James,

What you are saying is you must unplug it to turn it off. That means the entire time it is plugged into an outlet it is on. Nothing mysterious about that, and that's pretty much the same as any electrical device works, particularly those with low voltage circuitry. However, unless it is operated with a remote ON/OFF device, something that sends a signal to a system that fires the on/off relay, it is always on when it is plugged in, thereby making it susceptible to electrical failure when you least expect. This isn't rocket science--it's basic electronics 101. Don't take my word for it. Google search information about homes that burned to the ground because of an electronic device that was left turned on.

Cheers,

Gary