Joseph Meehan wrote:

"chicagofan" wrote:
Can anyone tell me what it would cost *roughly* to replace each box or
whatever is required? Or even if that is going to help?


In a home only 20 years old, you should not be having a problem. Of
course you should expect that they used the cheapest outlets they could
find. Replacing them with quality heavy duty outlets would be a good
idea. The cost would be something like $2.50 plus labor for each
outlet. The time should not be long for each outlet, but the cost per
hour varies greatly from one area to another. You will need to ask for
some estimates from local electricians. Count the number of outlets you
need replaced (doing all of them might not be a bad idea) and then get
on the phone.

I was thinking about doing them all, based on the replies I got.


Now about unplugging all these devices. With a proper modern wiring,
it should not be necessary to unplug all those devices every time. I
might suggest buying a few quality surge protectors and check out their
warranty. Many include insurance for any equipment plugged into them so
if the worse happens and the equipment is fried, you get a replacement.

When my computers were fried, I looked into those warranties and they
required me to ship them my computer to be fixed, which I couldn't do
without. Since that time, I started unplugging it all when I was here.


Always remember to keep all your personal files backed up.

I finally learned that lesson and bought an external hard drive for
backup. Thanks so much for the estimate.


To Malto and HeyBub... I have considered the whole house surge
protection, but when I looked into it with my power company... their
service seemed to have so many exclusions, I wondered what it did cover.

If I knew a *reputable* electrician, I would do this. Is there an
electrical society or something whose referrals mean something?

I'll keep asking around, and see if I can find someone who has had this
done. Thanks so much for all the responses and advice everyone.
bj