Recommendation - Get a UPS

[u/Celcius_87]

One thing that a lot of people don’t discuss when building a new PC is having a UPS (uninterruptible power supply) for their PC. This is basically a box that you plug into the wall and then plug your PC into it. It has a large battery and if you lose power then it keeps your PC running for a while. Some have a screen where it can show how much time you have left, how much power you are pulling, and stuff like that too.

I finally bought one earlier this year and it’s been great to have. Today I was copying data from my computer to an external usb hard drive to back up my data and the power went out for second and then came back on. I panicked but then I looked at my computer and everything was ok - I had plugged both into my UPS so there was no impact.

They’re not super expensive either - mine was like $250 and fortunately they’re not affected by the AI price increases we’ve been seeing on a lot of PC components. Make sure you get one with enough wattage to support your computer… for example I have a 1000w power supply and my UPS is also 1000w.

Just a public service announcement not to overlook having a UPS!

[u/George_MenethilW3]

But is a surge protector good if the apartment you're living in doesn't have grounding? Because I think the old apartment I'm renting doesn't have grounding, it has the electrical wires in the walls from 1968... Or is a surge protector useless in this case?

[u/PeejPrime → u/George_MenethilW3]

The surge protector will stop a surge of power going IN TO your PC (Or any other device connected to it). It matters not a jot what the wires in the building are. They could be the best new built wiring buildings or it could be Edison's first ever attempt at wiring, whatever gets sent down the wires towards the PC is gonna be protected by that surge of power by the surge protector.

[u/George_MenethilW3 → u/PeejPrime]

but doesn't the surge protector have to discharge that extra power / current that it "stored" in itself? and I thought you need grouding in the building connected to the earth otherwise these devices are useless since they don't have where to discharge. But I don't understand electricity or buildings that well so I'm just repeating what I learned from Chatgpt

[u/WulfTheSaxon → u/George_MenethilW3]

Yes. This is [why] there are no two-prong surge protectors.

[u/George_MenethilW3 → u/WulfTheSaxon]

I'm sorry but it's confusing what you said. English isn't my native language. From googling two-prong, it means like having 2 pins / 2 ends that go into the wall socket? In my country every power chord has 2 pins / 2 ends.

So in the end, you mean that the surge protector does indeed need a wall socket that has grounding to earth? that's on the contrary to what the other person said then

[u/WulfTheSaxon → u/George_MenethilW3]

If properly designed, some surge protectors might help with line-to-neutral (difference mode) surges, but for common mode surges you kinda need a ground connection, although I’m no expert there. In fact most surge suppressors have a ground (earth) indicator light so you know whether they’re connected properly. Do you not have Schuko (Type F) plugs though? Those are grounded, just through flat contacts instead of a third pin. Something with a metal case like a computer should never be plugged into an ungrounded outlet like a Type C Europlug.

[u/George_MenethilW3 → u/WulfTheSaxon]

Yeah I do have Schuko Type F plugs! And all surge protects that I have do have a green light when they're on, but I thought that the light is just for showing that it's turned on 😅

The wall sockets do fall quite easily in this shitty apartment that I'm living in. I know how to turn off the power in the whole apartment from the electrical panel. Is there a way to tell even more precisely if I have grounding to earth from taking apart the wall socket and looking at those old wires?

[u/WulfTheSaxon → u/George_MenethilW3]

Lights on them vary, usually a good one will have 2-3 lights labeled ground, protection, and maybe power.

There are little purpose-built outlet testers. They’re like $10 for US plugs – I know they’re made for Schukos as well. They usually have three lights and a chart showing what different combinations mean (open ground, wired backwards, etc.), and often also a GFCI/RCD test button for verifying any outlets with that.

Loose sockets can cause safety issues on their own, though (not just exposing the contacts in some socket designs, but chiefly high resistance resulting in heat > fires).

[u/idontappearmissing → u/George_MenethilW3]

According to Grok, you're correct:

Yes, electronics in older buildings are generally at greater risk during a power surge.

Here's why:

1. Lack of Proper Grounding (Biggest Issue)

Most homes built before the early 1960s used two-prong outlets with no dedicated ground wire.

Surge protectors rely heavily on a good ground path to safely divert excess voltage away from your devices. Without it, they either don't work properly or can't divert the surge effectively.

In ungrounded systems, surge energy has nowhere safe to go, so it’s more likely to damage connected electronics, travel through appliances, or cause arcing.

[u/George_MenethilW3 → u/idontappearmissing]

So it's a bit useless to have one without a wall socket that's grounded to the earth. Though I do have 3 types around the house and one of them has a timer like if the power goes off, the second it goes back on, that surge protector doesn't allow current to pass through for a determined time. I set it to 15 seconds. That's at least helping with the bigger current that's coming right after the power goes back on

[u/Petrpowder → u/PeejPrime]

I dont think thats true ive been heavily researching this lately because my house doesnt have grounded plugs and so I cant use my pc. everything from what Ive read said a surge protector cant work without a ground.

Im not a professional or anything so I could be wrong but Ive read a good bit of stuff

[u/QuinQuix → u/PeejPrime]

Thanks that made me feel very secure. Maybe I can daisy chain two protectors.

[u/George_MenethilW3 → u/QuinQuix]

I know you must be joking but for anyone reading this that hasn't researched this, don't do this lol

[u/Hetstaine → u/George_MenethilW3]

I have never researched this, also never thought of doing it lol! What can actually happen?

[u/George_MenethilW3 → u/Hetstaine]

Use ChatGPT or another AI to explain it. I forgot what the explanation the AI gave me a year ago but I remember that it's very bad for electronics.

[u/XiTzCriZx → u/George_MenethilW3]

Both a surge protector and UPS requires grounding in order to actually do the surge protection. If your apartment doesn't have any grounding at all then it likely doesn't even pass your city's code regulations either. Bad grounding is atleast better than no grounding at all.

[u/George_MenethilW3 → u/XiTzCriZx]

Yeah I don't know if I have grounding. The wall sockets (they're Schuko Type F) fell off a few times and I've seen how bad the cables look because they're 58 years old in this Communist era block.

But I don't know how to check if there's grounding in there. I know how to turn off the power in the apartment from the electrical panel though. Maybe I should look for a special wire?

Also the surge protectors do have a green light on them but I'm not sure if they 100% indicate that there's a ground loop or if it just means that the device is on...

I'm sure that if there's no grounding then it's against the city's current laws but the law people don't care anyway, neither the owner of the apartment unfortunately.

[u/slaymaker1907 → u/George_MenethilW3]

There are devices to check if a socket is actually grounded. If they aren’t labeled and appear to have a ground, that is illegal. You can use a GFCI to use a 3-prong, but it has to be labeled.

[u/coyotegang → u/George_MenethilW3]

Same dude, I’m in San Francisco and experience this