Of course, you can leave a charge in the outlet. This was verified by personal experience of millions of people. But there are so many myths created around this practice that it is very difficult to distinguish the right advice from the wrong one. Let's understand the issue and find out the opinion of experts - after all, there is a risk in any case, albeit in most cases not very large.
Power consumption
The charger really consumes electricity all the time, even without a phone. But do not try to reduce your electricity bills by disabling charging. In passive mode, the device consumes a tiny amount of energy, for a month it wraps up a few cents. If you do not turn off the charger from the outlet for a year, the expense will be 1/3 kilowatt. With such savings, you can’t fix the family budget. But if you basically do not want to pay an overrun, even such a small one, pull the charger out of the socket. This is not a question of money, but of desire.
Reduced Life
Another popular myth claims that the “lifespan” of the charger is limited. The longer the charge is plugged in, the faster it will go bad.
There is some truth in this. The life 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 hurt him.
Let's say you will constantly turn off the device. Then the service life will increase by several years. But does that make sense? For 5 years, the power supply will probably have to be replaced - it will be scratched, the connectors will loosen, it may even break. Many people even change smartphones in 3-4 years, because the models become obsolete.
But if you want the charger to work for 10-15 years, and are sure that it will not break for other reasons, be sure to turn it off.
Fire hazard
There are sockets with USB ports. It looks like an ordinary socket with familiar round connectors, below which are rectangular ports - the same as on chargers. And the "filling" at the outlet is the same as that of the charger. Not only wires, but also circuits are hidden under the lid. 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 break out and will not 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 circuit and overloads.
In this case, anything can happen. But the problem is not charging - a short circuit can occur on any part of the circuit. To reduce the risk, do not leave the equipment connected to the network unattended - even a TV and a refrigerator. And better - replace the wiring and put a reliable machine and do not worry about anything.
Another good reason to disconnect the charger is a thunderstorm. But again, the problem is not with the power supply. From the outlets you need to turn off all equipment, these are standard fire safety rules.
And of course, you can not leave a faulty power supply in the outlet. It does not need to be used at all - so you can lose your phone.
Children in the house
This is the only convincing reason to turn off the charge 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 in the port - the slot is narrow with a wire. But the child may well use some kind of metal object - a knitting needle, a nail, a narrow handle of a spoon. In addition, the cord is easy to cut or bite, even strong insulation is not designed for children's games.
The charger has an output current of up to 2 A, and a voltage of up to 5 volts. Such an injury is very painful, so do not risk it. Hide chargers in places where kids cannot climb.
If there is a dog or a cat in the house, the power supply should also be removed away. Animals love to nibble wires. Maybe a short circuit will not happen, but you will definitely lose your 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? Just spend a couple of seconds of your life. If you can turn off charging, do it. It’s safer.