Take It Out Immediately: Why You Shouldn't Leave Your Charger Plugged In

Will we pay more for electricity consumption

A charger connected to the mains consumes power continuously even when the phone is not charging. In passive mode, it consumes a minimum amount of electricity, so that the monthly payment bill will be replenished with mere pennies. If you make a calculation for the year, then the consumption will not exceed 1/3 kW.

Such an amount will obviously not improve your family budget. But if you are a person of principle and are used to being careful about money, then you will never forget to turn off the device after charging the phone.

How will this affect the life of the device?

There is another myth, and it is very popular among the people. Rumor has it that each charge has its own “lifetime” and it depends on how often a person connects it to the network and leaves it to idle. It turns out that the more it is connected to the outlet, the faster it will deteriorate.

Let's not dissemble, there is a grain of truth in this statement. Each device has a service life and for it it is somewhere around 50,000 hours, respectively, 2000 days and approximately 6 years. Charging can be connected to the network all these years and nothing will happen to it.

If you regularly disconnect the device from the network, then its service life will increase by several years. But does it make sense? Over the years of operation, the connectors may become loose, the unit itself may lose its attractive appearance, or new-style charges will be released that will surpass yours in their characteristics.

Phone models age very quickly and people try to buy a new one every 3-4 years, to which a brand new charging unit will definitely be attached. If you are a very zealous owner and do not want to say goodbye to your smartphone and charger for 10-15 years, then regularly turn off the unit after you charge the phone.

Is there a risk of fire

USB ports are provided in special sockets. In appearance, these are ordinary sockets with round connectors, but a little lower you can see rectangular ports, exactly the same as on chargers. In addition, the inside of the outlet is stuffed with the same stuffing as the chargers. If you open the cover, you can see the wiring system and the diagram.

This means only one thing: we have a stationary power supply built into the wall. It is constantly powered from the network, nothing can cause it to ignite, so you should not be afraid of a fire in the house from it.

Some factors can still lead to a fire in the house and among them:

1. faulty or old wiring;
2. automatic protection against overloads and short circuits is not installed.

In these cases, nothing is immune from fire. A short can occur anywhere in the circuit, whether the charger is turned on or not. In apartments with such wiring, you need to carefully monitor the operation of other household appliances (TV, refrigerator). But it’s even better to completely change the wiring and install an automatic machine so as not to worry again.

It is advisable to turn off charging and all household appliances during a thunderstorm. This is a standard fire safety rule that should be followed. If the charging unit is defective, then it should not be left in the socket. If you accidentally use it, you can ruin the phone itself.

Children in the house

This is the only compelling reason to turn off the charger and put it away. You can put a plug on a regular outlet, but you can’t do this with a charger.

The power supply is dangerous even in a passive state. The baby is unlikely to stick a finger into the port - the connector is too narrow. But the child may well use some kind of metal object - a knitting needle, a nail, a narrow spoon handle. In addition, the cord is easy to break or bite through, even strong insulation is not designed for children's games.

If there is a dog or cat in the house, the power supply should also be removed. Animals love to chew on wires.Maybe a short circuit will not happen, but you will definitely lose the charger.

But let's look at the problem from the other side. What happens if we turn off the device as soon as the phone is charged? We're just wasting a couple of seconds of our lives. If you can turn off charging, do so. It's safer that way.

Why you can not keep the charger in the outlet

The first reason we will look at is energy consumption. It is she who is most often cited as an argument against the "storage" of the charger in the outlet. The fact is that the vast majority of modern power supplies are pulse-type designs. And they consume electricity even in the absence load, that is, even at a time when the smartphone is disconnected from charging. Only this consumption is negligible - there is barely 200 rubles worth of electricity a year. Therefore, this argument may be of interest, perhaps, only to defenders of natural resources and extremely economical citizens.

Another minor reason is the reduction in the resource of the power supply itself. Indeed, during the "idle" connection to the network, the charger consumes (though not to the full extent) its resource. But it's not as scary as it might seem. According to manufacturers, chargers are designed for 50-100 thousand hours of operation. In years, this is at least 6 years. But after all, most users change chargers much more often. So this argument is also not very convincing.

Despite the fact that chargers do consume resources while connecting to the network without a smartphone, this does not greatly affect their actual service life.

A much more serious motive to unplug the charger is the risk of fire.The power supply contains capacitors that protect the device from overheating and subsequent fire, which can happen due to power surges in the network. But cheap chargers have poor quality capacitors, and with a significant jump they can fail. A penny power supply in this case can not only get very hot, but also catch fire or even explode. For expensive chargers, the risk is also not zero, although it is significantly reduced.

If at the time of the jump a smartphone is also connected to charging, then there is a high probability of its failure. Applying high voltage current can destroy the internal electronics and damage other parts. Repairing a phone after this will be extremely difficult (if at all possible). Most likely, it will be easier for you to go for a new smartphone.

And the last (but not least) reason to unplug the charger is small children and pets. These active explorers may be seriously interested in dangling cords and even try them by the teeth.

At the output, most charges do not give out such a large voltage - only 5 V. It is impossible to kill a person or even a cat like that, but under a certain (unfortunate) set of circumstances, this voltage can jump up for a second or two. This will be enough for a severe injury or even a tragic outcome. Again, the risk of serious damage from a cheap charger is much higher than from a quality branded one. But we strongly do not recommend testing this in practice. It's easier to unplug the charger and sleep peacefully.

Small residents of the house may be interested in the wire and taste it - it will not end in anything good.

Even if you are not ready to change your habit and plan to leave the charger in the socket, try to accustom yourself to pull it out at least while you are away. After all, while you are not at home, unlucky stars can converge - there will be a power surge, the charger will fail and catch fire, and there it is not far from a real fire.

How to safely use your phone charger

Leaving anything plugged into an outlet unattended is in itself a fire safety violation. One of the most common causes of fire is a short circuit. The average consumer is unlikely to know that something is wrong with his charger. Most people simply shrugs their shoulders at the excessive heating of the device case, explaining this by the usual energy consumption.

By the way, this state is normal, provided that the charging process is being carried out. If the gadget is already turned off, then the heating of the charger indicates a malfunction of the device.

This can lead to melting of the plastic of both the device itself and the socket housing. Ignition and short circuit in this case are quite expected. Even if the charger does not heat up at all, the risk of a short circuit still remains (for example, during a power surge).

It is because of power surges in the network that experts do not recommend leaving their gadgets on charge all night. Both the charger itself and the gadget that “feed” with it can break down.

If you have a power surge protector or the gadget itself is equipped with this function, then you don’t have to worry, power outages will not harm the device being charged.

Many people say that by leaving the phone (laptop, tablet) connected to the outlet after it is fully charged, we significantly reduce the resource of the battery itself, and, consequently, the “life” of the gadget. This statement causes a lot of controversy on the Internet. Proponents of turning off the gadget immediately after charging justify their action by protecting the battery. Opponents, on the other hand, say that on average people change their gadgets every two years, and during this time the battery will be enough, so there is no point in “bothering”.

In addition, all modern devices are equipped with built-in controllers that, after charging, stop supplying energy to the battery, preventing it from “overflowing”. Therefore, if you do not have an old gadget, you can not track the moment it is fully charged, but if your device gets very hot both during the charging process and after it is over, then it makes sense to disconnect it immediately.

Important! When choosing a gadget, it is worth carefully reading the reviews, this moment - whether the device and the charger are heating up - are usually prescribed by users. And one more aspect: when the charger is not disconnected, electricity consumption continues

Of course, it is negligible, up to 3 watts per hour, in monetary terms, these are mere pennies. But if there are several such chargers in an apartment, not to mention an apartment building or office, then you should think about extra expenses

And one more aspect: when the charger is not disconnected, electricity consumption continues.Of course, it is negligible, up to 3 watts per hour, in monetary terms, these are mere pennies. But if there are several such chargers in an apartment, not to mention an apartment building or office, then you should think about extra expenses.

It would be useful to unplug the charger from the outlet if you have boredom nibblers in your house (dogs or cats). It is better if they gnaw through the wire, which will not be supplied with any voltage.

To avoid a variety of problems associated with chargers, you should simply make it a habit to turn off them and all unused devices: phones, tablets, laptops. By following these recommendations, the risk of trouble will be minimized.

Arguments for leaving the charger in the outlet

For many owners of various gadgets, the above dangers do not seem real, and the electricity consumption is actually not too high even with the charging constantly connected to the mains.

Using various memory devices in this mode, they did not encounter spontaneous combustion of the device or its premature failure.

Always in the same place

The charger is a small device, so it is likely to be left in a place that will be the last to be used in searches.

Given the fact that it may be necessary to restore the battery charge of a mobile device as quickly as possible, connecting it to the same outlet at all times will completely eliminate the occurrence of such unpleasant situations.

Apply network filter

In order to minimize the risk of fire in the event of a short circuit, you need to connect the charger to the surge protector.The protective mechanism will automatically turn off the power supply when an excessive load occurs in the device.

The cost of the surge protector is not too high, so this technical solution will significantly increase the safety of using the memory at minimal cost.

As can be seen from the above examples, the number of arguments "for" is much greater than "against", but the last word always remains with the owner of the network charger.

fire hazard

There are sockets with USB ports. It looks like an ordinary outlet with the usual round connectors, below which are rectangular ports - the same as on chargers. And the “stuffing” of the outlet is the same as that of the charger. Not only wires are hidden under the cover, but also circuits. So, this is the same power supply, only stationary - mounted directly into the wall. And it is connected to the network - constantly. Nothing lights up. So you can not be afraid of a fire - the power supply will not flare up and set fire to the house.

But be careful if there are common risk factors in the house:

• old or faulty wiring;
• lack of automatic protection against short circuits and overloads.

In this case, anything can happen. But the problem is not in charging - a short circuit can occur anywhere in the circuit. To reduce the risk, do not leave the equipment connected to the network unattended - even the TV and refrigerator. Better yet, replace the wiring and install a reliable machine and don't worry about anything.

Another good reason to unplug your charger is a thunderstorm. But again, the problem is not in the power supply. Turn off all appliances from outlets, these are standard fire safety rules.

And of course, you can not leave a faulty power supply in the outlet. You don’t need to use it at all - you can lose your phone that way.

This is interesting: Why you can not throw batteries in the trash, why is it dangerous

Why is it dangerous to leave the charger plugged in?

Leaving the charger unattended for a long period of time when there is no need to charge a smartphone or any other gadget can cause a fire, increase electrical energy consumption, or lead to premature failure of the charger.

Electricity consumption

Leaving charging constantly connected to the electrical network is harmful to the family budget. A cell phone charger that is permanently plugged into a power outlet consumes about 0.5 watts of electricity per hour. For a day, such a device will “wind up” about 10 watts, and for a year 3600 watts.

With an electricity price of 5 rubles per kW, for a year you will need to pay about 20 rubles. This figure can be increased by 2 to 3 times if a laptop charger is left in the outlet. For ten years of a constantly connected device, “economic damage” can amount to hundreds of rubles.

Despite relatively small amounts, optimizing costs by turning off chargers and devices in standby mode, as well as switching to more economical devices, will significantly increase the amount of money saved.

Charger cushioning

The cost of branded chargers can be thousands of rubles. The constant inclusion of such devices in the network naturally causes aging of the device and brings it closer to failure.

The cost of buying a new charger is nothing compared to the estimated cost of paying for electricity. For this reason, it is recommended to unplug the charger when the phone is not charging.

A sudden failure of charging will require not only significant financial costs for the purchase of a new product. The battery charge is limited, and if you do not periodically connect the gadget to the charger, then the device will not be able to be used when the battery is completely discharged.

A good backup solution to this problem is to purchase a power bank, which must be constantly kept in a fully charged state.

Probability of short circuit

Short circuit is the most dangerous phenomenon. This condition of the wiring causes fires in which hundreds of thousands of people die every year.

Connecting contacts in the presence of high current leads to their excessive heating and ignition of easily flammable materials, therefore, devices must not be left unattended. Chargers are also no exception to this rule.

A fire as a result of a short circuit can not only cost life or health. As a result of exposure to open fire, valuable items may be lost, as well as irreparable damage to real estate.

The presence of an increased risk of fire with the constant inclusion of charging in the network makes it necessary to turn off the charger when mobile devices are not charging.

Probability of mechanical damage

A permanently plugged-in charger can be completely destroyed by falling heavy objects on it.Moreover, in case of mechanical damage, a short circuit can form, the danger of which was mentioned above.

With the complete destruction of the charger housing, there is also a possibility of electric shock to people. If the voltage in the cable that connects to the gadgets is not too high, then there are standard 220 volts inside the charger.

For this reason, it is not recommended to turn on the charger in the bathroom, where air humidity is always higher than normal.

Charging can be damaged by pets, small children, as well as rodents, which are very partial to being live wires.

Is the charger loading

Any device from frequent and long-term operation is loaded and wears out over time. Charging is no exception. If you constantly keep it in the network, then the voltage will gradually and imperceptibly, but inevitably exhaust your device. This does not mean that in a couple of weeks, you will have to buy a new device. But after a year or two of such use, you may notice that your phone does not charge as quickly or as efficiently as it used to. Of course, this cannot be compared with household damage to the device, such as bumps, friction from frequent use, teeth of animals and children - most people change smartphones and chargers for them much more often than they have time to deteriorate significantly. If you are not used to keeping the same phone with you for years, then this factor can be neglected.

Reduced service life

Another popular myth claims that the "lifetime" of the charger is limited. The longer the charger is connected to the outlet, the faster it will deteriorate.

There is some truth in this.The resource of the device is an average of 50,000 hours. This is about 2000 days, that is, almost 6 years. Therefore, the power supply can be connected to the network for as long as 6 years, and it will not be damaged.

Let's say you will constantly turn off the device. Then the service life will increase by several years. But does it make sense? For 5 years, the power supply will probably have to be replaced - it will be scratched, the connectors will loosen, maybe even break. Many people even change their smartphones after 3-4 years, because the models become obsolete.

But if you want the charger to work for 10-15 years, and you are sure that it will not break for other reasons, be sure to unplug it.

Experts have found out whether it is necessary to unplug the charger from the outlet

How much will you have to pay for a charger that is connected to the network for a whole year, and do you still need to turn off the charger?

An interesting experiment was recently conducted by specialists from the international computer portal. They decided to check how true the opinion is that phone and tablet chargers plugged into the outlet consume a lot of electricity and can pretty much empty their owner's wallet.

The question that computer scientists wanted to answer was simple: should chargers be disconnected from power after the phone is fully charged.

Let's say right away that the answer was negative: you should not turn off the chargers from the outlet for financial reasons.

Any significant waste of electricity specialists from idling the charger was not fixed.

To get at least some data, the experimenters had to load the network with seven chargers from different smartphones and tablets at once.Only then was it possible to record at least some numbers other than zero on the metering devices.

As a result, it turned out that for the whole year, 7 chargers plugged into the outlet will consume only 2.5 kW / h. For a resident of Russia, the cost of this amount of electricity does not exceed 10 rubles. That is, one charge will spend approximately one and a half rubles per year of continuous operation in idle mode.

At the same time, it is worth noting that experts still advise unplugging the charger from the outlet. If not for financial reasons, then at least for security reasons. The fact is that any device connected to the electrical network, hypothetically carries a greater risk than disconnected.

You may also be interested in our other materials on the topic of charging modern gadgets: “Smartphone that works for a month and a half without recharging”, “Smartphone battery that charges in two minutes, presented to the general public” and “Wireless charging for mobile devices invented”.

How to safely use your phone charger

Leaving anything plugged into an outlet unattended is in itself a fire safety violation. One of the most common causes of fire is a short circuit. The average consumer is unlikely to know that something is wrong with his charger. Most people simply shrugs their shoulders at the excessive heating of the device case, explaining this by the usual energy consumption.

By the way, this state is normal, provided that the charging process is being carried out. If the gadget is already turned off, then the heating of the charger indicates a malfunction of the device.

This can lead to melting of the plastic of both the device itself and the socket housing. Ignition and short circuit in this case are quite expected. Even if the charger does not heat up at all, the risk of a short circuit still remains (for example, during a power surge).

It is because of power surges in the network that experts do not recommend leaving their gadgets on charge all night. Both the charger itself and the gadget that “feed” with it can break down.

If you have a power surge protector or the gadget itself is equipped with this function, then you don’t have to worry, power outages will not harm the device being charged.

Many people say that by leaving the phone (laptop, tablet) connected to the outlet after it is fully charged, we significantly reduce the resource of the battery itself, and, consequently, the “life” of the gadget. This statement causes a lot of controversy on the Internet. Proponents of turning off the gadget immediately after charging justify their action by protecting the battery. Opponents, on the other hand, say that on average people change their gadgets every two years, and during this time the battery will be enough, so there is no point in “bothering”.

In addition, all modern devices are equipped with built-in controllers that, after charging, stop supplying energy to the battery, preventing it from “overflowing”. Therefore, if you do not have an old gadget, you can not track the moment it is fully charged, but if your device gets very hot both during the charging process and after it is over, then it makes sense to disconnect it immediately.

Important! When choosing a gadget, it is worth carefully reading the reviews, this moment - whether the device and the charger are heating up - are usually prescribed by users. And one more aspect: when the charger is not disconnected, electricity consumption continues

Of course, it is negligible, up to 3 watts per hour, in monetary terms, these are mere pennies. But if there are several such chargers in an apartment, not to mention an apartment building or office, then you should think about extra expenses

And one more aspect: when the charger is not disconnected, electricity consumption continues. Of course, it is negligible, up to 3 watts per hour, in monetary terms, these are mere pennies. But if there are several such chargers in an apartment, not to mention an apartment building or office, then you should think about extra expenses.

It would be useful to unplug the charger from the outlet if you have boredom nibblers in your house (dogs or cats). It is better if they gnaw through the wire, which will not be supplied with any voltage.

To avoid a variety of problems associated with chargers, you should simply make it a habit to turn off them and all unused devices: phones, tablets, laptops. By following these recommendations, the risk of trouble will be minimized.

If you have any questions on this topic, ask them to specialists and readers of our project here.

Safety

Modern chargers are not just a miniature transformer that steps down the voltage from 220V to 5V.

They have long been smart devices that have built-in protection against voltage surges.

Pay attention to the case of your power supply.You will be surprised, but it is capable of operating in very wide ranges from the standard 220V

In high-quality blocks, the circuit has protection against overheating and short circuits. Such devices themselves are very difficult to burn.

Also, do not forget that today in almost every second apartment, it is considered the norm to have a modular voltage relay in the switchboard.

Of course, we have drops, but in 90% of cases they occur in private houses, powered by old power lines.

At the same time, they are made with bare wires, and not with insulated SIP wire.

In urban high-rise buildings, such problems are much less common. The most likely reason that can burn your charge is a lightning strike in a 10kv or 0.4kv power line.

In this case, a short-term pulse of more than 1000 volts passes through the entire 220V electrical network. Even a voltage relay will not save him.

The only thing that helps here is the use of other modern devices - SPDs. But for some reason, they are much less common in our country than the same UZO or UZM.

Now just walk around the apartment and see what you have included 24 hours a day in addition to charging. Surely it will be:

television

refrigerator in the kitchen

boiler

microwave

washing machine

But even despite the above danger of an overvoltage impulse, you do not pull out the plugs of these devices several times a day from the socket blocks.

Then the question is why this should be done with cheap charging, costing ten times less than everything else.

Moreover, there are also modern wireless chargers.

Here you can order one of them with free shipping. the most popular models at an affordable price and with good reviews.

Their direct purpose is to be constantly plugged into the outlet for your convenience. You throw your phone on such a “pancake” at any time, and it charges without problems.

Now they even produce lockers with built-in wireless chargers.

And there are also sockets where there is a USB connector in parallel with 220V.

You can buy similar copies here.

They certainly never turn off and are always energized.

Inside such devices, you will not find high-quality components, and even more so some kind of smart protection.

These are the charges 100% you need to pull out of the sockets. Moreover, it is better not to use them at all. Even with normal voltage, they are capable of burning your phone.

The main danger in them comes from capacitors. If one of them is located near the transformer, then it heats up.

Subsequently, this heating leads to swelling and explosion. Also, the Chinese save on the copper wire of the transformer itself. As a result, such charges are heated, buzzing and vibrating.

When vibrating, the turns begin to rub against each other and the layer of insulating varnish is erased. An interturn closure occurs.

Eventually at the output of the charger no longer 5V, but 9-12-110, etc. The same capacitors are usually rated for 16V and, if overvoltaged, will explode so that the case shatters into small pieces.

To identify a faulty low-quality product, simply plug the charger into an outlet at idle without a phone. After a few minutes, go up to him and touch the body.

If it gets hot, your charger is most likely defective. Be sure to turn off such a device, it should not warm up.

Also, it should not squeak at idle.This is also an indirect sign of an imminent breakdown.

And in order to 100% avoid problems in a severe thunderstorm with lightning, turn off not only the power source of smartphones, but also all other expensive equipment.

Even if your house has lightning protection and lightning rods.

Lightning is still considered an unexplored phenomenon. And not a single expert will tell you how to save yourself from their side effects for sure.