What was supposed to be a peaceful winter night turned into a nightmare for a Gauteng woman after her rechargeable hot water bottle burned her leg overnight, leaving her with blisters.
Grace Matshoba suffered burn wounds to her leg as a result of her rechargeable hot water bottle touching her bare skin during the night while she was asleep.
“I made sure I had removed the bottle from the charger before taking it to bed with me. I thought nothing would happen because it had a heating and protection function and I’d used it a couple of times before without any issues,” Matshoba said.
She was horrified the next morning to discover her lower leg had been burned.
“The night before, I had put the bottle at my feet. I must have rolled and touched it with my skin during the night. I was sleeping, and I did not feel anything until I woke up the next day,” Matshoba said.
She reported the incident to Dis-Chem, where she bought the bottle, and the pharmacy escalated the issue to SMD Technologies, who are the manufacturer of the Elektra hot water bottle.
In their response to her on July 7, SMD Technologies said they had conducted several checks and tests on the bottle and found no evidence of a fault, physical damage or malfunctioning.
“Additionally, it was stated in your correspondence that the water bottle was used while you were sleeping. Use of this nature is in contravention of the instruction manual which instructs you not to sit or lie with your weight directly or indirectly on the water bottle and to avoid creasing the water bottle,” said their response.
They further offered her a fan heater free of charge.
“Please be advised that this is offered as a gesture of goodwill, on a completely without prejudice basis, in full and final settlement of the matter and should not be misconstrued as an admission of any liability by SMD Technologies,” the company said.
Matshoba rejected both the company’s explanation and its offer.
“I took the matter to them not to be given a heater but to understand why I got burned by a product that guaranteed my protection. Also, if they say we must not use the hot water bottle when we sleep, where must we use it then?” asked Matshoba.
Sowetan Consumer reached out to the company to get further details about Matshoba’s complaint and to find more information about the safe usage of hot water bottles.
Nicole Stanton-Jones, the company’s head of legal, said they inspected the bottle, and their investigation covered power-on and heating performance, the thermostat and automatic cut-off function, and a full physical check of the casing, seams and cable.
“Based on the inspection, the unit itself was not at fault. More broadly, it’s a well-known characteristic of hot water bottles (both electric and traditional) that even heat within a normal, safe operating range can cause a low-level contact burn if it remains against the same area of skin, uninterrupted, for an extended period, particularly overnight while a person is asleep and unable to reposition it. This is why manufacturers advise against prolonged unbroken overnight skin contact with any hot water bottle,” Stanton-Jones said.
Common mistakes consumers make when handling hot water bottles
- Taking the bottle to bed and keeping it in direct, unbroken skin contact overnight,
- Using the bottle while it is still connected to its charger,
- Continuing to use a unit that shows signs of wear, damage, or a fault in the charging port or cord,
- Not allowing the bottle to cool before extended handling or packing away,
- Not charging the hot water bottle on a flat surface,
- Not fully unwinding the power cord during charging.
Tips to users of hot water bottles
- Use the bottle to pre-warm your bed, then remove it before you fall asleep to avoid any unbroken direct skin contact for extended periods, especially overnight.
- Always disconnect the bottle from its charger before use and only use the charge supplied with the unit.
- Inspect the bottle and charging cord regularly for wear or damage, and stop use immediately if either is found.
- Contact an authorised repair centre and do not attempt to self-repair.
- Only use the charger supplied with the unit, and follow the enclosed safety instructions. − Source: SMD Technologies
