Is it ok to leave my laptops ac adapter plugged in the wall outlet all the time?

[yologirl00001]

I want to leave it there day and night, I'll connect it to the laptop when I need to charge the laptop. The reason being is to avoid sparks/arcs that occur whenever I connect the adapter to the outlet. Is this a safe/good idea?

Thanks

[Allan]

If you plug the adapter into the wall before you plug it into the computer, you won't have to worry about the sparks.

[DaveLembke]

Its best to plug the power supply plug to the laptop first and then plug the power supply into the outlet. The arcs and sparks when reversing the order can pit the connections in the power jack and eventually ruin the power jack.

As far as leaving it plugged in all the time, this can lead to another problem in which the laptop battery is always charged and never goes through a drain/charge cycle and so the battery life for the laptop can be lessened as the battery dies prematurely.

One work around is a power strip with a rocker switch. Flip the switch on when your planning on using the laptop and flip the switch off when not in use. The laptop battery just from sitting will drain some and so each time the laptop is given power through the power strip it will top off the battery. Even better would be to occasionally run the laptop down to about 20% and then give it a long charge cycle after this to help with battery life before having to replace the battery.

*I myself with my laptops only have them plugged into an outlet when i need to charge them before use or if I am gaming etc and the battery will run down fast under load. Other than that I will run them intentionally off of their batteries and run them no lesser than 12%, this way there is still enough juice left for a safe shutdown, and then give it a charge cycle. 20% is usually when I grab the power supply and plug it in if I need to continue to use the laptop or stop using it and give it a charge cycle with the computer shut off so that the power supply can give all its juice to the battery instead of trying to keep laptop running with its power needs + charging of the drained battery.

[yologirl00001]

If you plug the adapter into the wall before you plug it into the computer, you won't have to worry about the sparks.

it sparks even when i plug it into the wall and its not already connected to the laptop..

[DaveLembke]

It will spark as you plug it into outlet without laptop connected as for there is a sudden high current draw at the get go for a second until the capacitors in the power supply are up to 19V DC etc. This is normal. You can get away from this sparking by using a power strip and rocker switch on it to connect and disconnect power to laptop power supply. There is a transformer inside the power supply with a primary winding that also can create an induction high voltage spark as the transformers magnetic field collapses as well, but its usually just the split second high current draw right as the plug is plugged in that makes the quick spark and no further sparking while plugged in unless laptop is not connected to the power supply in which then you get a 19V DC spark in the power connection with the laptop if its a 19V DC model etc.

[yologirl00001]

is a surge protector better than a power strip?

my adapter cord has black "burnt" marks, I dont know what there called, I think its because of all the sparks/arcs that have occured

[Allan]

Its best to plug the power supply plug to the laptop first and then plug the power supply into the outlet. The arcs and sparks when reversing the order can pit the connections in the power jack and eventually ruin the power jack.

Hi Dave. Regarding your statement above, can you please point me to some documentation? I'm not questioning your claim, but I've always done it the other way and recommend that others also do the same. If I've been wrong all these years I'd love to be able to read something verifying that. Thanks

[BC_Programmer]

Hi Dave. Regarding your statement above, can you please point me to some documentation? I'm not questioning your claim, but I've always done it the other way and recommend that others also do the same. If I've been wrong all these years I'd love to be able to read something verifying that. Thanks

AFAIK, An AC to DC Transformer will draw AC even when there is no load, and after unplugged the capacitors will hold a charge for quite a length of time, so realistically I'd argue that in a humid environment you can't really prevent sparks. Mind you, I don't have any documentation for that myself, just my observations of AC to DC Transformers which get warm and emit coil whine when there is no load suggesting they are still drawing power from the wall, and how the device they are attached to will sometimes light it's LED for a fraction of a second when attempting to turn it on when the wall wart/power brick is unplugged, but won't when it isn't (which tells me it's not, say, internal capacitors in the device). I also have no idea whether this would go towards plug first or device first.

I myself have never really paid any mind to what order I plugged bricks/wall warts in.

As far as leaving it plugged in all the time, this can lead to another problem in which the laptop battery is always charged and never goes through a drain/charge cycle and so the battery life for the laptop can be lessened as the battery dies prematurely.

Anecdotally, my Toshiba Satellite L300 from February, 2008 has a battery that is now 8 years old. I seldom power the system from battery, particularly now that it has been replaced as my primary laptop. However it can still power the system for a little over 2 hours, which to me seems  to be better than I would expect given it's age (it originally powered it for about 3). My understanding is that Lithium-Ion batteries don't get the same benefit from being discharged as other battery types and aside from excessive charging voltage the main consideration would be storing the battery, in which case discharging it is preferred. Even so- High temperatures have a greater effect than the charge.

At any rate the way it's been explained here makes me think there is something else going on like perhaps poor grounding, as I can't see a device sparking such that it damages or leaves burn marks.

[Geek-9pm]

You may use either Helium or Nitrogen as Dielectric gas.
To reduce the sparking, take the  laptop and power adapter into a small room. like a broom closet. Fill the closet with nitrogen gas. About one pound of gas should be enough. Then you can plug in the device in any order and not worry about sparking.
But giving this some thought, there must be a better way. I don't think that is what other people do.

[patio]

Sparks mean 2 things...faulty house wiring...or faulty power brick...
It shouldn't happen although i realise conditions can sometimes cause it...but it ain't normal

[patio]

You may use either Helium or Nitrogen as Dielectric gas.
To reduce the sparking, take the  laptop and power adapter into a small room. like a broom closet. Fill the closet with nitrogen gas. About one pound of gas should be enough. Then you can plug in the device in any order and not worry about sparking.
But giving this some thought, there must be a better way. I don't think that is what other people do.

You need to calm down Geek...

[camerongray]

I second bc's comment.  I've never paid attention to the order that I plug things in, there's really not an exact science to it.

I don't however leave adapters connected to the mains all the time, they use a tiny bit of power even when not connected to a device and I'd rather avoid the (tiny) risk that the adapter could develop a fault and blow up when it's left unattended.  That said I don't get sparks since I'm in the UK where we have well designed wall outlets (sorry USA but your outlets freak me out!  )

[patio]

We design them that way...

[Geek-9pm]

OK. I will try to be calm.

Sparking can and does happen when the appliance is already powered on.  Many devices do not have a switch the fully disconnect device from the power main. Some types of power packs have very large inrush currents. Often over 50 amps for a fraction of a second. I think in the EU that have more strict rules about this. Not sure.

Power switches are made to suppress arcing and h contacts are  s inside a plastic holder to prevent the spark from traversing if there were possible volatile fumes in the environment.

The common wall connector used-in the USA has not arc or flame suppression and is not suitable in any industrial environment where arcing could start a fire or explosion.

You can Google for more information this topic.

Attachment image of a simple PSU with a kind of inrush control device. These were once using on older TV sets.




[attachment deleted by admin to conserve space]

[Salmon Trout]

The only place an arc (and it is an arc) can occur in this situation is where the brass (male) prongs of the plug meet the female contact blades in the outlet, at the moment of connection and disconnection. The most usual cause is that the contact blades are worn or have lost their spring tension. Most power outlets in the UK have a double pole switch. Switches like this are designed with a sprung 'snap' action to make a good clean make or break, as opposed to the more uncertain connection/disconnection action that would be seen when manually inserting or removing a plug. However the contacts can get worn or pitted, especially when breaking heavy loads, such as multi kilowatt devices. Also the springs can get slack. Bottom line, excessive or noticeable arcing, or pitting, especially with light loads like domestic IT equipment, points to the need for outlet renewal.