DIYbanter - View Single Post - APC hums (buzzes) when hair dryer is run in another room

BE

On 11/24/06 2:23 AM, in article ,
"Dr. Anton T. Squeegee" wrote:

In article ,
(known to some as BE) scribed...

bigsnip

I would love to be able to ground it properly, but this is not possible. I
figure it is better than running the computers themselves ungrounded and
subject to this house's "dirty" electricity. Since I lost a computer 7-8
years ago to the abuse this house's electricity inflicted upon its power
supply, I have made it a policy to have a UPS for everything I care about:

snippety-two

You really, REALLY need to run new wiring if you expect to be able
to safely run modern equipment. If I were in your situation, I wouldn't
run anything more modern than a desk lamp until I'd brought everything
up to current code.

Like I said earlier, it is not possible. I am a renter in this house; the
house is located in a very desirable location of my city (among the best
schools in the nation) and its unimproved condition allows us to pay very
low rent. The landlord is sitting on a huge windfall if he sells because
he's owned this property since 1969 and we don't want to push him to sell by
making such a request (not that it would). We hope to stay at least 2 more
years in this house. In the sense that it might make it harder to sell, the
recent real estate downturn (and glut of unsold properties) is a good thing
for us (but at the same time not good because my wife is a realtor).

Hence, an upgrade to the wiring is _impossible_.

No UPS was ever designed to run ungrounded. I won't be at all
surprised if the APC's 'Site Wiring Fault' warning light is on
continuously. At the very least, you need to run a proper ground for the
thing, and that will also have the effect of properly grounding
everything you attach to it.

Yes, that light is continuously on.

I will search Google for instructions of how to prepare a ground.

With an eventual upgrade in mind: Many states allow homeowners to
do their own electrical work IF it is inspected after said work is done.
Honestly, it's not that hard. I replaced our entire breaker panel
(upgraded from 125-amp main to 200), and it passed inspection on the
first try.

Your biggest issues are to use approved wire (non-metallic sheath
cable, recommend #12 all around so you can do 20-amp outlets by
default), and to make sure whatever breaker panel replaces the fuse box
has enough spots for everything you want to do.

Do yourself a favor: Ground that APC now, and make upgrading the
house wiring a major priority.

I think after using my equipment this way for nearly 10 years I can make the
assumption that if something bad was going to happen it would have by now.

The unit does keep our equipment running when the power goes out or dips -
it has never failed (except when the UPS's batteries need to be replaced).

Happy tweaking.

Thanks for your considerate advice!

Be