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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To not allow phone chargers to be on overnight?

244 replies

RamblingRita · 09/12/2018 01:19

Massive issues with adult and teen DC over this. Not only phones but ipads as well.

I have told them I do not want them to be charged overnight as the plugs heat up and they are a fire risk.

They are arguing as they never let devices charge enough in the day as they're always on them.

Sick of same old bullshit argument every night when I just want to get into bedAngry.

So AIBU?

Just to add I am the type to unplug everything but the fridge overnight after a relatives house was burned down due something being left plugged in and fire officer said always unplug everything it's possible to at night.

OP posts:
CasanovaFrankenstein · 10/12/2018 17:37

My colleague left a laptop on charge overnight and it burned their house down, fortunately they got out, but everything was ruined.

myhamsteratefreddiestarr · 10/12/2018 17:39

OP YANBU. It is up to other people if they don't care or aren't bothered by the risk, but nobody should be making little of you for caring about the risk. The Fire Brigade usually give advice for a reason.

I had a friend whose tumble dryer burst into flames and burned the kitchen when they were out, a family member who lost half her home and belongings when a freezer went up (admittedly you have to keep that plugged in!). I have had an exploding dishwasher and printer in flames. The printer went up luckily when I was in the office with it, god knows what would have happened if it had been left on overnight.

I turn off everything overnight, bar the skybox. Only ever switch the microwave and oven on if using them as not used daily. I do those things mainly to save electric though. Chargers are never ever left on overnight or when not in the house. I charge my phone in full during the evening while I am up and charge my ipad whilst using it.

Chargers plugged in but not actually charging have gone up in flames, some cheap, some proper brands. No, it may never happen to you, but in my house, why risk it when you don't need to.

BeatriceBee · 10/12/2018 17:40

Apologies if someone has already said this, but a couple of weeks ago on This Morning, Alice Beer did an item on the cost of running electrical items in the home. She said a phone charger costs 3p an hour when switched on, whether it is charging a mobile or not. It doesn't sound a lot but it adds up over the month/year and of course, once the mobile is fully charged the charger will be running unnecessarily for the rest of the night.
Also, isn't it damaging to the battery of the mobile to leave it on charge once it has reached a full charge?
Just a couple of thoughts to help with your argument!

mathanxiety · 10/12/2018 17:42

You are being both unreasonable and silly.

manicmij · 10/12/2018 17:42

Fire risk is there no matter how low. Do you pay for the DCs phones? Think I would be insisting they leave off their phone in the evening in order to charge them. Sorry, but if I was paying I would be setting the rules, consequences- no money for phone.

winniestone37 · 10/12/2018 17:42

You're being ridic', more chance if a car accident.

TheWorldAsh · 10/12/2018 17:42

@LavendarLove that's what you get for buying Samsung. 😀

mathanxiety · 10/12/2018 17:43

Look around at all the houses or flats around you. Do you honestly imagine every device bar the fridge is unplugged every night in every one of those homes?

ReflectentMonatomism · 10/12/2018 17:46

Alice Beer did an item on the cost of running electrical items in the home. She said a phone charger costs 3p an hour when switched on,

She's talking complete bollocks. It might cost 0.03p (ie, three one hundreths of a penny).

3p per hour is 250W. It means that four chargers plugged into an extension board would produce the same heat as a single-bar electric heater, and a single charger would produce the heat of four 60W light bulbs. Manifestly, they don't. A USB charger is about 2.5W, hence my suspicion that someone wrote £0.03 they meant 0.03p.

Oscarsdaddy · 10/12/2018 17:57

You wanna check out house fire stats of how many house fits have been caused by over heating phone chargers, not many I bet. However, your house, your rules and they should be considerate

iseecabbages · 10/12/2018 18:00

I've done fire training course through work and fire brigade advise that phone chargers and other white goods are big cause of house fires.

I won't charge stuff up over night, its not about being controlling it's about trying to keep your family and home safe from fire.

SewingJen · 10/12/2018 18:01

I don't know why everyone is saying you are over-reacting... it is your house, your rules, & you are trying to teach & protect your children... on a more practical note though; why not get a simple multi- plug cable with a cutout function built-in, plug it in downstairs of an evening & tell them it's specifically for charging their phone/devices- they can plug them in before they go up to bed & if you feel happier you can turn it off or unplug it later when you go to bed (it also means they don't have their phones in their rooms over night- which is one of out house rules, as if they are to hand there is always the temptation to use them!) Good Luck😘

bubblegumunicorn · 10/12/2018 18:21

It depends if you bought the chargers from somewhere like Poundland they can blow but official and trusted brands put fuses in there chargers so are not going to blow I used to work for a major phone manufacturer and every time we had a blown charger they were cheep knock offs so you’re safe as long as you don’t buy cheap!

EllenMP · 10/12/2018 18:28

I feel like a £10 smoke detector over each bed would resolve this point of contention in your family. I would have thought you would have them in every bedroom anyway if you have a deep fear of a housefire. I have a battery one in every room, plus the mains electricity ones in the hallways. I also agree with other posters re quality chargers only.

FaithInfinity · 10/12/2018 18:32

It’s hard to say how many phone chargers because they come under the heading of ‘electrical appliances’ As a whole but the most recent stats are here. The thing is, it only takes one thing. The assessor that came to our home said he’d been doing the job for 25 years and he’d never seen a food processor catch fire before, but ours did. He said most common causes of fires he saw were smoking indoors, chip pans and hair straighteners in bedrooms.

The damage our fire did from the time it caught fire to when we got out, called the fire brigade and they came and put it out was pretty devastating. It’s not just the loss of material possessions, it’s the irreplaceable stuff. It’s also your sense of security. We will never be the same again.

cancla · 10/12/2018 18:46

It depends if you bought the chargers from somewhere like Poundland they can blow but official and trusted brands put fuses in there chargers so are not going to blow I used to work for a major phone manufacturer and every time we had a blown charger they were cheep knock offs so you’re safe as long as you don’t buy cheap!

If you used to work for a major phone manufacturer you should know full well that you cannot categorically state what you have said above.

ReflectentMonatomism · 10/12/2018 19:01

've changed all my plug sockets to ones that have USB ports.

Indeed. I have thirty such usb sockets. Aside from the £22 per day this is apparently costing me (thanks to Alice beer I am now readying myself for a £2000 per quarter bill) I don’t need central heating, what with the seven electric fires I now have blazing away 24 hours a day.

Nearly47 · 10/12/2018 19:02

It is the correct advice but very difficult to follow. My compromise is to put chargers in the kitchen where there is a smoke alarm and wouldn't block the way to the front door if a fire was to occur. And on the stone worktop so fire less likely to spread. Never ever in the bedrooms.

Nearly47 · 10/12/2018 19:04

The problem is not just the charger. It is the battery too.

GreatAuntMary · 10/12/2018 19:09

I came on to read this thread thinking it would be amusing (along the lines of someone once telling me she always switched on electrical leads for a while to 'warm up' before using the appliance concerned).

After reading the entire thread, and checking the statistics behind what people have said, and generally reading around this issue, I'm definitely not amused.

There are now new rules in our house: all chargers to be switched off and disconnected overnight and when not in use; no more running the washing machine overnight (a hangover from when we used to have Economy 7 in our last place); lots of switching off and disconnecting appliances which are not being used.

As the OP and other posters have said: it doesn't take long and it lowers the risk - and why wouldn't you want to lower a risk where you can?

celticprincess · 10/12/2018 19:13

I was advised that electronic chargers don’t over charge. Once they are charged they have an auto shut off. The cheap import types may not and this could be the issue and fire risk. My ex fil is a retired fireman and we’ve had all the scare talks and he can’t understand why I’d even put my washing machine on during the day when I’m out!! Seriously if I had to be in the house to supervise it I’d never have clean clothes. I don’t put it on overnight though. I charge my phone overnight but make sure it’s on the bedside table next to my bed rather than left on the floor or a soft furnishing surface as again this can be the fire hazard for when things overheat. I’ve noticed my laptop charger gets hot whilst it’s charging but once it’s charged the charger cools down confirming the auto shut off thing.

GabsAlot · 10/12/2018 19:14

always charge my phone at night-no itt doesnt overheat i only use official chargers aswell

leave everything plugged in aswell tv virgin laptops i do check theyre all cool beforehand

Snowydaysaregreat · 10/12/2018 19:21

I had a charger catch fire and was a genuine one.

cancla · 10/12/2018 19:23

My ex fil is a retired fireman and we’ve had all the scare talks and he can’t understand why I’d even put my washing machine on during the day when I’m out!!

It's more than just a fire risk with washing machines though. More than once my washing machine has made a horrifically loud noise when trying to spin. Switching it off straight away and investigating led me to a kirby grip/piece of plastic/crisp packet/£5 note stuck in the filter. I was able to drain and remove said items. If I had not been in the house the motor would have burnt out eventually and I would be without a functioning machine.

icanbewhatiwant · 10/12/2018 19:25

I’m another switch off person. I don’t unplug. But TVs etc all switched off at the wall. I wouldn’t leave a phone charging overnight either. Though they have been accidentally left on overnight.