Can you electrocute charging your phone with a powerbank?

Power Bank Battery. Can you electrocute charging your phone with a power bank?

You won’t be electrocuted with a power bank battery, but stupidity goes a long way to always find a way to make a bad situation worse.

If you really must charge your mobile phone while using it nearby water, using a portable charger or power bank is the way to go. Power banks have most of them the same voltage ratings of 5 volts. Please check the max voltage the unit outputs and then understand that it is at your own risk. Like I said above, stupidity is the root of many accidents and I would never recommend you do this. The potential of an accident is not worth the risk. Keep electrical devices away from water.

With a typical power bank pushing 5V 2A, it is definitely safer than a wall socket charger. You can nowadays find power banks with voltages of 5, 6, 7, 9 and even 11V (most of the Power Banks in the market only have 5V) but they all still provide an amperage of 2A power which is not enough power to electrocute a person. On the other hand, a live wall socket delivers 230 volts of electrical charge, which can be leaked from a loose cable or connection and that will fry you alive. Trust me, there have been many people killed in this manner while taking a bath or a shower. All you need is a tiny little hole or tear where the cable is exposed and you are in mega serious trouble.

Never, ever charge your mobile phone or power bank from the mains in wet places such as bathrooms and swimming pools. Water is a very good conductor of electricity and upon contact, you will have the 230 volts of electrical charge from the mains travelling through your body, immediately. It is really scary and many people have been killed and literally burnt/fried alive because of an accident where water and electricity got mixed. Water and electricity don’t mix at all, ever, under any circumstances.

Although the voltage capacity on a power bank is low,  a short circuit from a 12-volt source can produce a high current which could be fatal. While it is normal for power banks to output 2.1 amperes, a short circuit could exceed 100 amperes. You must remember that a mere 0.5 amperes of electrical direct current to the heart is enough to kill a person. This thermal runaway can happen in a very short time and it could cause skin burns when in contact with the body.

Most modern power banks have built-in over-current protection, overcharge protection, short circuit protection, over discharge protection, or high-temperature protection so these would never happen. Do check with the manufacturer before you buy to ensure the unit you are considering to buy has those safety features. You must only buy power banks with these safety features. They are there for a reason and if that means you spend a little bit more, then so be it. Safety first.

Below are some ideas of power banks that have built-in security on them and they are very good. Click on the link to read full reviews.

RAVPower 3-Port Charger 26800mAh

Anker PowerCore 26800 Charger

EC Technology 22400mAh Charger

Anker PowerCore 20100 Power Bank

Poweradd Pilot X7 20000mAh Charger

RAVPower Power Bank 16750mAh

If you think your phone or charger, or charger cable have any potential electrical problems, dispose of them and buy a new one. Would you say it is worth it to carry a faulty electrical device/ battery with you to which you plug and unplug other electrical devices? I would say, no way. Use your brain, at the first sign of malfunction, stop using the power bank and dispose of it (don’t just bin it, it is dangerous, take it somewhere that handles battery disposal).