38 foot extension cord to UPS ?

Posted by Lunar_Reactor@reddit | buildapc | View on Reddit | 25 comments

I live in an old house. My room is on the second floor. Each outlet on the second floor is not grounded. I tried fixing that by checking if there was a ground wire on some of the outlets. Long story short even if each ground wire is properly connected in the electrical box and in some outlet, still no ground on the second floor. My last option is to buy a 38-foot extension cord to connect to the only ground outlet in the entire house.

If I get a powerful enough extension cord, is it safe to plug it into my UPS and after that my PC ?

Thanks a lot!

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TheIlluminate1992@reddit

What's the wattage on the ups and power supply?

For 20 amps or 2400 watts at 120 volts you'd need AT LEAST 12 gauge wire. Preferably 10. That's an expensive as fuck extension cord.

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Lunar_Reactor@reddit (OP)

900w fory UPS and 850w for my Power Supply.

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TheIlluminate1992@reddit

Should be good with 14 gauge. Personally I still would never recommend an extension cord be used like that but it should be fine.

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Lunar_Reactor@reddit (OP)

Okay good thanks! At least I have this option.

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implicate@reddit

I just want to mention that I was in a situation once where I was temp living in a motorhome parked on the side of a house, and I had a long extension cord running to a UPS at the house so I could plug my gaming PC in.

Long story short, I woke up to thick black smoke starting to pour into the room, and only had a split second to take a breath, and run outside of the thing before it all went up in flames. I very narrowly escaped death that morning.

Make sure you're using the right gauge of cord for something like this.,and understand the risks.

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Lunar_Reactor@reddit (OP)

Wow literally what I fear the most with this temporarily set up. I'm looking forward to moving and having a ground outlet next to my PC.

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Carnildo@reddit

Other things to keep in mind when drawing lots of power through long extension cords:

Don't hide the cord under anything. Leave it out in the open so that it doesn't overheat.
Don't coil up the excess length -- a neat coil traps heat, where a messy pile lets it radiate away.

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Lunar_Reactor@reddit (OP)

Thanks for the tips! Super useful.

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jhaluska@reddit

Yes, if you get the right gauge extension cord. Thin cords have a chance to overheat and catch fire, if you want to be absolute sure get a 12 gauge 20 amp extension cord intended for generators. They're a little pricey. Then you might want to secure it so it doesn't get tripped on.

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Carnildo@reddit

The 20-amp cords I've looked at have 20-amp plugs on the ends, which don't fit into 15-amp sockets.

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jhaluska@reddit

I forgot about that. You can get adapters, but 15 amp is technically enough. I'd just be more willing to spend more for the peace of mind.

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Lunar_Reactor@reddit (OP)

Thanks I will look into that!

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AcademyRuins@reddit

Probably easier to just run a wire connected to ground to that outlet instead of a long ass extension cord from a grounded outlet.

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Carnildo@reddit

Getting grounding right can be tricky: it's very easy to accidentally set up a ground loop that crashes your computer from time to time, somewhat harder to set up a ground loop that starts a fire, and possible (but tricky) to create a botched ground that turns your computer case into a deathtrap.

(I've seen all three variations in RV parks where the owner did their own wiring.)

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thor421@reddit

If I had to use a cord I'd look for a "heavy" usage cord from National Electrical Code (NEC) Article 400, and put my own ends on it. Type SO, SOW or SOOW.

But really you should find a way to properly ground those receptacles. Rip open the walls and put a proper wire in.

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Lunar_Reactor@reddit (OP)

Thanks I will look this up. If it was my house I would but it's just a rental for the winter. It is fortunately not a permanent situation.

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tybuzz@reddit

Is this 120 or 220 volt?

The UPS likely has a built-in circuit breaker, and you're probably not going to pull even half the circuit's max amperage with your PC, especially if it's a 20 amp circuit, so a 12 gauge cord would be more than enough.

At 120 volts even if the 850 watt psu was maxed it would only be pulling 7 amps, so even a 14 gauge would likely be safe at that length.

I would be more worried about the condition of your house's electrical system if you only have one grounded outlet in the house. At least make sure the grounded outlet is properly wired and has a working circuit breaker. Make sure you have working smoke alarms too, lol.

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Lunar_Reactor@reddit (OP)

Thanks! Fortunately, this isn't my house, just a rental for the winter. The breaker box is a nightmare.

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pkinetics@reddit

Get renters insurance

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Lunar_Reactor@reddit (OP)

Yes absolutely, first thing I did after moving.

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Lunar_Reactor@reddit (OP)

this made me laugh, thanks