To turn off the switches at plug sockets?

[KenAdams]

I do it for phone chargers etc, but not kitchen appliances. DH says it drives him mad because his phone doesn't charge when he's plugged it in overnight because I've turned the switch off and is unnecessary (he comes from a country where they don't have switches on plugs), but I've always done it because I just thought you were supposed to.

Who is being unreasonable?

He is being unreasonable, plugs should be switched off when not in use and I switch the kettle and toaster off at the plug too after I use them. If it keeps annoying him then he needs to take an extra second to check the plug when he puts the charger in it.

I've never understood why plugs should be switched off - if the appliance is not switched on, no flow of electricity - so why switch it off?

And why do you switch his phone charger off at night when you know he needs to charge his phone...?

If you are switching the socket off whilst his phone is charging then yabu. If he is not checking the socket himself when he plugs it he is being unreasonable ..

YABU. Do you think plug sockets 'leak' electricity?

I don't know! I don't know what the function of the switch actually is!

Not when the phones already charging obviously, but all day when it's not.

My Dad is like this. he can't explain why it's ok to keep the freezer plugged in and switched on but nothing else though.

YANBU. A charger left plugged in will consume electricity even if there's no phone attached. He only needs to glance and check it - it takes two seconds!

Also, the switch exists as a safety mechanism, as small fingers/objects inserted into a plug socket won't get a shock if it's switched off at the wall. Better safe than sorry...

My mum is like this. She turns off all the plugs every time she visits me. Aaargh!

OP I sympathise with your DH. YABU

Actually, in the UK, there is a thing about plugs and sockets, I seem to recall. It's to do with the pin pushing in and making the thing live, whether it's turned on or not

It's why socket covers are a really bad idea.

socket cover dangers

Whether it makes leaving actual plugs in a danger too, I don't know, and I may be mixing two totally different things, but I have read about house fires starting because of faulty sockets, so I think it's always a good idea to remove them unless they have to be kept on.

I have a DS who does this.

When he was little he thought the electricity would leak out if it wasn't switched off. The habit has just stuck with him (9yo now).

It looks tidier imo

I unplug everything I can. Two separate electricians in two separate cities a few years apart told me that even if something is switched off, it will still 'leak' a little electricity if plugged in. I switch off things like the washing machine and unplug the kettle when not in use and never leave things on standby.

If there is eg a clock on the microwave then it is drawing power. If there is a 'power on' light it is drawing power. My gas cooker actually has an electric clock and that eats electricity, as does the microwave if it is plugged in even when not in use.

You are only saving fractions of pennies per hour, but I bet they add up to enough over a year. Not a huge amount, but if you are being careful then worth while thinking of.

Keeping things plugged in can also add to a (very low) fire risk.

Sparkling

Freezers aren't inherently safer - we just risk it because of their function.

My electrician (!) actually had his kitchen freezer go up in flames one afternoon and the whole kitchen was gutted. (He and his family got out safely and were unhurt because it was during the day and they were all up and doing.)

yanbu. Chargers left plugged in are one of the biggest causes of house fires.

cozie

\link{http://www.manchesterfire.gov.uk/updates/news/31may2013_electrical_fire_safety.aspx\It's }just Manchester but still interesting -and you could extrapolate.

I drive everyone mad by switching off all the plugs at night. It is supposed to be safer although maybe I should be pulling out the plugs too.

During a recent domestic fire safety check by the local Fire Brigade, I actually asked the firemen about this and their view was that switching off at the plug is fine.

(I won't, however, repeat the language they used when they saw an old adapter plug sitting on a shelf. I more or less had to swear on my family's life that nowadays we only used gang adapters and that I would put the adapter plug in the bin directly!)

I always turn off sockets that have phone chargers in them because they'll still draw a current even with no phone attached - that's the same for anything that uses a transformer BTW.

If your OH can't manage to check when he plugs it in maybe he needs to review whether he's qualified to actually own the thing

I switch everything off at plug on a night.I've always done it though not fridge/freezer!

I think, Moms, that the problem is that most people nowadays don't actually understand electricity. At least now - with ready wired appliances - they can't usually put the wrong fuses in plugs (as people used to because they didn't understand how they worked) but there are still plenty of other options for making mistakes.

YANBU, but it can be a pain when some things are turned off at the switch (chargers) and other things aren't (toaster). If you aren't the one doing the turning on and off it can be easy to forget/not notice what's been left on and what hasn't. A blanket rule of either 'everything that can be switched off is switched off' or 'everything's left switched on' is easier.

What type of adaptor cozie ? An adaptor for a foreign plug or one of those cube ones that make 2 plug sockets out of one?

My dad is obsessed with switching things off, fire hazard you see.
Every time he's been round I end up waiting 10 minutes for the kettle to boil before I realize, drives me mad.

Oh goodness we've got loads of those cube type adaptors - are they not thought to be safe now?