Computers and wall outlet question

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vietkangta

Limp Gawd
Joined
Dec 18, 2005
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Is it safe to run 2 computers on one wall outlet? I dont know how much my outlet can handle and dont want to fry anything.


Currently i have 1 computer w/monitor hooked up, printer, modem, speaker system and a router.

Im planning to hook up just another computer without a monitor.
 
Without telling us what your computers are, we can only assume you should be fine with the wall outlet. Ideally, you'd have a UPS to not only prevent surges and provide power during outages, but also to clean the power going to your systems.
 
I have two computers with other stuff running through a single UPS to a single wall outlet with no problem. However, I also have a power meter and can verify the power consumed and ensure that the power required is well under the capacity of the wall socket.

If you add up the power requirements of all the things plugged into the wall socket, you can determine whether it is all right. The power requirements should be written on labels on the devices. Computers don't have this but you can guesstimate the power by looking up the power demands of each component in the computer.
 
Assuming a 15A circuit, it will be safe to draw somewhere between 12 and 15A continuously (with a bit over 15A briefly, like for startup current spikes). Easily enough for 2 computers and 2 monitors and peripherals. You could probably at least double that if other things aren't drawing (much) power from the circuit.
 
how do find out how many amps you wall outlet can handle?

Im current running an amd 2400+ system with 475 watt power supply from enermax. The computer is running a 6800gs agp with 3 hard drives and 1 dvd burner. Also using a 19 inch CRT.


The 2nd computer is just a regular dell with 300 watts power supply with a dual core e2180.
 
Well, if it just has 2 vertical slits plus the ground plug, it's a 15A. For 20A one of those vertical slits has a horizontal part to it, like |--. You can Google and see the different outlet types.

To find out how much of the circuit is in use, for the regular home owner who doesn't know much about electricity (most people), you should turn off everything except lights in that room and other rooms. Then you'd want to go find the circuit in your distribution panel ("breaker box") and turn it off. If you don't know which one (they should be labeled but some houses do not have them labeled or are labeled too poorly to tell) then you'll have to go through each of the 15A and 20A circuits one at a time. Turn it off, then try to turn on a lamp or something (or get an outlet tester which should be easily available for less than $20). Take an inventory of which outlets turn off for each breaker. When you find the one that turns your computer outlet off, you find the other outlets that are turned off and take an inventory of everything that is on that circuit and estimate how much load is on the circuit.

However, those systems you mentioned are not going to draw that much power, so unless you're running stuff like air conditioners or vacuums on the same circuit, I think you'll be OK. I've run 2 computers and monitors, a surround sound receiver (often at quite high volume levels), 3 120W light bulbs, a window air conditioner and my TV at the same time on one 15A circuit with no problem. If I wanted to vacuum I had to turn off the AC first, though.
 
You are more than fine, even if those are decent rigs.

Your breaker will trip before you burn anything down.
 
Well i got one of the older outlet style in my room the one with the 2 holes only.

Is there a recommended UPS i should get

i was thinking of getting this surge protector.

Belking Surge Protector
 
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If it only has two slots and no ground hole, you should be aware that many UPSes will not work with it - they must be grounded. If you own the home, you should upgrade that socket (at least) to provide a proper ground.

Belkin does not make good surge protectors.
 
Then anything you do will be unsafe... And if the house burns down for it, you will lose insurance coverage...
 
1. go to your power panel, find out what circuit your computer is plugged into. read number on breaker. That will tell you how many amps your circuit can handle. Keep in mind that many outlets can be on one circuit.

2. get some updated wiring in your residence.
 
Arcygenical said:
Then anything you do will be unsafe... And if the house burns down for it, you will lose insurance coverage...
Click to expand...

why would his house burn down for not having a safety ground? They don't prevent houses from burning down, they keep people from being electrocuted.
 
ryan_975 said:
why would his house burn down for not having a safety ground? They don't prevent houses from burning down, they keep people from being electrocuted.
Click to expand...

Dunno. Two of my apartment complexes included this in the leasing contract... And cited fire hazard and legal liability as the reasons to this particular outlawing.

Pretty much every "electrical fire tip" web page cites "GFCIs " or "AFCIs" which prevent shocks and fire...
 
Grounds will increase safety not prevent fires. Some UPS units will detect a missing ground and complain (if you have the software installed on the computer) - others will not function.

GFCI does not require a ground - they can work with only neutral and hot but it's not the best way to go. They just make sure that the power cuts out faster than a fuse/circuit breaker in areas where water or other things can cause a ground fault - bathrooms, kitchens, garages, outdoor outlets etc.

Exactly what's legal and required or minimally acceptable depends on local electrical codes. However, I would never run a computer without a proper, legal ground.
 
GFCI is much less useful without a ground.

The guy MIGHT not need that much work done. Many older homes that didn't have grounded outlet plugs did have Romex wire with the metal shield (there is a 2-letter type for this but I forget what it is) and that metal shield is ground and is connected to the metal box. He might just need the outlet replaced with the ground hooked up to the box, and that would be cheap to do.

I would recommend his parents switch most of the circuits to AFCI because they can really help prevent fires with older wiring.
 
A vacuum cleaner draws far more power than any 2 computers ever could, so theres a clue that you'll be OK.
 
dandragonrage said:
GFCI is much less useful without a ground.

The guy MIGHT not need that much work done. Many older homes that didn't have grounded outlet plugs did have Romex wire with the metal shield (there is a 2-letter type for this but I forget what it is) and that metal shield is ground and is connected to the metal box. He might just need the outlet replaced with the ground hooked up to the box, and that would be cheap to do.

I would recommend his parents switch most of the circuits to AFCI because they can really help prevent fires with older wiring.
Click to expand...

GFCI doesn't require a ground at all to function. It compares the current coming in one side to the current going out the other. If they're different by more than 500ma (I think that's right) it trips.

The type of cable your thinking of is called BX, but it's not a type of Romex (which is not armor-wrapped).
 
ryan_975 said:
GFCI doesn't require a ground at all to function. It compares the current coming in one side to the current going out the other. If they're different by more than 500ma (I think that's right) it trips.
Click to expand...

It's not useful if the current doesn't HAVE anywhere else to go, which is usually ground, be it from the ground of the outlet/box or a pipe or whatever.
 
dandragonrage said:
It's not useful if the current doesn't HAVE anywhere else to go, which is usually ground, be it from the ground of the outlet/box or a pipe or whatever.
Click to expand...

It trips so that there is no current to go anywhere. The ground is nothing more than a safety just as it is in any non-GFCI outlet/circuit. A GFCI's purpose is to protect you when the safety ground can't. There are tons of devices (hairdryers, curling irons, toasters, etc) that don't have any way to protect the operator from shorts because they have non-metallic casings to ground.
 
ryan_975 said:
It trips so that there is no current to go anywhere. The ground is nothing more than a safety just as it is in any non-GFCI outlet/circuit. A GFCI's purpose is to protect you when the safety ground can't. There are tons of devices (hairdryers, curling irons, toasters, etc) that don't have any way to protect the operator from shorts because they have non-metallic casings to ground.
Click to expand...

Yes, and if that ground is not hooked up, current can't go that way unless you happen to be touching that metal casing and a ground like a water fixture/pipe, etc. Current has to have another path to travel for a GFCI to trip. For current on the hot to be different from the current on the neutral, it has to split somewhere.
 
dandragonrage said:
Yes, and if that ground is not hooked up, current can't go that way unless you happen to be touching that metal casing and a ground like a water fixture/pipe, etc. Current has to have another path to travel for a GFCI to trip. For current on the hot to be different from the current on the neutral, it has to split somewhere.
Click to expand...

I understand that. But a non-GFCI circuit would still trip if there was a short to a safety ground. A GFCI protects you from those devices that can't short to ground until you are getting shocked. The safety ground plays no direct role in its function. If it's there and there's a current leak, it trips, if there's not a safety ground and you get a hold of a faulty device, it trips (much faster and with much less current than a standard breaker in both cases).
 
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