Article content
You’ve probably already heard that you should never leave a charger plugged in when it’s not charging. Find out why that’s the case.
Dangerous chargers
There are many claims and rumors about the correct and incorrect use of chargers. Some of them, however, are based in truth.
For example, the advice that you shouldn’t leave a charger plugged in when you’re not using it. The most common argument is the potential risk of fire.
But that’s far from the only reason, even though it’s a legitimate one. Read on to see the other arguments for proper charger use.
Charging costs a significant amount of money
Given rising electricity costs and the number of devices that require occasional charging, this is not a negligible reason. Try calculating how many chargers you have at home — if you live in a household of four with two teenage children, the tally might look like this.
Phone charger – 4x, laptop charger – 4x, e-cigarette charger – 2x, charger for a smartwatch and other devices – 3x. That would be 13 chargers in total. If you left them all plugged in at least three hours a day without any devices connected, their annual consumption would amount to approximately 185 Wh per charger per year.
At current electricity prices, such a charger costs about 380 CZK. If you multiply this figure by the total number of chargers, you’ll find you’re currently wasting 4,940 CZK. Don’t feel like getting up and going to the living room to unplug it?
Fire
Probably the most popular argument is the potential risk of fire when a charger is plugged in “idle.” You may shrug it off, but it’s better to think about it.
Most people plug a charger into an outlet they rarely use, so it’s more likely they’ll forget to unplug it. Although all electrical appliances must meet certain standards today, there are still some that violate them — and those are the risky ones.
According to the Federal Association for Consumer Protection, some chargers made in China do not meet the relevant technical standards. One of the “errors” is imperfect insulation between the charger’s input and output, which poses a significant risk of electric shock.
Conclusion
Another drawback is poorly assembled or low-quality components that can easily overheat and cause the much-discussed fire or, in other cases, a short circuit requiring an electrician’s intervention.
You’ll also be unpleasantly surprised to learn that keeping a fully charged device plugged into the power supply can cause damage and faster wear. Not only can a smartphone battery be damaged, for example, due to so-called overcharging, but high voltage in general can also degrade the quality of a lithium battery.
Also remember that electronic devices such as smartphones, tablets, laptops, etc., can overheat in direct sunlight. Therefore it’s advisable to charge them in a shaded place or cover them with something.
