Charger Keeps Going On And Off: Here Are 5 Simple Fixes
There’s no doubt that the invention of smart devices is one of the greatest inventions to ever grace humanity, however, the creation of this problem-solving device isn’t as flawless as it seems because we’re left to deal with the issues we may face while using the devices. One of these issues is when your charger keeps going on and off and your device doesn’t seem to be charging. This may seem like a huge issue, leading to users asking if there are simple fixes for the problem.
Whether you’re using a phone, tablet, or laptop charger, they all have similar reasons for going off and on while in use. This may be cos your power port is dirty, you have the wrong charger, your charger or cable is damaged, there’s an issue with your power source, or your battery is struggling.
In this article, I’ll share with you everything you need to learn about your charger going off and how to fix it. I’ll share with you 5 simple, quick fixes you can use to fix your charger whenever it’s coming on and off and you can’t quickly get a replacement for it.
Can You Fix Chargers That Keep Going On And Off?
Although this is highly dependent on the type of issue you’re encountering with your charger, you can apply some simple steps to fix the issue if it’s not a huge issue. This means that you’ll need to first identify the issue with your charger and what may have caused it to know if you can apply any of the simple fixes shared in this article to fix the problem.
To identify the problem causing your charger to go on and off, you may need to test the charger with a different device. Once you do, you’ll be able to figure out if the issue is with your charger or with your device’s charging port.
For instance, if you find out that your charger is going on and off, unplug the charger from your device and plug it into a different device. If it continues going on and off, try out a different power outlet. If this issue persists, then the issue is definitely from your charger, meaning your charger or cable has gone bad.
To fix some of the issues relating to your charger going on and off, you may need to clean your device’s charging port, change your charger, examine and fix your power outlet, change your device’s battery, or fix your device’s charging port if the port is damaged.
5 Reasons Why Your Charger Keeps Going Off And How To Fix Them
Due to human negligence, we take electronic devices for granted and expect them to continue working perfectly without taking good care of them. We expect them to continue working even after excessively using them which may lead to them wearing out and having issues. However, as humans, we barely care about them and only care whenever they are faulty or have issues.
If we pay more attention to these devices, we’ll understand how to use them better by taking proper care of them at intervals. In this case, a charger going on and off happens due to a poor flow of electricity into the device. This problem can be tied to your power outlet, power source, battery, or charger and the following are the issues in detail.
1.0 Dirty Power Port
To get electricity to your device’s battery, there’s the need to connect a charging cable to a charging port on the device. This simply means you have to plug in the device. This isn’t a really tough process, however, sometimes, the connection may be below par.
Sometimes, some things may obstruct the connection and you may get intermittent connectivity leading to your device charging, then stopping, and then charging again. Usually, this is caused by dirt or dust accrued in the charging port. Sometimes we may not notice this as to us, the charging port may be insignificant that we assume dust and dirt will not be able to accumulate in it.
How To Fix This
To fix this, you need to first turn off the device completely. Once the device is off, you’ll need to get a canned air sprayer to spray out the dust from the charging port. Make sure there’s no moisture in the air sprayer so you won’t get moisture into your device while spraying the charging port.
Repeat this step for some time till you feel the air sprayer has gotten enough dirt out of the charging port. If this doesn’t fix it and you think there are still some more diets accrued in the charging port, you may consider taking the device to a shop where they’ll deep clean the electronics by opening the device. Do not do this if you don’t have the experience because you may end up causing more damage to your device that may lead to the device being fully condemned.
2.0 Wrong Charger
Obviously, you’re definitely not trying to connect your smartphone’s charger to your laptop or your laptop charger to your smartphone, however, the point here is that you may be using a charger that seems to be designed for your device but isn’t exactly designed for your device. For instance, using third-party chargers that claim to be designed for your device.
These kinds of chargers may be nice because they are usually cheaper. You can find them in different colors and even longer cables than the original cables built for your device. However, these third-party cables aren’t exactly designed for your device because the designers didn’t specifically design them for your kind of device but for universal use across different kinds and models of devices.
Due to this, these kinds of chargers don’t charge fast, they don’t fit as well, and they also tend to wear out faster.
How To Fix This
If you’re using a third-party charger and it’s going on and off, you should consider getting an original cable or charger specifically designed for your device. The original cables may be slightly more expensive than the third-party ones, however, you get more value for the money you pay and you won’t be at risk of experiencing the issues that comes with using third-party chargers.
3.0 Damaged Charger or Cable
It may be obvious that the charger or cable is the problem, however, it’s important to know the common ways that they break down as this may come in handy. One of the most common reasons for a cable to get damaged is when people roll over charging cables with computer chairs. The cables may get stuck to corners of the chair or table and when pulled accidentally, may lead to the cable being damaged.
A damaged cable can initially produce short power to your device and intermittently charge your device but after some time, it may get worse and get fully damaged causing it to stop charging your device.
How To Fix This
A damaged cable cannot be fixed as the only real solution to this is to get a new charger or cable. However, you can also try identifying if the cable or charger is just producing a short by monitoring the charging and identifying if it’s worse in cold temperatures than in warm temperatures. Metal shrinks when it’s cold and this may exacerbate the short you’re experiencing thereby preventing your device from charging.
4.0 Damaged Power Source
Whenever the problem isn’t caused by your device’s charging port or your device’s cable, the issue must be directly from your power source. This may lead to your device not getting stable electricity. This problem is very peculiar with battery packs, USB ports, and wall outlets.
Wall outlets are the most common in this cause so we’ll be using this as our reference. The power outlet itself may be the problem because there are a number of circuit issues that can cause them to have inconsistent power output.
How To Fix This
First, you need to identify that the power outlet is the issue. To do this, you’ll need to try out other power outlets in the room or outside the room. Once you do this and your device charges how it’s supposed to, then the previous power outlet is faulty.
To fix it, you’ll need to call an electrician to change the socket or examine the power source if there’s any break in the circuit that may lead to inconsistent power flow.
5.0 Struggling Battery
Although newer devices have a smart charging system that turns off the charging port when the battery is fully charged to prevent the battery from being damaged, some batteries still get damaged after several overcharging experiences. When a battery is damaged or probably at its last leg, it may cause intermittent charging leading to your device charging on and off.
How To Fix This
A precautionary move is to first make sure that you do not overcharge your device. Make sure you always unplug the device from power. However, once your battery is struggling, and you’re already experiencing intermittent charging, you’ll need to contact your device’s tech support or an alternative, professional tech support to help you get and fix a new battery to your device.