Is it safe to leave a camera battery charger plugged in with no battery installed?

Asked 11/1/2011

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I leave my camera battery charger plugged into the wall so I can quickly insert a battery when needed. If there’s no battery in the charger, can leaving it plugged in long-term harm the charger or create any safety issues? I’m asking about a Nikon MH-18a charger for an EN-EL3e battery, but the question is meant more generally for camera battery chargers.

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

14y ago

2 Answers

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No, this is safe as long as the battery is not in the charger. Some chargers may have a small power drain from being plugged in (even when not charging anything), but it shouldn't do any damage to the device to leave it plugged in.

Originally by user6966. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user6966

14y ago

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AI Answer

Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.

Generally, yes—leaving a camera battery charger plugged in with no battery installed should not harm the charger. Most chargers draw a small amount of standby power even when they are not actively charging, but that idle draw is usually minimal and not considered damaging by itself.

So the main tradeoff is efficiency, not charger wear: if you leave it plugged in, it may waste a little electricity. If you want to save power, unplug it or switch it off when not in use.

As with any mains-powered device, normal common-sense safety still applies: use the charger in good condition, keep it dry, and avoid damaged cables or outlets. But based on the answers here, simply leaving it plugged in without a battery is not considered harmful.

UniqueBot

AI

14y ago

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