Leaving your charger plugged in can be dangerous: some of the most common hazards

by Vincenzo Terranova

October 06, 2021

Leaving your charger plugged in can be dangerous: some of the most common hazards
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We all live practically attached to our smartphones these days, or in front of the illuminated screen of our computer, whether it is for work or amusement; these electronic devices have one thing in common: once they have been used their batteries start to drain and they need to be plugged in to the first available outlet. How many times have you forgotten the charger plugged into the socket, without it being used to charge anything? It has happened to us many times, and it's not something that should be done for many reasons...

via TFC Electric

Alan Levine/Flickr

Alan Levine/Flickr

Leaving a charger plugged in without charging a device can be harmful for many reasons, some of which are not at all obvious. Leaving it abandoned in the socket without connecting it to a corresponding smartphone or computer is not advisable because, before anything else, with time it may start to overheat and stop functioning properly, and that is not all.

Some chargers that can be found on the market, generally the less costly ones, don't conform to the applicable regulations and standards for electronic devices; some of these "imperfect" models don't isolate as they should the plug from the rest of the charger, which could cause a short-circuit, dangerous electric shocks or even a fire inside the house. Furthermore there is the issue of wasting energy.

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Piqsels

Piqsels

Leaving a charger plugged in without connecting it to a corresponding device could be one of the causes of an unexpected waste of energy; even if to a lesser extent, the charger could continue to consume electricity; in fact, you should always remember that any charger is capable of consuming energy even when it is not attached to a cell phone or laptop. An important problem, considering that energy consumption is harmful for the environment. What should be done to prevent this?

In reality it is easier than it appears: all we have to do is adopt a few simple precautions and pay more attention to how we use the batteries of our electronic devices so that we avoid plugging them in too often. Then, when we have finished charging our electronic devices, we should always remember to not only unplug the device, but also to remove the charger from the power socket!

 

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