# Do Chargers use electricity when...?



## Tom Young (Sep 22, 2013)

Do the chargers for your small appliances, phones, laptops etc,.... use electricity when they are plugged in, but the appliance is not attached or being charged?  
Yes or No before you look here: 

http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/everyday-tech/plug-in-transformer.htm


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## Diwundrin (Sep 22, 2013)

I don't have any chargers plugged in but do have those little night glow lights plugged in around the joint so I can navigate at night if I need to without blinding myself with the main lights.  Guess they cost a bit but my bill was down a 100 bucks on this time last year, (only used the heater about 5 nights all winter) so I can afford my li'l lights.


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## Diwundrin (Sep 22, 2013)

Me too, but I check it when a load goes in before I power it up.  

  Used a dryer in a motel once and wondered what the 'felt' pad was in it. It was accumulated lint from god knows how long!  How that thing didn't blow up is a miracle.  

Pulling plugs on everything is a good idea that I should follow more diligently.


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## SifuPhil (Sep 22, 2013)

I would say (without cheating first!) that a charger for small appliances / phones / etc. uses electricity when not charging if only in the form of the constantly circulating currents in the circuits. There has to be a certain amount of resistance in the charger and so a very minimal amount of wattage lost.

Just my guess ...


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## JustBonee (Sep 23, 2013)

> *Do Chargers use electricity when...?*



They are warm to the touch,  so YES they are using electricity.    
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fftopic:And something else ... surge protectors ... through experience,  I've learned that there are surge protectors and then there are SURGE PROTECTORS ... lol.  Most on the market can fail you - best thing is to turn off or better yet, unplug during an electrical storm and keep your electronics 100%  safe.


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## TICA (Sep 23, 2013)

I have a little rig that you can plug things into when the power goes out but it doesn't look like the one in the picture (didn't read the arcticle).   Mine must use some electricity because there is a light that indicates that it is either in the process of being charged or that the charge is full.  Then again..... the charger itself could be powering the light.  Geezzzzz - I don't know!


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## Jambi (Sep 23, 2013)

Diwundrin said:


> I don't have any chargers plugged in but do have those little night glow lights plugged in around the joint so I can navigate at night if I need to without blinding myself with the main lights.



Do they turn off in the daytime? Oddly, those type use more power in 'off' mode, but either mode is not much power.


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## rkunsaw (Sep 25, 2013)

When I read the title of this post my first thought was the charger for the electric fence around my garden.

Of course it uses electricity,and sends it through the wire.

I turn off my surge protector but don't unplug it. I have several chargers for various things around the house. All of them together use such a minimal amount of electricity it's not worth the effort to go around the house unplugging them all.

A much better way to save electricity is to get rid of the so called security lights that stay on all night so thieves won't have to stumble around in the dark to steal things.


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## JustBonee (Sep 27, 2013)

rkunsaw said:


> A much better way to save electricity is to get rid of the so called security lights that stay on all night so thieves won't have to stumble around in the dark to steal things.



My neighbors have a security light behind my property,  and we have an 8' wall running along the property line, and  that light has become a 'grow light'  for my palm trees by the swimming pool.  The light runs along that wall.   Some of those palms used to struggle to survive, especially during the hot summer.  But now they are growing like crazy. .. and I'm sure it's that light they put in last year.


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## That Guy (Sep 27, 2013)

Some brilliant ass decided we needed auto-on/off lights in the buildings I visit during my thrilling working hours.  They usually don't come on until one is halfway down the aisle and, of course, go off at just the right moment.  I hate brilliant asses!


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## WhatInThe (Dec 30, 2013)

SifuPhil said:


> I would say (without cheating first!) that a charger for small appliances / phones / etc. uses electricity when not charging if only in the form of the constantly circulating currents in the circuits. There has to be a certain amount of resistance in the charger and so a very minimal amount of wattage lost.
> 
> Just my guess ...



Excellent points-Warm to the touch and surge protectors.

Most chargers are transformers and just a fluctuation or change in current can damage them. Also more and more devices work on or off of lower voltages yet many people are using surge protectors designed for higher voltage 1990s electronics. You want to buy the lowest joule rated surge protector available for small devices/chargers. A salesman tried to sell me one say oh this one has a higher joule rating. The higher joule rating means more voltage will pass through before it trips. In other words the shut off or trip point is too high for many small devices.


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