Battery chargers on extension leads

[Niconical]

I have a Lacrosse BC 700 charger and a charger from AW for my LiFePO4 CR123A.

I was just reading on the internet, nothing specific, just searching and browsing for general info on chargers and batteries, (I'm playing catch up with the battery learnin') and I started to notice that Energizer spec descriptions specifically keep mentioning "DO NOT use the charger on an extension lead".

I wouldn't use both of my chargers at the same time from the same outlet, I assume that is a big no-no, but is it really that bad to use them on an extenstion lead, a 1 or 2 meter one? I don't have it like that at the moment, but I'd like to rearrange some furniture so I can have a dedicated small table for the 2 chargers, but it will only work with an extension lead.

Any comments would be appreciated

 

[zipplet]

As far as I know it is completely safe. Some manufacturers tell you not to with "wall-wart" style chargers (the kind that plug right in and hang from the socket) because people would then place the charger on a carpet and overheat it or something similiar.

I have always used chargers on extension leads for several years. All kinds from basic NiCD wall warts to my LaCrosse BC-900, without any incident.

Using more than one charger on the same extension is fine also as long as they aren't fighting over space to plug in (for wall-wart style ones).

 

[Niconical]

Thanks for that

It makes sense actually, as the thing I was reading was the website of my local PC shop which sells a range of energizers, but all them are ones that plug direct into a socket. Reading on this forum I had seen the word 'wall-wart' but didn't know what it meant until now, so that's a bonus, 2 things learned from 1 post. Still got a long way to go though.

Just to confirm, do you think it is ok to be charging with both chargers at the same time? I recently got eneloops, and the charge/discharge/charge cycle I was doing on them has meant I sometimes ended up with LiFePO4s 'in the queue', waiting for their turn at the plug socket. I didn't want to move it out of this room because anywhere else I might put it would be in the way. Charging with both at the same time would really help.

 

[zipplet]

It should be fine as long as there is sufficient ventilation. Don't place the whole lot on a carpet. If possible, place it on a desk without objects crowding it, with the extension lead flat (not upside down or on it's side).

As I said before though try to make sure there is enough room between the chargers - it shouldn't be a problem but I always like quite a bit of ventilation. So on a 4 socket strip I'd place chargers at either end.

Feel free to ask if you have any more questions no matter how trivial

 

[Niconical]

I have a small table just for the 2 chargers, with room for the extension lead to sit upright. I even got a small 4xAA powered fan to blow over the chargers when it's hot in here, just in case. You have to see the irony of burning AA power to charge AA, but the fan seems to last ages on a set of 4.

It's gonna be so much easier now I can plug them in together at the same place, thanks for the advice!

It should be fine as long as there is sufficient ventilation. Don't place the whole lot on a carpet. If possible, place it on a desk without objects crowding it, with the extension lead flat (not upside down or on it's side).

As I said before though try to make sure there is enough room between the chargers - it shouldn't be a problem but I always like quite a bit of ventilation. So on a 4 socket strip I'd place chargers at either end.

Feel free to ask if you have any more questions no matter how trivial

 

[zipplet]

No problem. I also use a fan (although, a small mains powered fan) to blow across my BC-900 if I want to charge 4 batteries at 1000mah rate as it's quite hot in my room during summer...

 

[Niconical]

Well, it's all set up now.

I would show a pic, but due to my plug problems listed at the start of all this, the Lacrosse is somewhere else, finishing off a charge/discharge/charge cycle on 4xAAA eneloops so I don't want to interrupt it. only an hour or so left though.

 

[Black Rose]

I plug my Maha C9000 and C808S into a power bar with a built-in circuit breaker. Sometimes I run both chargers at the same time.

I would not do this with a regular extension cord.

 

[zipplet]

It's 100% safe to do that in the UK because all plugs are individually fused so you can't overload anything. But, I can understand the want for a circuit breaker too, and I'd love to have one on my desktop power bar.

 

[abvidledUK]

Do not use an extension lead coiled up, especially on a drum.

The heat generated by the current in a tightly wound drum can melt the insulation, I know, it happened to me many years ago.

Unwind before use.

 

[mdocod]

Assuming 4 AA cells in a ~15 minute charger, ~10 amp charging rate, and assuming the charger is 50% efficient. That's about 120 watts, or about 1 amp from a 120V source or about 0.5A from a 240V source. Here in the US most residential installations run 15-20 amp breakers. It would be like running a nice incandescent light bulb... I personally would not be fearful of running TWO bulbs on the same circuit...

What that in mind, provided any extension cords or "plug-blocks" you use are rated to handle the current you are going to be pulling, then there isn't much reason to feel the need to only run 1 charger at a time. - unless there's something different going on in spain with their electricity that I am unaware of

I would personally feel totally comfortable running 3 or 4 chargers on a single plug with a power strip. To give you an idea of how comfortable we are around here with the wiring in our walls (mind you this section of the house is relatively new and many parts were overbuilt, including electrical)... We are currently running, from a double plug outlet, a 6 plug adapter, which has plugged into it 3 power strips, on one of which is another 1 to 3 plug duplicator. As for devices, as many as 3 desktop computers running and 4 CRT monitors (I run dual monitor), a laptop, an integrated amplifier, a router, a switch, 3 cell phone chargers, 2 small "computer" speaker systems, and 2 printers.

It doesn't all run all the time, things are turned on and off, we've never had any problems and the wires run cool

 

[lightforce2]

Assuming 4 AA cells in a ~15 minute charger, ~10 amp charging rate, and assuming the charger is 50% efficient. That's about 120 watts, or about 1 amp from a 120V source or about 0.5A from a 240V source. Here in the US most residential installations run 15-20 amp breakers. It would be like running a nice incandescent light bulb... I personally would not be fearful of running TWO bulbs on the same circuit...

I thought the same too, how could an AA charger melt a lead. Perhaps there could have been a poor conection in the drum or the lead was a very low amperage.

The only time I melted a lead & plug (& blew fuses) was when cutting steel with an arc welder at 220amps

 

[Mr Happy]

I think it's fair to suppose that abvidledUK was not using a small battery charger when the extension lead overheated. You have to make these statements general because you never know who is reading them.

You can reliably assume that if the holes in a mains power outlet were made large enough to stick your fingers in, then fully half the adult population would stick their fingers in there to find out if it would electrocute them.

 

[Jackson]

You can reliably assume that if the holes in a mains power outlet were made large enough to stick your fingers in, then fully half the adult population would stick their fingers in there to find out if it would electrocute them.

Which would have a favorable effect on the price of gasoline and rid the planet of some terrible DNA. Everyone wins.