UPS/Surge Protection Help
 

Hey guys (and gals),

I am in an older NYC apartment, and I am the unlucky soul to have the one room in the apartment with outlets that are not grounded.

What is my best course of action to protect myself here? I checked, and the grounding wire is not in the outlet, and the super says they are not able to ground my outlets.

Is it best to get a couple of UPS's for everything that I need to plug in? I don't really know what other solution there could be.

Please lend some advice if you're in the know on these types of issues.

Thanks!

Re: UPS/Surge Protection Help
 

Plugging a UPS into an ungrounded outlet isn't going to ground anything, though there are good reasons to use a UPS anyway. I assume you actuall have two prong outlets and not 3 prong without grounding. I seem to remember old type of outlet adaptors with a small metal ring protruding from them. If you plugged one of those in and then ran a wire to plumbing pipe, which is usually grounded, then that would provide grounding and you could then plug an outlet strip for your computer into that adapter. You can get an outlet tester to verify whether that ground wire is indeed providing grounding.

Re: UPS/Surge Protection Help
 

I acutally have 3-prong outlets, just with a grounding prong leading to nowhere except air.

[ QUOTE ]
Plugging a UPS into an ungrounded outlet isn't going to ground anything, though there are good reasons to use a UPS anyway. I assume you actuall have two prong outlets and not 3 prong without grounding. I seem to remember old type of outlet adaptors with a small metal ring protruding from them. If you plugged one of those in and then ran a wire to plumbing pipe, which is usually grounded, then that would provide grounding and you could then plug an outlet strip for your computer into that adapter. You can get an outlet tester to verify whether that ground wire is indeed providing grounding.

[/ QUOTE ]

Re: UPS/Surge Protection Help
 

You should still be able to try the fix I suggested if you can find that adapter/plug.

Re: UPS/Surge Protection Help
 

I will look into it (probably bring in an electrician). I think, however, that in all my research I read something that this can be extremely dangerous and can basically create an electrocution risk if you use the plumbing.

I could be way off though. A lot of this info I've been looking up is completely new to me.

Re: UPS/Surge Protection Help
 

The risk of electrocution comes from working with live wires while trying to ground an outlet directly. Regarding plumbing, commercial codes frequently call for two sources of ground for a main box, and plumbing is used for the water ground all the time. Only if you hooked up a live wire to a plumbing pipe could you run the risk of electrocution from water. Unless your apartment has it's own breaker box an electrician won't be able to help you, and maybe not even then if he can't run a line to a ground stake that could be put somewhere. Go to the hardware store and describe your problem and ask about the solution I suggested is my advice.

Re: UPS/Surge Protection Help
 

Thanks!

[ QUOTE ]
The risk of electrocution comes from working with live wires while trying to ground an outlet directly. Regarding plumbing, commercial codes frequently call for two sources of ground for a main box, and plumbing is used for the water ground all the time. Only if you hooked up a live wire to a plumbing pipe could you run the risk of electrocution from water. Unless your apartment has it's own breaker box an electrician won't be able to help you, and maybe not even then if he can't run a line to a ground stake that could be put somewhere. Go to the hardware store and describe your problem and ask about the solution I suggested is my advice.

[/ QUOTE ]

Re: UPS/Surge Protection Help
 

If you don't want to go the electrician or do-it-yourself route, just buy a heavy-duty 12-gauge extension cord and run it to an outlet that is grounded somewhere else in the apartment.

Re: UPS/Surge Protection Help
 

Yeah...I was looking at the 50-footers earlier [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[ QUOTE ]
If you don't want to go the electrician or do-it-yourself route, just buy a heavy-duty 12-gauge extension cord and run it to an outlet that is grounded somewhere else in the apartment.

[/ QUOTE ]

Re: UPS/Surge Protection Help
 

Ok.

Riddle me this.

I look down at my surge protector today, and the "Grounded" light is on (and the plug tester thing I've got reads it as Correct as well). I am 99.9999% sure that it was not when I first plugged in the surge protector.

What the heck???