Is there any harm to charge the battery without removing the cables

[ageevt]

Is there any harm to charge the battery without removing the positive and negative cables?
Meaning, to charge the battery in situ. Not a trickle charge, but a real battery charger.

I understand that its bad that if you jump start the car. How about just charging the battery without starting the car?

 

[Nosevi]

Hi Gerard. What type of car are you talking about? While a lot of things like that may be fine on an older model it may cause issues on a newer one.

 

[ronrob]

Always a good idea to disconnect at least one of the cables - go for the positive if it easily accessible. Jump starting any modern car with the battery connected can blow all sorts of expensive parts.

 

[tom]

I would always remove the battery (or, as above, disconnect it and be careful to move the car's leads safely out of the way to avoid risk of them contacting the charger) when using a proper, non-trickle, charger.

 

[MalcH]

Yes as said, if it is not a battery conditioner/charger then I would disconnect the battery.