product from chinese manufacturers and it seems that for them it is better to charge back the chinese manufacturer than to invest in quality assurance and quality control, as well as to invest in good customer service by replacing the whole defective product with a new or improved one, and why not sometimes give away things so the customer forgets about the problem it had, and makes a memorable nice event when receiving some candy...

 

[harcosparky]

Are any of those posters commenting on 'clean power' , Eletrical Engineers with a background in Power Supply Design???

I only ask because these Charger Bricks are in reality AC to DC Convertors.

They are designed to take in 100 to 240 Volts AC and down convert it to 18.5VDC, and 16.5 VDC.

I know the outputs are filtered through capacitors, and prior to that the AC is run through a rectifier and I am sure there are other circuits in there as well.

Dirty Power would be AC power coming in with noise components along with it. This commonly would manifest itself as RF in some equipment.

It seems to me that maybe some might be referring to a " power surge " where the input voltage spikes like crazy, and I am not so sure you would see the burning on the cable near the connector.

I have seen Wall Charger tested for voltage spike and they usually swell up, crack and smoke when they go.

Also if your house was hit with a Power Spike big enough to blow theses charger bricks, you would lose other devices in the house as well.

I know when I took a lightning hit years ago, we lost everything that was plugged into an outlet. Even stuff that was turned off. Computer, Television, Stereo, Phones. It almost takes lightning, or a failure on the part of the power generator to cause that kind of spike.

We had the insurance company get involved, the contacted the Power Company, and the Weather Service. Once the confirmed lightning had hit the power lines ( it also blew out power co. gear ) the claim was paid.

I dunno ... all this talk about 'dirty power' makes me think some may be confused.

 

[Shop]

The interesting things to know about these failures are:
1- Which models are affected?
2- Under what conditions the failure occurs:
- by using the product in certain way
- random pattern
- certain particular parts: lot X, supplier Y, made on Z...

Yes, I'm interested to know if using the 3 prong power cable vs. the 2 prong plug makes any difference.

 

[RiCEADDiCTBOY]

"all this"?????

That's just an argument in favor of being lazy about good simple measures for prevention, like saying that because you didn't put fresh batteries in the smoke detector the construction company owes you a new house--I guess it's really hard work buying a battery and climbing a step ladder too. Think about it this way if you spend 2000 bucks buying a computer, isn't it worth a little time putting some kind of prevention in place compared to a longer wait for a replacement?

Here I'll even make it simpler for you guys. I happened to Google this one at about 30 bucks this looks like its designed for light commercial use they can probably be found cheaper than that:

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_200319033_200319033

think about it this way - if you spent 2000 bucks buying a computer, isn't it worthwhile for it to work as intended without faulty hardware? sure we can take "precautions" because we have the choice to do so but, we shouldn't have to purchase them because WE HAVE TO.

 

[NovemberWhiskey]

"all this"?????

That's just an argument in favor of being lazy about good simple measures for prevention, like saying that because you didn't put fresh batteries in the smoke detector the construction company owes you a new house--I guess it's really hard work buying a battery and climbing a step ladder too. Think about it this way if you spend 2000 bucks buying a computer, isn't it worth a little time putting some kind of prevention in place compared to a longer wait for a replacement?

Here I'll even make it simpler for you guys. I happened to Google this one at about 30 bucks this looks like its designed for light commercial use they can probably be found cheaper than that:

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_200319033_200319033

I appreciate your trying to find precautions we can take.

My point is that I shouldn't have to worry about any of this with a laptop. I mean, really...This is not some cheap discount netbook. This is Apple's top-of-the-line model, that carries a premium price tag.

I should be able to plug it in, and go to sleep without worrying about waking up with a bad tan.

Anyone that thinks the duty is on the customers is absolutely wrong.

And anyone blaming end-users for not being extremely cautious with their magsafe wiring is just wrong.

I've used chargers/ac adapters all of my adult life without being overly cautious and without worrying about the threat of fires. I do not pull by the wire, or lasso it over my head screaming--but at the same time, I am not going to put on white gloves and rub it down with baby oil each night.

I will use it like how it is supposed to be used--a solid product without defects.

It is Apple's problem--even Apple acknowledges that. It seems the only people who refuse to get it are fanboys. And this is not directed at you or anyone in particular, but I just find it ridiculous when fanboys blame it on end-users when it is clearly a long-documented manufacturer defect.

If this were a problem with any other maker (e.g. Dell), please be honest with what your response would be. I am betting that it is not the responses we are getting.

 

[dukebound85]

It is Apple's problem--even Apple acknowledges that. It seems the only people who refuse to get it are fanboys. And this is not directed at you or anyone in particular, but I just find it ridiculous when fanboys blame it on end-users when it is clearly a long-documented manufacturer defect.

hardly

unless its a systemic issue, the fault is usually in the user and how they maintain their gear. im not defending apple either. people are just too sue happy in this country when alot of failures are probably a result of their habits

long documented? as in a few instances out of millions sold?