38 foot extension cord to UPS ?

Posted by Lunar_Reactor@reddit | buildapc | View on Reddit | 17 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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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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tybuzz@reddit

Yeah, definitely test the smoke detectors then, haha.

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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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