Hi all, zero electrical knowledge so please go easy on the tech talk 
I am going round in circles online, now hoping for some solid advice. I purchased a Coway Airmega 50 air purifier recently to help with air quality and allergies. Worked a treat until I discovered plug getting hot when on maximum power for 30 mins+ and warm when on power setting 2.
Reported it and was sent a replacement. Having same issue. Everything online says hot plugs are a no-no. Customer service has been good and I have zero animosity towards them. I've been running tests to see what the different power settings do to the plug. No other devices in my home get hot plugs and I have tested both purifiers in 3 rooms over 4 sockets, I always get a hot plug on max power. PC and dehumidifier are on for 8hrs regularly and don't get hot plugs (not even warm) so I am assuming it's an issue with the air purifier.
Googling brings up the following:
If the plug gets hot in four different sockets while other devices do not, the problem is a severe defect within the Coway Airmega 50 plug or internal wiring itself. Because you have ruled out a faulty wall socket by testing multiple outlets, you must stop using the air purifier immediately and leave it unplugged. [1]
What Is Happening Inside the Device?
Since a healthy Coway Airmega 50 only draws 14 watts (about 0.06 amps), it is physically impossible for it to generate noticeable heat under normal operating conditions. The fact that it heats up every socket it touches means one of two things is wrong with the device: [1, 2]
Coways latest response to me when I told them the second unit also gets a warm plug on setting 2 and hot on max power:
Because you have experienced the exact same heating behaviour, it is highly unlikely to be a random internal manufacturing defect with both machines. Instead, what you are feeling is likely the standard operating temperature for this specific model's power plug when running continuously at higher speeds. While the plugs for some appliances remain completely cold, others can become noticeably warm under continuous load.
While a plug can become warm during extended operation, it should never become dangerously hot to the touch. If the plug feels too hot to hold, or if you notice any strange sounds, burning smells, or smoke, please stop using the device and keep it completely unplugged from the outlet.
Because the replacement unit would have the exact same electrical specifications, we want to ensure we understand exactly what is happening before proceeding.
My question:
I'm wondering how hot is too hot, (I have no way to measure the temperature) no smoking or signs of damage anywhere but I would class the plug as definitely warm on lower setting, and hot on full power. Not scalding, but definitely hot after 30 mins to an hour of operating.
Is Google right? Should a device with these specs never even get a warm plug? Do Coway need to do further investigations/potential recall if I have had 2 units now with the same issue? Photo of plug and device info attached. It has been on for 2 hours now at max, unplugging it the back of the plug case is still hot, the metal pins are not hot. I just noticed that the plug says battery charger on it - is that okay?
Many thanks
I am going round in circles online, now hoping for some solid advice. I purchased a Coway Airmega 50 air purifier recently to help with air quality and allergies. Worked a treat until I discovered plug getting hot when on maximum power for 30 mins+ and warm when on power setting 2.
Reported it and was sent a replacement. Having same issue. Everything online says hot plugs are a no-no. Customer service has been good and I have zero animosity towards them. I've been running tests to see what the different power settings do to the plug. No other devices in my home get hot plugs and I have tested both purifiers in 3 rooms over 4 sockets, I always get a hot plug on max power. PC and dehumidifier are on for 8hrs regularly and don't get hot plugs (not even warm) so I am assuming it's an issue with the air purifier.
Googling brings up the following:
If the plug gets hot in four different sockets while other devices do not, the problem is a severe defect within the Coway Airmega 50 plug or internal wiring itself. Because you have ruled out a faulty wall socket by testing multiple outlets, you must stop using the air purifier immediately and leave it unplugged. [1]
What Is Happening Inside the Device?
Since a healthy Coway Airmega 50 only draws 14 watts (about 0.06 amps), it is physically impossible for it to generate noticeable heat under normal operating conditions. The fact that it heats up every socket it touches means one of two things is wrong with the device: [1, 2]
- A Faulty or Corroded Molded Plug: The manufacturing process may have left a loose connection where the power cable meets the metal pins inside the plastic plug. When electricity tries to pass through this loose bridge, it creates intense localized resistance, turning the plug itself into a tiny heating element.
- An Internal Partial Short Circuit: There could be a defect in the internal transformer, circuit board, or motor of the air purifier. This defect is bypassing the machine's natural resistance, forcing the unit to draw vastly more current than the 14 watts it is rated for. The plug gets hot because the wire is carrying a dangerous level of electricity it was never designed to hold. [1]
Coways latest response to me when I told them the second unit also gets a warm plug on setting 2 and hot on max power:
Because you have experienced the exact same heating behaviour, it is highly unlikely to be a random internal manufacturing defect with both machines. Instead, what you are feeling is likely the standard operating temperature for this specific model's power plug when running continuously at higher speeds. While the plugs for some appliances remain completely cold, others can become noticeably warm under continuous load.
While a plug can become warm during extended operation, it should never become dangerously hot to the touch. If the plug feels too hot to hold, or if you notice any strange sounds, burning smells, or smoke, please stop using the device and keep it completely unplugged from the outlet.
Because the replacement unit would have the exact same electrical specifications, we want to ensure we understand exactly what is happening before proceeding.
My question:
I'm wondering how hot is too hot, (I have no way to measure the temperature) no smoking or signs of damage anywhere but I would class the plug as definitely warm on lower setting, and hot on full power. Not scalding, but definitely hot after 30 mins to an hour of operating.
Is Google right? Should a device with these specs never even get a warm plug? Do Coway need to do further investigations/potential recall if I have had 2 units now with the same issue? Photo of plug and device info attached. It has been on for 2 hours now at max, unplugging it the back of the plug case is still hot, the metal pins are not hot. I just noticed that the plug says battery charger on it - is that okay?
Many thanks
If coway and respondents here think it's fine and safe and won't set my flat on fire if the unit is running for 8+ hours a day, then ok, I'll trust you all. It has just thrown me because no other appliances in my home get hot plugs in use after hours, so it absolutely felt concerning.
