Computer keeps tripping house circuit...

[G.T]

I have come across a problem where whenever I turn my PC on it flips the house circuit power to the off position and have to flip the switch to turn it back on again every time.

What happened is I was swapping my optical cable over from my PS3 to the Xbox, and it's a little tangled up with the other wires at the back of my desk so I had to pull a little bit. I have plugged in a 4 gang adapter with 2 square adapters attached to it, so I basically have 7 or so things plugged in through the 4 gand and 1 wall socket.

People have told me maybe I have way too much plugged into that one socket, but at the time I didn't have a lot of my stuff on so maybe when I was pulling the cables the PC cable was pulled akwardly and blew the circuit.

I tried replacing the 10AMP fuse in the actual plug, but every time we plugged it in again and turned the power supply switch back on the back of the PC it would knock the house circuit out again. Everything is unplugged from the computer, even the extra hard drive I added a few weeks ago.

So does anyone know what's going on here? Has the power supply gone or is there something else as fault here?

Thanks

 

[Pako]

The only time my computer tripped my circuit braker was when I was going for 5ghz on water.

Seriously though, if the braker is not faulty, you are drawing more amps than what you should. This could be caused by a number of things, but know that the circuit is overloading.

Have you tried your PC in a different outlet? More importantly, a different circuit all together?

Subscribing to this thread so it doesn't get lost in the sea of GT5 posts.

 

[G.T]

Yep, I tried the PC direct into the outlet downstairs (the PC has always been upstairs) and it still did it.

At the time the usual things were on - my TV my monior and my Xbox and my PC in my room - when we tried it again all that stuff was off so a considerably less amount of electricity was running through my house at the time we tried it again.

I would try in the garage as it has a seperate circuit but I can't because it's running on an older fuse box and my parents don't have replacements for fuses in it for some reason. We'd lose all our food in the freezer in the garage so it's a definit no-no to try in there.

 

[Pako]

Is the downstairs outlet on a different braker (circuit)?

It sounds like you have melted something in your PSU that's causing an overload on your line.

 

[G.T]

Is the downstairs outlet on a different braker (circuit)?

It sounds like you have melted something in your PSU that's causing an overload on your line.

Nah the whole house (except the lights and cooker) are on the same circuit - when it happens all the equipment upstairs and downstairs turn off.

I presumed it may have been a fuse in the power supply or something instantly but there is nothing replaceable without voiding the warranty.

Will something like this be covered by the manufactuer warranty? (I have 3 years on it apparently)

Edit: I have a fairly expensive computer build, PSU cost me about £70 (700W) so I'm hoping I don't have to pay for a new one.

 

[Pako]

Nah the whole house (except the lights and cooker) are on the same circuit....

Ummmm...., well. That could be part of it. Not sure how things are wired in the UK, but lets say you have a 20 amp breaker. You can start adding up watts to calculate amps. If all the watts calculate to more than 20 amps, this could be your issue.

For example. I have a 1200w PSU and am running it on a 120v circuit. I would divide my watts/volts so.... 1200w/120v = 10amps effectively. Note that your load can change by demand on the unit, although my PSU is 1200w, it's not going to draw 10amps all the time, but if I max the load on the PSU, like when I was overclocking my system, I must have gotten close because I tripped the breaker.

 

[G.T]

Yeah I can understand that, but my PC was running idle at the time (700W PSU fairly high spec PC) and only had the normal stuff running at the time.

Okay, parents MAY have been using more stuff, but when we tried it again considrrably less equiment was being used when it tripped again. We would plug the PC in, with all my stuff off and most of my parents stuff, then flip the power supply switch to "on" on the back of my PC, then it would trip the house again. The PC doesn't even turn on at all.

Edit: It even doesn't trip when ALL the usual stuff is on again without the PC, so Im fairly sure it's just the PC causing it :/

 

[wfooshee]

Wow. Codes are different there, or the house is pretty old, to have the whole building protected by one breaker.

My house, a typical 3BR-2Bath ranch, has fifteen 120-volt circuits and 4 240-volt circuits.

Anyway, I all you have to do is turn on the power supply of the computer, and nothing is connected to it in the computer, then I'd say the power supply is shorted. Only remaining test is to take it elsewhere, another house with breakers, not fuses, or have spare fuses on hand.

Changing fuses in the PC and its power supply does nothing. they're not blowing, so there's nothing wrong in anything thy protect.

I'm assuming this has worked before, and this isn't a new machine just brought into the house and has never worked there?

 

[G.T]

Yeah it's not a new machine - I've had it just over a year and never had any hardware issues with it. Cost me around £900 custom built so you can understand why I'm annoyed about it doing this.

So would this be covered by the PSU's warranty?

 

[Pako]

Depends. Check on the manufacturer's website of the PSU. Was it a local shop that built the machine? Can you check with them?

 

[G.T]

I've contacted the support on the OCZ forums so I'll see if it's possible for a replacement.

 

[Pako]

Awesome! Best of luck.

 

[G.T]

Well, it looks like I'm just gonna have to pay out for a new one.

To send it back to their repair center it costs £40, and thats not including possible handling charges that maybe given to me when it reaches the Netherlands. And then run the risk of them not repairing it properly and have to send it back again (had a few electronics sent back to me faulty before). I might as well pay £70 for a new one and have a year's return warranty to the store back again.

An absolute joke.

 

[Pako]

Ouch! Can you take your old one in to get tested at a local shop?

 

[DQuaN]

Definitely sounds like the PSU. Same thing happened to me. Check the little red switch on the back of the PSU (if there is one), is it set to 220 or 110?

 

[G.T]

Ouch! Can you take your old one in to get tested at a local shop?

Nah they don't cover it after a year - it has to be sent away for repair/replacement after that. :/

Definitely sounds like the PSU. Same thing happened to me. Check the little red switch on the back of the PSU (if there is one), is it set to 220 or 110?

I'll get back to you on this, it's still packaged downstairs as I haven't 100% decided what to do yet.

 

[Sureboss]

Nah they don't cover it after a year - it has to be sent away for repair/replacement after that. :/

How long you had it? I know you have to send it off to the Netherlands but who did you buy it from, was it imported? Or was the Custom build done by a UK company?

£40 just to send it away is ridiculous, I know not many people like to do it ('cos we're British), but you do have statutory rights. EU directive is within 2 years you have a right to request part of the cost of the repair/replacement, in England it's within 6 years from purchase. All depends on who you bought it from and not the manufacturer.

 

[G.T]

I bought it from Novatech. I should have contacted them about it but after a few things I read on the net after the first year you have to deal with the manufacturer if it's a manufacturer warranty. I'm not 100% sure though.

This to be exact.

 

[Sureboss]

Nope, if it is out of warranty then you should be contacting the retailer (with whom your contract is with when your purchase the goods) to get them to repair/replace it, and it'd be reasonable to expect them to pay for some of that cost, as it's what, 18 months old?

PSUs shouldn't fail within that time frame. Ergo, you've been sold a faulty product.

 

[G.T]

Okay I'll contact Novatech when I can.

And they don't cover any of the cost to send it to them, only the cost to send it back, I've checked with them. I guess that's their way of "covering some of the cost" by paying for the return. :/ A fair few people on their forums have complained about it.

Edit: Also mentions it on their page:

http://www.ocztechnology.com/support/warranty/

 

[Sureboss]

Yup, that's generally how manufacturers work. Thing is, people really shouldn't do that (at least us Brits anyway, anyone within EU as well, but just on a shorter time frame do they have legal rights), but people don't generally know what their consumer rights are. Particularly in the UK, a country where the majority of people don't haggle, you won't find many who actually follow up the contract with the retailer they bought it from. You really don't have any business with the manufacturer at all.

It'd be a bit like going to a restaurant, finding the steak absolutely terrible and contacting the supplier of the steak to complain and not the restaurant. How many would do that? It's the same thing, yet it ends up costing the British consumer hundreds of millions each year in replacing and repairing faulty products. So many retailers don't abide by it because consumers don't know their rights and you sometimes have to push them, but the law is quite clear on it.

At the end of the day, as long as your demands are reasonable, they have no choice. If I went to Amazon 5 years after I bought my PS3 moaning that it broke down, it would be unreasonable to ask them to subsidise the costs of repair/replacement, yet if it broke down a week after the standard yearly warranty finished, it would be reasonable to ask them to subsidise the costs.

Generally, you don't need to know the ins and outs of the section on the Sale of Goods Act, just have reasonable demands. You've had the PSU for, what, half the time you'd expect it to work for? If Novatech say you have to send it to the manufacturer, I'd ask them to cover half the costs of sending it to the manufacturer and any other costs. I know it seems like a lot of effort, but if you want me to draw you up a quick letter (I think you can find some on the net) to e-mail to Novatech, more than happy to. But if you are firm and polite when you contact them, it shouldn't be an issue.

 

[G.T]

Thanks for the advice man.

Went to Novatech today, he barely even looked at the reciept, and said they will post it to OCZ for repair and they even gave me a loan power supply! So I'm posting this on that PC right now.

Thanks again all!

 

[Sureboss]

Good stuff. Very good response.

 

[Keef]

I'm more interested in the fact that the whole house is wired to one breaker! Apparently they do, or did things a bit differently in the UK. Heck, my dad has been contemplating running a new 30 amp circuit to my room to replace the 20 amp because as it is I can trip the breaker when all my stuff is turned on.

 

[GT3mich]

I'm more interested in the fact that the whole house is wired to one breaker! Apparently they do, or did things a bit differently in the UK. Heck, my dad has been contemplating running a new 30 amp circuit to my room to replace the 20 amp because as it is I can trip the breaker when all my stuff is turned on.

Better have at least 12-2 wire running for a 30 amp breaker.

 

[wfooshee]

I'm more interested in the fact that the whole house is wired to one breaker! Apparently they do, or did things a bit differently in the UK. Heck, my dad has been contemplating running a new 30 amp circuit to my room to replace the 20 amp because as it is I can trip the breaker when all my stuff is turned on.

I remember my grandmother's house, built in the '20s, I think, had only 4 fuses on the wall outside. They screwed in like light bulbs. No idea how you cover a house with 4 circuits!

But back then, they were still switching from kerosene to electric lamps, and from iceboxes to refrigerators, so electrical demand was not what it is today!

OK, she had a fridge and light bulbs by the time I was there. They still called the power bill the "light" bill, though! No powered ventilation in the house, just a gas furnace in the floor of the front hall. No washer/dryer, and the water heater was gas, not electric. Giant 20-inch B&W console TV was probably the biggest draw in the house, with all those tubes inside!

 

[Sureboss]

Aren't you all on 120v though?

Anyway, I think our house has got around 12 circuits. Upstairs lights, downstairs lights, cooker (which is 30amp I think) and I'd have to look at the breaker box for the other ones. I think James may just be mis-communicating how the set up is.

 

[G.T]

Yeah, it's easier just to say the whole house is tripping rather than the exact circuit.

Our's is very simple anyways - one for all the lights, one for all the appliances etc, and a seperate one for the cooker and one for the garage. That's it, oddly enough. The heating/water might have one more if I remember rightly.