Cellular communication has become a part of our daily life. The cell phone is powered by a rechargeable battery. Its charge usually lasts a maximum of two to three days of normal use of the phone, after which the battery is recharged from the charger.
After charging is complete, it is advisable to disconnect the charger from the mains, but some users do not. So the picture shown in Figure 1 is not uncommon.
Is it advisable to disconnect the charger from the outlet
Most often, the following considerations are put forward in favor of the mandatory disconnection of an unused charger from the outlet.
The charger continues to consume current in idle mode, and you have to pay for the power consumption. Everything is correct about the current consumption, but only the annual consumption of even the most imperfect models will not exceed one kW * hour. It is not without reason that some manufacturers of electrical fittings began to produce socket assemblies with built-in charging module and USB-output, Figure 2, which allow you to abandon the inconvenient external blocks.
Continuous exposure to mains voltage will shorten the service life of the device. There is a certain reason for this, but with a typical declared resource of 50 thousand hours, its obsolescence occurs noticeably earlier than physical.
Risks of fire as a result of internal short circuits during breakdown of energized circuits. Such a possibility does exist, but in reality it should be feared only in relation to cheap chargers manufactured in Southeast Asia and not certified by leading manufacturers of cellular phones.
When is it worth unplugging the charger
The situations considered earlier actually correspond to some idealized picture. And any such picture in certain, although, in fairness, few cases will be far from reality.
What are these cases?
First of all, the presence of small children and pets at home, who are united by the desire to taste everything out of unconscious curiosity. The sheathing and insulation of the patch cord wires is rather weak and easily damaged, resulting in electric shock.
The poor condition of the wiring and the charger itself, which at the most inopportune moment will create a short circuit in the network, which can even lead to a fire, Figure 3.
And, finally, there are high risks of flooding the apartment when the charger lying on the floor is in the water, which again leads to a short circuit.
Conclusion
Compliance with the disconnection rule for cell phone charging is desirable, but violation of it in most cases does not lead to negative consequences. Therefore, everyone makes the decision on its implementation independently.