Can You Use A UPS In A Home With Wiring Faults?

Good afternoon,


I just purchased my very first UPS unit yesterday made by APC.

900VA
540 watts
XS 900 Model

There's a "building wiring fault indicator" light at the back of the unit. In the manual it says:

Well I took first UPS out of the box happy as ever and plugged it in... Next thing I know I look at the back and the darn light is lit! So I called an electrician who did some small work in my home last year installing a couple of standard light bulbs and new outlets in my basement, and asked him what would possibly be the problem in my home. He was brief yet informative and said "well your house was built around the 40's or 50's and I can't really say much more than that, oh and I remember when I was there I found out that your house has NO GROUNDING whatsoever."

So I called APC tech support and they said that based on what the electrician told me that I'm still able to use the unit but I'll only get about 60% protection from it. He also said to turn off my equipment and unplug the unit from the wall whenever there is a storm.

Corporations like to sell stuff so I can't just say I'd rely on what he said to me. He may have tried to convince me because they wouldn't want me to send it back to the store. So that is why I started this thread in order to hear anyone else's expertise on this matter. Just for the record I took the UPS into almost every room in my home and the indicator still lights up. So it can't just be an issue in one room... I'm pretty sure it would probably be lighting up because I have no ground in my home wiring, but I'm no expert so I can't say that would be all. I've been using my pc for 3 years now on a standard $10.00 six plug surge protector bar connected to the same wall outlet I'd like to use the UPS on. I've had no problems with my pc dying or anything like that in 3 years so I'm hoping it would still be useful and safe to use the UPS.

I purchased the UPS because the lights go out in my home sometimes. The power company turns off power to the entire neighborhood every month or so to perform their routine maintenance around dawn, while I still have my pc on!!! So of course the darn power outage is a bother since my pc goes with it. The second reason why I bought it is because sometimes when you turn the tv on, or turn the heating/air conditioner on at home the lights in the house will blink like a snap. I'm just really trying to protect my computer from those two problems and more if possible... I have really expensive and rare pc parts/equipment I need to protect. I thought a UPS would do the job so I hope I'm still able to use it. Anyway here go my questions:


1. I'd like to know what protection I really have and what I don't if I use this UPS even though the indicator states I have a building wiring fault.

2. What should I watch out for if I use this UPS on a building wiring fault? [ie: unplugging the UPS during storms??? etc]

3. Is there a way for me to find out what exactly the problem in my outlets is by myself? [I'm assuming it's just no grounding since the electrician mentioned it]

4. If this unit will offer me no protection at all and the APC tech support rep was lying please tell me so and I'll take this back. I don't see why I'd need this if it's not necessary. Or if it's unsafe to use... Heck I wouldn't want it to damage my equipment.

5. Please share any other info or advice you may have on this matter.



Thanks


OH AND REMEMBER I'M NOT AN EXPERT WHEN IT COMES TO UPS AND ELECTRICAL ISSUES SO PLEASE SIMPLIFY YOUR ANSWERS... LOL

 

Yes I do as you can see here

https://melissa1.sslpowered.com/temp%20web%20images/eLECTRICAL%20008.jpg

I don't know which electrical tester I should purchase. I have little to no knowledge on them. I know there's a lot of hand held testers on the market in places like Home Depot. They're cool little gadgets that have lights on them which diagnose your outlet or wiring problems. I just have no idea as to which one I should buy or what to specifically ask for by name. I've seen way too many...

"check for continuity between the ground plug and the hot side" --- Hmm from what I'm understand your saying that I should check if the electricity is leaking from the two downward outlet slots [! !], to the third ground prong hole in the same outlet??? Don't know why that could cause danger but I guess that's what I need a tester for. I assume this would just be something to check for safety reasons.

See for yourself

https://melissa1.sslpowered.com/temp%20web%20images/eLECTRICAL%20002.jpg

https://melissa1.sslpowered.com/temp%20web%20images/eLECTRICAL%20005.jpg

https://melissa1.sslpowered.com/temp%20web%20images/eLECTRICAL%20006.jpg

https://melissa1.sslpowered.com/temp%20web%20images/eLECTRICAL%20004.jpg

This is the current surge plug I'm using to power my pc, monitor, tv, nintendo wii, vcr, dvd player, and modem. It's on the same wall outlet I want to use the UPS on. I've been using this surge protector bar for years now without any issues. But I guess it doesn't provide protection since I don't have a ground in my house lol. Well at least it powers all my stuff instead of just two pieces of equipment plugged into the wall. Anyways here it is below.

https://melissa1.sslpowered.com/temp%20web%20images/eLECTRICAL%20007.jpg

 

Great I'm going to open up the electrical panel box downstairs and take a picture of it for you. I'd also appreciate it if you could please show me a picture or a link to the exact tester your speaking about. They have like 40 at home depot and I just want to be sure I get the right one. Sorry for bothering you Tim!!!

 

I actually looked at the prices for the sort of tester you wanted me to get and they're quite expensive. Would it be alright to get this instead? It's $15...

http://www.homedepot.ca/wcsstore/HomeDepotCanada/images/catalog/E3F7BC3E-4665-4390-8549-EE1184B02C2E_4.jpg

 

Well I purchased this outlet tester today at Home Depot:

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31QZFD5DD9L._AA280_.jpg

It's a pretty nifty little gadget if you ask me! I unplugged all appliances and equipment from every outlet in my home, than plugged in the tester into every wall outlet. Here are my results:

Note: Each outlet has two receptacles

Basement:

[Outlet #1 - 1st receptacle > open ground, 2nd receptacle > correct wiring]


[Outlet #2 - 1st receptacle > correct wiring, 2nd receptacle > correct wiring]


[Outlet #3 - 1st receptacle > hot/neu reverse, 2nd receptacle > hot/neu reverse]

First Floor Kitchen:

[Outlet #1 - 1st receptacle > correct wiring, 2nd receptacle > correct wiring]


[Outlet #2 - 1st receptacle > correct wiring, 2nd receptacle > correct wiring]

First Floor Living Room:

[Outlet #1 - 1st receptacle > open ground, 2nd receptacle > open ground]

[Outlet #2 - 1st receptacle > open ground, 2nd receptacle > open ground]

Second Floor Bedroom [Where I'd like to use the UPS]:

[Outlet #1 - 1st receptacle > open ground, 2nd receptacle > open ground]

[Outlet #2 - 1st receptacle > open ground, 2nd receptacle > open ground]


Well as I mentioned before I had a feeling there was no ground in my home, but I was somewhat wrong. It's odd but true that there is ground in every kitchen outlet, and also in my basement at my machine washer outlet. One weird thing was that I found one outlet in the basement that has no ground on one receptacle and yet does have correct wiring on the second which would mean it's grounded. That's weird! Either way the point is the tester shows the outlet where I'd like to plug in my UPS as having "open ground". Geez what am I to do now? Should I still use the UPS or what? The APC tech said I could when I told him earlier that I had no ground where I wanted to use the UPS. I'd like more opinions on this matter.



Thanks

 

Thank you for your kind advice Tim but there's a problem with that. See first off I believe your not supposed to use an extension cord on a UPS unit. Secondly The grounded outlets are in my kitchen downstairs and also in my freezing cold/water leaking basement which isn't renovated either so it's not pretty. Even if I did decide to run a extension cord from my kitchen to my living room and put my pc there I wouldn't be able to since theres no room and I have more than one pet and they'll destroy my entire pc and equipment. Regardless I'd still like to know if I can use my UPS in my bedroom where I'd like to use it even though the outlet tester says my room outlets have "Open Ground". If so what are the benefits I still get from my UPS, and what benefits do I lose from using it like that. Or should I take it back to the store for a refund?

 

Outlets are often tied together (fed from one to the next) if the ground came off one of those it could be your problem, simple to fix once found. Just be sure to turn off the power.

 

Don't mess about with improper building wiring or you could end up like Kiat in this thread.

http://forums.majorgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=154585

If the grounds (we call them earths over here) referenced by the monitor and the pc are different a small difference can cause a persistant current to flow which will eventually destroy devices connected by data cables with grounds or ground shields.

Get qualified help. American building codes are much tougher on the subject than UK ones.

 

The outlets showing bad are somewhat of a risk, I would get them fixed. A heavy duty extension cord, however, isn't a risk, as long as it a 3 wire type. Typically the heavy duty units will carry more than house wiring. The kind to avoid is the lamp cord models. Manufactures are extremely risk adverse, and are worried about someone overloading a line and then suing when it catches on fire.

I've made home brewed versions of the test your using, all they are are lights (neons) between all 3 wires. Looks like someone wired your house without the expertise to do it right.

 

I just unscrewed the faceplate on the wall outlet in my bedroom where I'd like to use the UPS for my pc and monitor. Upon inspecting I noticed that the outlet tester I purchased is correct as there is no ground wire whatsoever. There is only a white wire and a black wire. There's no bare wire or green wire in there at all. After putting the faceplate back the outlet tester still lights up stating "no ground".

I still haven't gotten an answer about using my UPS on this outlet even though it has no ground. Can this be deadly? Will it ruin my pc equipment? Do I need to worry? Will my UPS still give me some form of protection or not? If so what will it do and not do for me?

As I mentioned before I've been using a standard $10 6 plug power outlet for the past 3 years with a tv, vcr, dvd player, high speed dsl modem, monitor, and my 450 watt pc connected to it without anything dying or ruining at all. The power surge I'm speaking of is plugged into the same outlet I want to use my UPS on. & Of course I wouldn't use the power surge bar if I use my UPS.

https://melissa1.sslpowered.com/temp%20web%20images/eLECTRICAL%20007.jpg

 

The UPS has a ground plug and so does its outlets. Without viewing its schematics I can't begin to see how it could provide a form of protection against surges w/o a ground.

It would still provide a battery backup and provide more stable/cleaner power but in order to provide protection against a large spike or surge it would need a ground to shunt it to.

As I see it anyway...

 

Well if you'd like to see the specs of the UPS here it is. It's a APC 900VA XS 900 model which is sold in Canada only. So you won't find the specs on any other site even on apc.com for some reason. I believe they only make them available to certain retailers in Canada. Well here's a snapshot of the box.

http://i30.tinypic.com/2dnz8k.jpg

I can't believe this is such a rare topic... I still haven't gotten any real answers to the posts I've made. I've searched long and hard to find some resources of information that can help me through google and I can't find anyone in the same situation.

DOESN'T ANYONE OUT THERE OWN A UPS UNIT AND USES IT ON A OUTLET WITH NO GROUND???? HOW DO YOU CARE FOR SUCH USE SO YOU DON'T RISK ANYTHING RUINING???

 

Well superstar, as Jerkyking mentioned, you need a ground and you can either fish a new 3 wire cable through or get someone to do it.(expensive) as I found out! One thing that you didn't mention that concerns me is you never mentioned what your bathroom plug says.

This does not concern your computer, just your safety. GFCI plugs will not work under these conditions. Here's a decent write up at Howstuffworks I hope this helps a bit. Maybe you can piggyback on that connection. Anyways, %60 protection is better than what you have now IMO.

 

I think various posters have fully answered your question between them. Read the thread again.

I'm sure geeks will be happy to explain points in more detail if you ask about them specifically.

 

Thanks I stayed up until 1am reading some pages from that link. It was very useful and had some clear information.

& yes I forgot to mention the results from my outlet tester in the bathroom. The results were the same as my room [ie: open ground]. The bathroom is right on the other side of the room I'm currently using my pc on. My cheap surge power bar is connected to an outlet right in my room, and opposite the outlet in the washroom is the bathtub.

[YIKES!!!] lol.

rolleyes

Oh and what the heck does fishing a wire mean? That sounds complicated... But if that involves creating a ground on my own I'll do it. As you know there are some outlets in the basement that are grounded. I'd be willing to connect it to one of those outlets in the basement... Sort of like an extension. Or maybe I'm crazy here?

I know sorry I'm just frustrated here with this darn UPS. I bought it at such a great deal at $99.00 [$100 off - reg retail $179.00+tax]. It was such a bargain to begin with, and now sort of an issue. I have a month to bring it back for a full refund. The thing is I'm getting so many answers from various people. Like today I spoke with a representative from APC. He said that I shouldn't use the UPS because there can be a shock hazard which may or may not be fatal, or damage my equipment.

I can understand experiencing a shock hazard during a lightening storm. But I'll keep the UPS unplugged during those times like I said before. I can't see how a tiny surge would kill me or cause damage to my equipment, because if that were the case my cheap $10.00 power surge bar would have somehow killed me or ruined my equipment by now. It's been 3 years since I've been using the surge bar and my pc is fine, as well as my tv, vcr, dvd player, wii, modem, etc. I haven't really experienced any real surges here, and I'm just guessing because otherwise my equipment would be worthless garbage by now no? To be honest with you I can say a surge did happen once and that was just one time when lightening struck nearby and I seen my monitor screen shake a bit. I wasn't paying much attention to the storm because I had some headphones on. But either way I'm always cautious now and check the news for weather predictions. That was one time where I was just being lazy and I knew it was raining outside but turned my pc off too late. Back to the point how can the darn UPS ever shock me when the UPS casing is made of plastic?

 

Don't get upset with APC, there is nothing wrong with the UPS. It is designed to work with a ground in order for it to function properly and do its job. I said it could not protect from a surge or spike and without the ground it may not be able to provide cleaner/more stable power either (I know I said it would before, but after thinking about it I don't see how it can). So in essence its only functioning as big battery without a ground.

Fishing a wire means running it through a wall or floor without tearing it up. Using something called Fish Tape. It can be a pain and dangerous if any power is still going to your outlets, switches or lighting fixtures.

Now its doubtfull a tiny surge will hurt/kill you but APC does not want to be liable. How can you unplug the UPS during storms if your not home?

I think you may wish to consult and electrician, especially concering your bathroom and lack of a GFI receptical.

 

I think there is some confusion about power wiring here.

The earth or ground has only one purpose. To provide protection in the event of fault conditions. It plays no part whatsoever in the normal operation of any apparatus. Inddeed it is not required or installed in certain countries at all.

Even in countries which now have compulsory earthing its use has only gradually been extended to all wiring. In the UK All power circuits in the last 30 years and all lighting circuits in the last 15 years have required it. I think the USA has been similar.

I don't know how old your property or wiring is but I think in the US there was a time when earthing was only used in the basement/ground floor for heavy duty equipment. So your wiring may have conformed to building codes at the time of installation.

That doesn't make it good practice. The good news is that you can run separate grounding wires from the ground terminal in the main box (don't take it from a socket or outlet) upstairs. It need not follow the same route as the old cabling, just go to the same place. This is often done in old properties.

Have a look in your local library or google home electrics to see if you feel up to this. otherwise consult an electrician.

One point cannot be made to strongly. There are essentially two sorts of earthing.

In the first, the power company provides an earth point at the control box and all the house earths are connected to this. This is the best method.

In the second no point is provided by the power company and so the consumer has to provide his own point by sinking an earthing rod or plate into the earth.
Sometimes several plates are sunk. This can lead to problems if local differences in potential occur between the plates as the resultant curents can upset or destroy electronic equipment.

 

As for the bathroom outlets upstairs without ground hey we don't ever use them. Now for the ones in the basement which have reversed wires we do! So yes I'll try to take this up with someone or do it myself no? Don't I just switch the wires inside to the opposite sides?

& hey you said that the ups can damage my stuff when I'm not home. Well that's the thing I always unplug my equipment before I go out and plug it back in when I'm back. I don't know if unplugging and plugging causes damage to my pc but it's certainly better than having to leave it plugged in when I'm gone and risking it ruin during a storm.

Are you saying that all power companies had to provide grounding at the box in peoples basements and such at some point and time during the recent decades? Because I don't think there is a ground rod here. More than likely the power company came and did as you said by putting grounding here at the box... It just isn't wired to all of my home outlets except the important powerful spots in the basement.



BY THE WAY I THINK IM GIVING UP AND TAKING BACK THIS UPS TO THE STORE TONIGHT. I JUST DON'T HAVE THE MONEY TO PAY SOMEONE TO GROUND ONE OUTLET. I BET IT COSTS A LOT OF MONEY AND I REALLY JUST SPENT ALL OF MY LATEST SPLURGING MONEY ON THE UPS. If I can use it as a battery backup I'll keep it but only if it's safe.

 

I'm personally going to call this electrician I know and see if he can make a ground for me. A real ground that goes down to the basement box. If that needs to be fished than by all means fish it. If any other method needs to be done I'll do it if it's cheap. But if he can't do it forget about I'll take this UPS back for a refund!!!


BAH HUMBUG


I'm soooo chezzed off right now I just want protection!!!! My pc costs about $2000 and I have external equipment attached to it at all times. It must be protected!!!!

:cry:cry:cry:cry

 

superstar, you can run a ground yourself- its not all that hard. If you can't strike a deal with your electrician friend, I'm sure he'll walk you through it.

 

The earth is not there to protect the equipment it is there to protect the user and possibly his other property from catching fire if the metal case of some equipment becomes live due to an internal short.

That is why double insulated devices do not have an earth they have no metal case and the power voltages are contained within a second insulated box.

In the event of an internal short this should cause sufficient current to flow to activate the disconnection device (fuse or breaker). This sufficient current may well damage the device itself.

Recently (as of Jan 2008 in UK) further protection in the form of RCD (residual current disconnection device) has been required on all power outlets. This should activate if the leakage (residual) current to earth exceeds 30 milliamps.

 

I'm trying to find good info on how to create a ground by myself. Anyone have any good links for that kind of information?

Oh and @ studiot

Sounds good that the UK is on top of things. So what are those new RCD things required in the UK? Some sort of GCI type of outlets I bet.

 

On a 900 VA you wont be able to run those devices for long, if at all, i have a 900VA from Belkin and it has a 40% load just running my computer and LCD when my computer is idleing, lightbulbs use alot of power and as for a TV well good luck with that, oh and from experience never plug a vaccum into ur UPS lol my roomie did that, it shut off on itself

 

The way ground is supposed to work...

Where ever your power is tapped off the mains a 3rd wire is connected to neutral AND to the earth itself (hence the name ground). This provides an electron sink and a bleed off for static and lightening. While ground and neutral are connected together down the line it is possible for technical reasons to see a couple of volt AC between them, but only a few (say, less than 3), most cases they should be the same. As has been mentioned before, ground is a safety feature, not used under normal circumstances (but remember, it bleeds off charges, so surge supressors like to use it).

The two prong connectors on most lamps is a holdover from older standards predating ground requirements. The wide connect is hot, 120VAC, while the neutral measured to the earth outside is 0Volts (sometimes just a little more, as has been mentioned). The earth, as in dirt, is conductive by the way, so if you are standing on the ground in bare feet and grab a hot wire you will get zapped.

Surge supressors, and the surge suppressor portion of a UPS, need ground to do their job properly. To provide AC in the event of a power failure they do not need a ground wire.

A good ground can be made by driving a metal stake into the dirt, the longer the better. 6 Feet is not too long by any measure, I wouldn't use less than 3 feet. DO NOT use plumbing. If something goes wrong and the ground is trying to do its job (say a hot wire touches it, this is the safety feature) you don't want your tap water to electrocute you or your family. The idea of ground is to force the breaker or fuse on the house to blow if there is a catastrophic fault, before it hurts someone.

Basic AC isn't too complicated. My first introduction to ground was when a hot wire hit a metal chicken coup I was working on when I was 12 or so, and the wire threw out sparks on the sheet tin. Older appliences, such as drill motors, are hazardous without a ground plug. Imagine the case being hot and you standing on the earth. If the case is grounded nothing bad can happen, except maybe to the drill motor.

 

No you don't understand, I need my UPS for my 450watt pc, 19inch crt monitor, and my high speed dsl modem. That's all! Not all of the other stuff currently connected to my cheap $10.00 six outlet surge protector bar.

See this is where I'm confused, people saying I can and can't use it.

From my research a ground rod should be made of copper not metal.

 

I have always understood that ‘earth and earthing’ are English terms and ‘ground and grounding’ are American terms for the same thing.

Whatever you call it there are three main (electrical/electronic) uses for an earth and all rely on the fundamental property that the earth remains at constant potential. By constant potential I mean that the voltage does not change whatever current flows in the rest of the circuit. There is no requirement for current to actually flow, although in some cases there is flow.

The three main uses are

1) Screening and shielding
2) Voltage reference
3) Protective earthing

Confusion may arise because more than one earthing system may be employed to satisfy more than one of these uses in the same apparatus.

Taking each case in turn we see that.

Case 1 is the simplest with no intended current flow. A conductive (usually metal) screen is placed around or between signal carrying conductors. It is connected to something capable of holding it a constant potential, despite variations in the electromagnetic environment. This connection may be to a fixed point in the circuit itself or may be to an outside body such as mains earth.
As such, this type of earthing is appropriate for AC but not DC.

Case 2 occurs when one point in the circuit is declared fixed, and made sufficiently beefy by comparison with the rest of the circuit, to make it so for the normal, non fault, currents. Normally one terminal of the power supply is chosen.
So for instance in the case of an automobile, one terminal of the battery is connected to the car body as the ‘beefy’ bit. This is obviously DC and may be referred to as ‘positive earth’ or ‘negative earth’. The automobile itself is obviously insulated from the planet earth.
With a single phase AC mains supply one terminal (neutral) is chosen and connected to something ‘beefy’ at the substation. In this case it is connected to the planet.

Case3 arises when the intended current is a fault current and occurs in conductors which do not carry current under normal operation.
So in some countries the external metalwork on mains powered apparatus is connected to a third conductor - the ‘earth’ wire. Current only flows in this wire under fault conditions and it is important that this current ( which is often large) does not alter the potential of the earth wire so it is connected to a very large source/sink namely the planet. The resistance (impedance) of this connection is important in this case and is termed ‘earth resistance’ in many national regulations.
It is important to realise that this resistance is a measure of the connection resistance to the planet at this point, not the resistance between separated connections to the planet. In particular it is not the resistance to the planet through the neutral.

Mains supply is therefore a system that employs two separate and distinct earthing types, case2 (the neutral wire) and case3 (the earth wire).

 

Now for the practical side of things.

No, the power company is not obliged to provide an earth point.

However until recently, buried supply cables have been metal armoured. This armour is for mechanical protection and plays no part in the supply conductors.
Because the armour is in intimate contact with perhaps miles of earth it is a very good earth, better than anything you could provide yourself.
So for good engineering reasons where properties are fed by underground cable the power company normally provides an earth block in the 'box in the basement' (consumer unit) connected to its cable armour.
This block is a substantial chunk of brass, with green or green/yellow earth wires from the property connected to it.

If the supply is by overhead cable the consumer normally has to provide his own earth as the power company has no means to do it.

Please note that brass, bronze, copper, lead and aluminium are all metals.

Tim and Bill -
In the UK all building metalwork for services (and some building metalwork, e.g. balustrades) , whether exposed or not, have to be connected to earth. this is called cross bonding of services and applies to sinks, water and gas pipes, metal backing boxes for electric switches, conduit etc.
Bathrooms have additional requirements. No pluggable outlets are allowed here, all apparatus must be fixed (permanently wired in) switches must not be reachable by someone in the bath, all switches must operate by some remote mechanism eg a pull cord. Finally certain limited outlets are allowed for shavers . These must be supplied from a self limiting double wound transformer. Interestingly these are not earthed, as the transformer provides the protection.

 

We've been through all this before.

The UPS is designed to allow your pc to (be) shut down in an orderly fashion in the event of power failure. The pc (data) could be seriously damaged by sudden loss of power.
Sudden loss of power will not damage your monitor or modem.

The surge limiting capacity of a UPS is incidental and not really to be relied on. You may be lucky you may not.

 

Can't I just use a GFCI outlet instead? Therefore I'd be able to swap my current outlet for a GFCI outlet.

Has anyone ever used pc equipment or an UPS on a GFCI outlet?

There's no way I'll be able to afford a new ground wired outlet installation.

 

A Ground Fault Circuit Interupt is just an outlet with an additional feature, it automatically turns off if it detects a current in the ground wire. Remember, no current is ever supposed to flow through ground, if it does something is seriously wrong. They usually put those in bathrooms due to all the water, and want to be extra safe.

Copper is metal. It is the conductor, not the material that is important with the grounding point. A lot of poles just put a heavy wire next to the pole when they install the pole, which is equivant to the spike idea.

It is illegal now, but a lot of older houses used aluminum wire, which caused too many fires. Over time you'll see other materials come on line, copper is just the current cheapest material that conducts well. Copper is still expensive though. Silver is a better conductor, but it's pretty obvious why it isn't used.

After all the talk, you should be able to connect the UPS to a two prong outlet, it is just not optimal nor as safe. The case on the computer and all other metal hardware is usually connected to the ground for safety, that is what the ground is for. If you ran a 3rd wire from ground to the earth outside it would be equivalent.

 

How in the world would I ever do that? The only possible way to accomplish that would be buying a copper wire and tying it to the ground screw on my bedroom outlet, having the wire run on the outside of my wall, through my bedroom window, to the dirt ground outside, tied to a metallic rod hammered 6 feet into the dirt. I cannot see how that can be safe...

:confused

 

For those who might be interested here is a site that has lots of interesting explanations.

Click on RCD if you want to know how one works.

http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Technical/index.html

 

How is a wire dangerous? Unless it is a tripping hazard of course. Remember, it's there for safety and surge protection assist, and doesn't carry any juice. Like has been said, you can use the UPS as is, but some of the features (as in surge supression) won't be as effective. You'll still have some protection with surge supression, but there will be some weakness. If you check all the modern computer equipment, it has 3 wires, including but not limited to the power strips feeding them. Just out of curiousity, doesn't your computer have an acrylic case as the avitar shows, or is it metal? Remember what I was saying about the metal drill motor case?

I personally love UPS's, I have 1 active and 2 others I'll eventually get around to connecting. The day I saw my power cycle on/off about 10 or more times I was grateful to have it on my BBS computer. I just brought my deceased dad's UPS home, it will find a use. I bought it as a gift several years ago for him, his power in a small town was a lot dirtier than mine.

 

My computer has an acrylic case exactly as shown in my avatar. It's a "mutant mods" brand acrylic case. See the confusing part is that the APC reps tell me to keep it but it won't use it's full potential, and other APC reps have told me to get a refund at the store. My case won't melt now will it? LOL

Hey let's say I keep this UPS stored in my closet until I move to another home or save up to get a real electrician to come and ground the outlet. Will the UPS ruin being stored for a certain amount of time? I read the manufacturer slip inside the box and it says that it was made in JUNE of 2007. So I don't know if that has any bad effect on the battery or whatnot... I got it at a steal ($69), so if I can store it for now that would be good. I'd just like to figure out how long it could be stored for.

By the way Bill sorry about your dad's passing. May he rest in eternal peace... Until you meet again.

 

Naw, I think those cases are cool. Don't have to worry about ground on it as much. You ever throw a spark from static to the few metal parts on it? This is actually a good thing, means the static went to ground somehow.

UPS's have a shelf life, whether used or not, though they'll last a bit longer in storage. They have a sealed lead acid battery (aka gel cell) that has to be replaced every couple of years, but the good news is they aren't too expensive. I'd use it to get the benifets. The one on my BBS has been replaced twice so far, neither time with the exact replacement (it's a bit like all batteries, as long as the voltage, size, and connectors are close, it will work). Both times my first clue was when the UPS stopped working, but they have a self test feature if your the type that can remember to check it periotically.

My main use isn't to power the computer down during power failure, but to protect the computer when the power company is working on the lines. I'm fortunate enough to have underground wiring for several miles leading up to my house, so lightening isn't as much of a problem, though over the last 30 years or so I've been hit by far away strikes which have been supressed by protectors. The only gadget blown was a garage door opener, which now has a supressor of its own.

This UPS provides power to the computer, modem, answering machine, and cordless phone. I connected the monitor to the surge protected side (but not UPS protected), which as far as I know is a standard feature on the suckers.

 

Sounds like you have a good rig there Bill. You must live on the outskirts of town there in good ole Texas to be having all of that underground wiring. Lucky you...

& no I've never experienced any static spark while touching anything on my pc. I used to have my pc on the floor but I put it up on a table now. One of the hdd that I had died when I had it on the floor. It was probably from all of the times I walked in front of the intake fan at the front side of my case which had a metallic fan grill. A good thing came out of it like Martha Stewart, and that's the fact that the hdd'd warranty was valid so I was sent a new bigger HDD from WD. Lol