Is it dangerous for a laptop to be plugged into the Ac Adapter 24 hours per day?

Question

My son keeps leaving his Dell Inspiron 1520 Laptop plugged into the Ac adapter, ie he leaves it charging 24 hours per day nearly every day?
He says its perfectly safe, but i touch it sometimes and its red hot. I tell him it must be a fire hazard but he says i am just a moron who knows nothing?
Does anybody have any views on this?

Answer 1

Best Answer - Chosen by Voters

Doing this willl shorten the life of the battery

Answer 2

If he called you a moron he's a brat who doesn't deserve a computer. That said, it's safe to leave the computer connected to the AC adapter, in fact I do the same thing. If the "brick" of the AC adapter is red hot that is a concern. It may be defective or not rated to handle the amount of power drawn to run the laptop. I just reached down to check out the "brick" on my adapter. It's barely warm to the touch.

Contact the laptop manufacturer to see if this is an issue. HOT things wear out, damage desk and table surfaces, and if covered with a pile of newspapers without good air circulation can be a fire hazard.

A suggestion? Plug the adapter into a surge protector/power strip that you can switch off when the computer isn't being used.

Answer 3

As long as the plug is correctly fused the unit should be safe.

Since if the unit surges and draws more current than it should do then the fuse will blow and the cabling will be protected. So ensure that a correctly rated fuse is installed.

Laptops and power supplies need to undergo rigorous testing to ensure that they do not explode or catch fire. The manufacturer could be taken to court if such a thing was to happen.

That said, it has happened in the past and it was with a Dell laptop.

So if your son argues then print this and show it to him:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3727…

That should be enough to persuade him.

Apart from being very bad for the environment, there are other financial reasons for not leaving it on all day, like your electricity bill.

The laptop battery shouldn't be affected by being constantly charged if it is the newer Nickel type.

Answer 4

I tend to do it myself with my laptop, so I'd say it's not a real problem.
Most laptops these days work quite well as portable heaters due to their thermal output characteristics, but they're designed for it, to an extent.
On the other hand, laptops aren't designed to be left on permanently, they're supposed to be used when you need portability. Laptops are much easier to damage when cables get caught and pulled out by accident, and they usually get put in places where this is likely to happen.
Being plugged in is not bad at all. Being plugged in and operating 24 hours a day isn't so smart.

Answer 5

not only will the laptop be overheating;
where the laptop becomes so hot things stop working. ( you can purchase fans for the back which cool the computer, but there is no point in this if you can avoid it) also, by charging it so much, apparently the computer starts to need charging more frequently!
also your son is wasting electricity, so definitely only charge it a few hours per day.

Answer 6

I've had my laptop plugged into the mains for 10 days and it hasn't done anything. But I am a bit puzzled about why it gets hot when it's switched off and plugged in. It shouldn't do that as it wouldn't really be charging as it's plugged in all the time when switched off. So might want to get the charger checked out.

Answer 7

As long as it is the correct AC power cord/adapter for that laptop, there is no problem with leaving a laptop plugged in for 24 hours a day. It may get hot, but believe me if there were fire issues, we would have heard a lot of problems in the news by now and that product would have been recalled already.

Answer 8

ok i learnt about this in physics
what happens (roughly) is:
whilst its plugged in, the electrons push through the wire, although the battery on the laptop is full its not putting itself onto the battery and is flowing through the wire, not settling anywhere, which will shorten the life of the ac adapter. the electrons pushing through it wear it out, and the fact they aren't going anywhere shortens its use

Answer 9

i have mine plugged in all the time , it makes everything easier , because i dont have to worry about charging it if i need 2 take it 2 college with me or something like that, or if i need 2 do some work on the train on the way to/from college

its fine dont worry about it , im sure he knows what hes doing
xxx

Answer 10

Well, my Mac Powerbook's been plugged into the mains non-stop for the past 4 years, and nothing drastic has happened.

It's fine, honestly. It might get a little warm, but that's the battery: quite normal. Red hot isn't quite so normal though.

Answer 11

hmmm idk, i have mine hooked up to a thing i bought. you plug it into a outlet and it converts it into 3 outlets, also it has 2 usb ports for charging your ipods.....it also has a serge protector!

Source(s):

its safe? you dont want to over charge it,

Answer 12

i leave mine on all the time. doesn't cost that much, well don't notice it in the bill. my laptop will only last like 30min without being plugged in anyway. it should be fine.

Source(s):

me

Answer 13

should be OK, I leave mine on charge all the time, charger does get hot but nothing to worry about. If anything should go wrong the fuse will blow to protect the cabling

Answer 14

Well, just take the lead away from him and keep it hiden somewhere - When he neads tell him to give it back to you when its charged up, ya think?

Answer 15

I certainly have a view about what would happen to my son if he called me a moron!

Answer 16

I think it will be quite safe but must cost a fortune!

Answer 17

IT SHOULD BE OK AS LONG AS IT CAN VENSULATE PROPERLY