Keeping level 1 charger permamently plugged?

I would say it’s OK since the manual does not warn against it. Before I got my Level 2 EVSE, I kept mine plugged in and it stayed as cold as my unheated garage, so I would say the parasitic drain is negligible. The orange led just indicates you’ve got power going to it and it’s ready to use. I also used a 12 gauge extension cord with no problem and not even any warming up of cord, connections, or breaker. If you have it plugged in outside just be sure to protect all the connections from rain or snow. There are threads on that.

 

We leave our level 1 charger plugged in, both to the wall outlet and the car, all the time (except during thunderstorms). I measured the power usage of the OEM charger and it’s negligible. I’ve read nothing that says we shouldn’t do that.

 

I always keep my L1 plugged in. Was away for four days and the charger was cool and felt the same as the ambient temperature of my unheated garage (45 F). I left the car unplugged because I was curious if there would be any battery drain. Plugged the car in, the green light went on and then shut off after a few seconds because the battery was still full I know it was only a few days, but I expected some minor runoff of the battery - even if it was only a few minutes of charging.

 

Thanks for mentioning thunderstorms. We're good about unplugging our sensitive electronics during storms but neglected the charger. It would be expensive to replace so we'll be sure not to forget from now on!

 

Honda manual even suggest you mount the big adapter block on the wall for when plugged in permanently in the garage somewhere. So I'd say it's perfectly safe to do so.

 

I can't find where either the Owners Manual or the Owners Guide discusses mounting the Control Box (as the manuals call it) on a wall. However, the Control Box does include two tabs with holes that would make mounting it on a wall possible. I agree that if it's meant to be mounted on a wall, then leaving it plugged into a wall outlet would be expected.

 

I agree, perfectly safe, doesn't waste much power (tiny amount compared to car). Mounting on the wall is safer for the unit, less likely to damage the cord or something.

 

I'll just throw in my two cents: continually plugging and unplugging may eventually wear out the plug and will certainly wear out the outlet.

 

I agree with all post above. I plan on keeping my L1 charger pluged into the outlet and the car while Im on an extended vacation. I have in writing from the dealer recommending to keep it pluged in to both.

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You could use a (properly rated) surge protector between outlet and charger which would allow you to switch the charger circuit on/off as well as protect the charger from surges.


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