[ale] OT: Running computers in an older home (read older circuitry)

[Christopher Fowler]

And without it I do not think you'll have anything to attach a grounding
strap to.  I know you do not open your computer up without one on :)

On Thu, 2004-02-19 at 13:19, Doug McNash wrote:
> The third prong ground is for safety, not for any operating reasons.  It
> is connected to the case.  In the event of a short it provides a low
> impedance path for the current and quickly trips the circuit breaker or
> blows the fuse.  Of course the whole idea falls apart if you don't have
> proper fuses or breakers.  Without it, a short could cause the case to
> become "hot" - in the electrical sense - and potential to deliver a
> painful shock.  At some point the ground and neutral wires are connected
> to ground, typically at the breaker box and that ground is tied to the
> six foot ground rod driven in to the earth just outside your house and
> also connected to your plumbing.
> 
> That's how it has been explained to me.  I personally don't see that
> much of a cost/safety benefit to a refit. But I have never had my house
> burn down and have survived many many shocks.  
> 
> 
> On Thu, 2004-02-19 at 11:36, John Wells wrote:
> > Guys,
> > 
> > My wife and I have found a house here in Greensboro we really like, but I have a few concerns.  The house is approx. 54 years old, with an addition on the back that's approx. 15-20 years old.  The addition has grounded, three prong outlets, but the front portion of the house, where my "office" would be, have the older two pronged, non-grounded outlets.
> > 
> > On a given day, I run a 120 mhz firewall/router, a 900 mhz Athlon, a 2200XP+ Athlon (1800mhz) with a lot of components, and a 2.0 Ghz laptop pretty much 24/7.
> > 
> > What are the concerns with going into a house like this with my power usage?  I do know that it's on a circuit breaker system...not fuse box.  And I plan on having an electrician come in a replace one outlet with a grounded, dedicated circuit so my computers will all plug into this outlet.
> > 
> > Anything I'm missing or not considering?  I've never purchased a home with old wiring so I'm a little wary, but we're probably putting an offer in today.  I know that grounding all outlets in the house will probably be pretty darned expensive, so if I don't have to, I don't want to!
> > 
> > Let me know asap if you have any comments/suggestions.  Thanks guys!
> > 
> > John
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