Anyone know anything about electrical stuff?

[divisortheory]

Or EE majors or something? I just moved into a new apartment, and the wall jack that I need to plug all my computers into goes completely dead when I plug my computer in. I know it is working before I plug my computer in, then I plug it in and bam the jack dies instantly, even before I have a chance to actually turn my computer on. All I do is plug it in. I can "Reset" the jack (there's another jack nearby that has a little Reset button on it), and that revives the jack I plugged the computer into, but then right when I plug the computer in bam it dies again.

Obviously I'm gonna call the maintenance people, but they can be slow and this is driving me crazy because right now all I have access to is this shitty laptop that can't run FFXI. Anyone familiar with this type of thing and have any suggestions?

[Lawls]

Did you try sticking a fork or a knife in it? That usually shows it who's boss.

[BIGSTIC]

Either you have a bad GFCI outlet or your Comp has a short in it. Try plugging something else into the GFCI and see if it trips again. If it does then the GFCI went bad and needs to be replaced.

[Devek]

Get one of those things that turn light bulb sockets into outlets you can plug stuff into, they cost like $8 at home depot =)

[divisortheory]

I can plug the computer into other outlets in the apartment with no problems. I can also plug weaker items into the faulty outlet and that also works fine. My computer has a 600W power supply, I assume that has something to do with it, as that's fairly strong. Still, typically I run 2 of these 600W power supplies, plus 2 monitors, plus a printer off the same outlet with no problems. Here I can't even plug 1 computer in even with the power off, lol.

[thestalkmore]

Kalia sign on so we can merit!

[zoobernut]

to me it sounds like either your drawing too much power from the plug and its throwing the breaker. or the wires inside the plug might be mixed up and the ground is attached to the hot and the hot is attached to the ground, that would short out the circuit and throw the breaker too. cant think of any other options off the top of my head. if you think it might be the wires mixed up or something for maybe $5 tops you can buy a little diagnostic tool which will tell you what is going on behind the plug when you plug it in.

i didnt graduate with a degree in EE but i did redo all the elecrical wiring in my old house.

[Ordengate]

Chances are, your entire circuit is maxed out. You live in an apartment, yes? Sometimes they share their power from the overhead utility service (usually about 200 Amps worth) so if other people go over their 'alotted' amount, it can fuck with you even if the circuit isn't overloaded.

I'd try and have someone check the circuit numbers in the apartment and trace exactly how much power that circuit is pulling. If it's anything over 1,920 Watts or 20 Amps and the pole is a 20A (which is very likely), it's going to trip no matter what. If that's the case, just unplug other shit from that circuit or move your computer somewhere else.

[Kattice]

Chances are, your entire circuit is maxed out. You live in an apartment, yes? Sometimes they share their power from the overhead utility service (usually about 200 Amps worth) so if other people go over their 'alotted' amount, it can fuck with you even if the circuit isn't overloaded.

I'd try and have someone check the circuit numbers in the apartment and trace exactly how much power that circuit is pulling. If it's anything over 1,920 Watts or 20 Amps and the pole is a 20A (which is very likely), it's going to trip no matter what. If that's the case, just unplug other shit from that circuit or move your computer somewhere else.

Usually they have more then 20 Amp breakers in apartments....

I'd take a slightly different course of action by speaking to the landlord about the matter first and seeing what should be. If everything checks go from there with just the computer in the circuit, if it fails then you may have a short in the power cord (albeit rare it is probably the least likely thing.

[SephYuyX]

Im going with Orden, sort of, Im going to guess since your in apt that theres a good chance that outlet could be on someone elses breaker.

You say other outlets work fine, right?

Either what bigstic said, the box is screwed up, or that outlet is on someone elses breaker and theres no mo juice fo you.

[BIGSTIC]

Just to get things straight. You are actually tripping the Outlet not the breaker right? If you are tripping the OUTLET only then it is due to a short. The outlet is a Ground Fault Circut Interrupter and is ment to trip if it detects any kind of current going to ground. If your are tripping the BREAKER then yes i would say you are overloaded. You figure on a 20 amp breaker you are legaly only able to put 16 amps on it witch equates to around 2000 watts on a 120 V system. So with 2 X 600 waat comps and whatever else you might be getting close and the breaker could be old causing it to trip easily.

But if you were to call me i would start with the outlet and make sure it is hooked up properly and is actually opperating in the manner it is intended to. Outlests go bad all the time along with breakers, its what makes my job as a sparky so fun.

[divisortheory]

Just to get things straight. You are actually tripping the Outlet not the breaker right? If you are tripping the OUTLET only then it is due to a short. The outlet is a Ground Fault Circut Interrupter and is ment to trip if it detects any kind of current going to ground. If your are tripping the BREAKER then yes i would say you are overloaded. You figure on a 20 amp breaker you are legaly only able to put 16 amps on it witch equates to around 2000 watts on a 120 V system. So with 2 X 600 waat comps and whatever else you might be getting close and the breaker could be old causing it to trip easily.

But if you were to call me i would start with the outlet and make sure it is hooked up properly and is actually opperating in the manner it is intended to. Outlests go bad all the time along with breakers, its what makes my job as a sparky so fun.

I don't know if I'm tripping the outlet or the breaker. All I know is, plug in a 600W power supply, outlet is dead. Push "reset" button on a separate outlet (one of those outlets that has a reset and small rectangular test button), outlet comes back to life. Plug in the power supply, outlet dies again. I can't imagine I'm sharing this with someone else and that's what's causing it to be overloaded, because the apartment building I'm living in is brand new and I'm one of the only residents in the entire building at the moment, lol.

That being said, when I plugged in my router which has 2 prong connector (no ground) it didn't trip. But my computer does trip it. Not sure if it's ground vs. no ground issue, or the fact that computer is strong.

Anyway, the maintenance people will be out here today (god willing), just wanted to know what he was gonna do before he did it.

[SephYuyX]

Well, doesnt look like youre triping the breaker then (youd have to go find the breaker box and flip the switch) since youre just hitting the little reset button.

Yeah, its probably just something wierd going on with that one outlet.

[divisortheory]

Well, doesnt look like youre triping the breaker then (youd have to go find the breaker box and flip the switch) since youre just hitting the little reset button.

Yeah, its probably just something wierd going on with that one outlet.

Well, the guy called me and told me that the GFI for that outlet is really sensitive, and so basically I'm S.O.L. if I want to use that outlet, and I should run an extension cord from another outlet

Somehow I get the feeling that's the lazy answer, and that there's a better solution which would allow me to use that outlet.

[BIGSTIC]

Sounds like a GROUNDing issue in your outlet. Probably got a wire touching a wrong terminal. Should be an easy fix. The other thing i forgot about is if your power supply is causing an imbalance in the electrical harmonics it could be tripping the GFCI. This can happen and a good fix for this is to have a Motor Rated GFCI installed. Motors/Transformers dont always like GFCI outlets and your power supply is a minny transformer. If your maintenance man cant figure it out try pluggin your power supply into an outlet that isnt GFCI protected and see if it works.

[divisortheory]

Sounds like a GROUNDing issue in your outlet. Probably got a wire touching a wrong terminal. Should be an easy fix. The other thing i forgot about is if your power supply is causing an imbalance in the electrical harmonics it could be tripping the GFCI. This can happen and a good fix for this is to have a Motor Rated GFCI installed. Motors/Transformers dont always like GFCI outlets and your power supply is a minny transformer. If your maintenance man cant figure it out try pluggin your power supply into an outlet that isnt GFCI protected and see if it works.

It did work when I tried that actually. Other outlets work, just not the GFCI outlet. How hard (and expensive) is it to install a Motor Rated GFCI? My maintenance man has pretty much decided that there's nothing I can do, and if I buy my own Motor Rated GFCI and hand it to him and say "please install this" he might look at me and say "uhh, no. use the other outlet with an extension cord" (which is what he already told me).

Considering that this is an apartment and that wiring can sometimes be complex, is it a big job to replace the GFCI, or can you just open up the jack and it's sitting right there in front of you? Either way I'd call an Electrician instead of do it myself, but if they're going to have to start ripping up walls and shit then maybe it's better I just stick with the other outlet.

[Coren]

Sounds like somebody just screwed up the wiring in that one receptacle to me. If you turn off the breaker (make sure you get the right one), and take off the cover and look at the wires, I think you'd probably find somebody screwed up the grounding one (ie, the bare copper wire is touching either the black or white wires). That's the only way I can think that you'd be tripping the GFCI with your pc (with a ground) and not a router (w/o a ground), unless the outlet is toast, in which case it's fairly easy to replace (receptacles are something like $3 or less).

[divisortheory]

Kalia sign on so we can merit!

The sooner I get this shit figured out the sooner I can sign on and merit with you I bought an extension cord today though, I guess that'll keep me happy until I replace this GFCI or whatever it is.

[BIGSTIC]

Sorry for the delay posting but a couple fart fans in some attics were calling my name.

As for your issue I would say call a real electrician or get a friend who is an electrician to come over and take a look at it. If it is a newer apartment it shouldn't be having these issues. If you feel comfortable digging into the boxes you can have a go at pulling it apart but please be sure the POWER is OFF. If you don't know how to shut the power off then leave it to a professional. I am still trying to figure out why the outlet is GFCI'ed. The only places we put GFCI outlets you would never use a computer i.e. Bathroom, Unfinished Basement, Outside, Garage, Kitchen. This being said there are ways around GFCI outlets but being that i don't know the situation i don't really want to get into it. Just remember though an electrician typically goes for around $60/hr so you can buy a pretty nice extension cord for that. As for a motor rated GFCI they go for around $20-$30 and can be purchased at most home centers in the electrical section. The swap to a motor rated GFCI is pretty simple for someone that knows what they are doing but things can and do go wrong so thats up to you. GFCI's are kinda tricky so if you haven't touched one before ask questions from people who know before you put one in. Just because you get power out of a GFCI does NOT mean it is installed properly and that is when people get hurt.

BUT as stated before if you don't know what you are doing please don't try to do it yourself. I would hate to have you get shocked and most of the time if you end up doing it wrong it will cost more when you do call an electrician to fix it. Nothing worse than going in and trying to fix a homeowners mistake.

http://www.doityourself.com/scat/safetytips is a pretty decent site to get you acquainted with GFCI and other electrical stuff in your apartment.

[Suds]

Do you have a finished basement? Or an open basement or crawl space? Or even open attic?

If you have open access to either basement/crawl space/attic then you can easily "fish" another line off a nearby (stronger source) or run a dedicated line to the main the main power source.

Contact an electrician or low voltage wiring specialist, or google "Wall fishing" for the basics. You are a smart guy and can easily do it yourself. The concept and act is pretty easy. Zero to minor drywall or wall destructionlol is required.

The easy way is to call electrician or two and get some wall quotes on a "wall fishing", or you can get all you need from Home Depot & do it yourself. Many electricians won’t bother to run a single line. =/ And if you do it yourself and don’t do it correctly it can very easily spiral out of control from a “do it yourself fix” to a “full blow project” in minutes. Good luck.