diff --git a/internal/chart/v3/util/coalesce.go b/internal/chart/v3/util/coalesce.go
index caea2e119..2029e1be5 100644
--- a/internal/chart/v3/util/coalesce.go
+++ b/internal/chart/v3/util/coalesce.go
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ package util
 
 import (
 	"fmt"
-	"log"
+	"log/slog"
 	"maps"
 
 	"github.com/mitchellh/copystructure"
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ func CoalesceValues(chrt *chart.Chart, vals map[string]interface{}) (Values, err
 	if err != nil {
 		return vals, err
 	}
-	return coalesce(log.Printf, chrt, valsCopy, "", false)
+	return coalesce(slog.Warn, chrt, valsCopy, "", false)
 }
 
 // MergeValues is used to merge the values in a chart and its subcharts. This
@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@ func MergeValues(chrt *chart.Chart, vals map[string]interface{}) (Values, error)
 	if err != nil {
 		return vals, err
 	}
-	return coalesce(log.Printf, chrt, valsCopy, "", true)
+	return coalesce(slog.Warn, chrt, valsCopy, "", true)
 }
 
 func copyValues(vals map[string]interface{}) (Values, error) {
@@ -263,11 +263,11 @@ func childChartMergeTrue(chrt *chart.Chart, key string, merge bool) bool {
 //
 // dest is considered authoritative.
 func CoalesceTables(dst, src map[string]interface{}) map[string]interface{} {
-	return coalesceTablesFullKey(log.Printf, dst, src, "", false)
+	return coalesceTablesFullKey(slog.Warn, dst, src, "", false)
 }
 
 func MergeTables(dst, src map[string]interface{}) map[string]interface{} {
-	return coalesceTablesFullKey(log.Printf, dst, src, "", true)
+	return coalesceTablesFullKey(slog.Warn, dst, src, "", true)
 }
 
 // coalesceTablesFullKey merges a source map into a destination map.
@@ -300,7 +300,7 @@ func coalesceTablesFullKey(printf printFn, dst, src map[string]interface{}, pref
 			} else {
 				printf("warning: cannot overwrite table with non table for %s (%v)", fullkey, val)
 			}
-		} else if istable(dv) && val != nil {
+		} else if istable(dv) && val != nil && isNonEmptyString(val) && isNonEmptyTable(dv) {
 			printf("warning: destination for %s is a table. Ignoring non-table value (%v)", fullkey, val)
 		}
 	}
diff --git a/internal/chart/v3/util/coalesce_test.go b/internal/chart/v3/util/coalesce_test.go
index 4770b601d..38784af60 100644
--- a/internal/chart/v3/util/coalesce_test.go
+++ b/internal/chart/v3/util/coalesce_test.go
@@ -717,6 +717,72 @@ func TestCoalesceValuesWarnings(t *testing.T) {
 
 }
 
+func TestCoalesceValuesWarningsWithEmptyDefaultMaps(t *testing.T) {
+
+	c := withDeps(&chart.Chart{
+		Metadata: &chart.Metadata{Name: "level1"},
+		Values: map[string]interface{}{
+			"something": map[string]interface{}{
+				"somethingElse": []interface{}{},
+			},
+		},
+	})
+
+	vals := map[string]interface{}{
+		"something": map[string]interface{}{
+			"somethingElse": map[string]interface{}{},
+		},
+	}
+
+	warnings := make([]string, 0)
+	printf := func(format string, v ...interface{}) {
+		t.Logf(format, v...)
+		warnings = append(warnings, fmt.Sprintf(format, v...))
+	}
+
+	_, err := coalesce(printf, c, vals, "", false)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	t.Logf("vals: %v", vals)
+	assert.NotContains(t, warnings, "warning: destination for level1.something.somethingElse is a table. Ignoring non-table value ([])")
+}
+
+func TestCoalesceValuesWarningsWithEmptyStringDefault(t *testing.T) {
+
+	c := withDeps(&chart.Chart{
+		Metadata: &chart.Metadata{Name: "level1"},
+		Values: map[string]interface{}{
+			"auth": map[string]interface{}{
+				"existingSecret": "",
+			},
+		},
+	})
+
+	vals := map[string]interface{}{
+		"auth": map[string]interface{}{
+			"existingSecret": map[string]interface{}{
+				"name": "secretName",
+			},
+		},
+	}
+
+	warnings := make([]string, 0)
+	printf := func(format string, v ...interface{}) {
+		t.Logf(format, v...)
+		warnings = append(warnings, fmt.Sprintf(format, v...))
+	}
+
+	_, err := coalesce(printf, c, vals, "", false)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	t.Logf("vals: %v", vals)
+	assert.NotContains(t, warnings, "warning: destination for level1.auth.existingSecret is a table. Ignoring non-table value ()")
+}
+
 func TestConcatPrefix(t *testing.T) {
 	assert.Equal(t, "b", concatPrefix("", "b"))
 	assert.Equal(t, "a.b", concatPrefix("a", "b"))
diff --git a/internal/chart/v3/util/values.go b/internal/chart/v3/util/values.go
index 8e1a14b45..43fb2c2ab 100644
--- a/internal/chart/v3/util/values.go
+++ b/internal/chart/v3/util/values.go
@@ -179,6 +179,20 @@ func istable(v interface{}) bool {
 	return ok
 }
 
+func isNonEmptyTable(val interface{}) bool {
+	table, ok := val.(map[string]interface{})
+	if !ok {
+		return false
+	}
+
+	return len(table) > 0
+}
+
+func isNonEmptyString(val interface{}) bool {
+	valueString := fmt.Sprintf("%v", val)
+	return valueString != ""
+}
+
 // PathValue takes a path that traverses a YAML structure and returns the value at the end of that path.
 // The path starts at the root of the YAML structure and is comprised of YAML keys separated by periods.
 // Given the following YAML data the value at path "chapter.one.title" is "Loomings".