Our old apartment complex has ungrounded outlets. All 3-prong appliances are connected with 3-to-2 adapters. Will this affect our ability to use a PC power supply with Active PFC?
Sorry if this is a dumb question!
It wouldn't affect active power factor correction, but you would be well advised to add a ground to your computer equipment for electrostatic discharge protection.
There's a safety issue as well . . .
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You can use a ground lift adaptor. But, you should find a way to properly ground your computer equipment. If not, your equipment will be sensitive to have damage from being on a floating ground. There are also safety issues when running this type of equipment without proper grounding.
--
JANA _____
Sorry if this is a dumb question!
Assuming you are in the USA - 120V
If the outlet box is made of metal, test if the box is grouded. You can do this by buying one of those testers with three neon lamps at a hardware store. Use a 3 to 2 adapter with the ground wire of the adapter connected to the outlet-plate screw. If the tester shows that the outlet box IS properly grounded, then all you need to do is use a
3-2 adapter and make sure the wire or tab from the adapter is securely connected to the grounded screw of the wall box. Also, if the box is properly grounded you can install a 3 prong outlet in the box and connect the outlet ground to the box.If there is truly no ground, you should have a serious talk with building management about hiring an electrician to update the building's electrical system. Otherwise there is a serious danger of electric shock or electrocution if an appliance malfunctions. The ground is there to protect you if an appliance's HOT wire shorts to the outer cabinet or a contol knob or any other part you would normally touch. While it is rare it DOES happen and that's why a ground is necessary.
MS
Thanks all for the replies. Yes, the outlets are in fact ungrounded. We took the covers off all the outlets and there's no ground wire in any of them, not even in the bathrooms. The only one we located is in the box for the 220V oven.
The complex is old but not _that_ old (built in 1962), and the type of construction is such that there's no access to wall interiors. I think that's why they've been able to get waivers for current code. The owners would literally have to tear the buildings down to redo the electrical wiring. We can't even get a second phone line installed for the same reason.
And USA is a modern and leading country ??????????
Although you may think Europeans are retarded, In France everybody has electricity, water in the flat, a bathroom or at least a shower and (even) lavatories that's not a scoop .... and earth ground in the wall sockets ...
Most of us have at least one car some drive motorcycles and women are slim smart cuties who wear fashion. We also drink wine, eat cheese and we enjoy tasting foie gras without mustard or pickles.
BTW do you know that mobile phones do exist ? Perhaps this could be an alternative unless the provider is located too far ...
On Mon, 31 Oct 2005 08:34:33 GMT, "Rick Yerger" put finger to keyboard and composed:
Within the PC's power supply there will be two noise suppression caps between A & E and N & E. This means that the PC's metal frame will float to half mains potential. It's not dangerous, but you may feel a spark or tingle whenever you touch the metalwork.
-- Franc Zabkar
Please remove one 'i' from my address when replying by email.
You have no idea.. Lack of grounding is just the start of the fun in this apartment complex. That it hasn't burned to the ground yet is nothing short of a miracle.
E.g. there's one 20A circuit to service the entire living room AND kitchen. Want some toast? Better turn off the TV.
They have a dimmer switch in the bathroom that controls both the lights and an exhaust fan. I guess for people who want sexy mood lighting while taking a dump. But you better not turn down the lights too much or else you'll burn out the fan motor, and eventually start a fire.
The building is literally held together with duct tape and string.
We're just grinning and bearing it, until we can get the hell out of here in a few months.
I have yet to ever see a case where the box was grounded but had only a
2 prong receptacle in it. If the house was built before about the mid 1960's, chances are the entire electrical system is not grounded. Depending on how the house is built, it can be anywhere from fairly easy to very difficult to add a ground, either way it probably only makes sense to add it to the outlets that either really need grounding or are easily accessible.
You might want to double check the range/oven. The new standards call for four wires to ranges - two lines with 240 and a ground and a neutral. The range lights, clock etc. are connected between one hot and neutral so they get 120 (and there's sometimes a 120 volt convenience outlet as well) If the neutral should become loose or disconnected at the service entrance, or plug if it has one - 120 will be on the neutral wire.
I wouldn't ground a computer to a three wire range - too much potential for neutral to become hot. Be especially careful if its near a sink or grounded plumbing.
The plumbing may provide the ground you want - sweated copper is an excellent conductor, and even galvanized pipe can be a good conductor. It depends on the joints and construction . . .
Anything built in 1962 should have three wire service. It is strange that you don't. My grandparents had a large two apartment house that dated back to gas lighting. Electricity was added in the 30's or
40's. Lath and plaster walls and no easy way to run wire - each room had an individual (15A plug fuse) down in the basement. In the 30's they were already using high power consumption appliances - vacuum toob radios, flat irons, incandescent lighting, later refrigerators, TV's etc.. IT was two wire service.Old as it was, it had the wiring inside the walls - not every house in the area did.
We used the plumbing for grounds - some time after my mother spilled water into the wash machine motor and got between the machine and sink . . .
Regarding the European model . . . those that adapt technology more slowly - get the better technology. They have higher resolution TV, probably a more extensive and better cellular system (at least in the cities).
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Some prewar apartment houses in NYC used metal studs and lath which ended up grounding the junction boxes, which had 2 prong receptacles in them.
I had a house in Minneaolis that was wired in the early 1920s with cloth insulated wires that were run in grounded metal conduit. The outlets were two prong but the boxes were grounded. Chuck
Hmm that's one of those interesting tidbits that just doesn't happen where I live due to wood being used for probably 99% or more of all residential construction.
All the old original outlet in my 1937 house are 2 prong in grounded metal boxes. They all appear to have been wired with BX except for the surface mounted boxes in the basement which are in conduit. I can't be sure of how good the ground connection actually is, but they measure good with an ohmmeter when I check them for resistance from neutral to ground.
------------------------------------------------ Jim Adney snipped-for-privacy@vwtype3.org Madison, WI 53711 USA
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