Frequent power outages in new house

[TheNiceGuy]

This may be responsible for my most recent HD corruption. I have the PC in my sig. Is there anything I can do? For example, I hear that HD write cacheing is dangerous with a power outage.

Thank you!

 

[Bob Anderson]

Originally posted by: TheNiceGuy
This may be responsible for my most recent HD corruption. I have the PC in my sig. Is there anything I can do? For example, I hear that HD write cacheing is dangerous with a power outage.

Thank you!

-------------------------

You say it is a new house. Do you mean built recently, or is it an old house you just moved in to?
Why are you having frequent power failures? In other words, you need to determine what is going on with your electricity supply.

As far as protecting your computer equipment is concerned, you need to get an uninteruptible power supply. This will allow you to safely shut down in the event of a power failure.

-Bob

 

[bruceb]

If in fact, your power is going out for no apparent reason, say on a nice sunny, windless day
then wether it is an older home or a newly built one, you need to have certain things checked.

Electrical Ground and Bonding
Main Power Feeds at the Power Meter, Main Circuit Breaker and also at the Utility Power Pole
Quite often an electrician will not tighten down a connection enough .. this is very true of Aluminum Wires
which is what is usually used from the Power Pole to the Main Circuit Breaker

Note: Aluminum wires must be installed using a coating called Penatrux which is an Antioxidant

When your power goes off, is it Everything or just one or two rooms ? ?
If limited, check the Breaker wiring for those rooms and the outlets
In older homes, if the Oultets used were the Push In Back Wire types, they DO FAIL as the connection
gets looser with age ... suggest new outlets and use of the Screw Terminals for a Reliable Connection

If all else fails, have the power company check there lines .. it could be a bad connection on the pole or at
the transformer which changes the voltage from about 4KV to 220V for your home .. it could also be
tree branches causing a wire to move and be an intermittent connection.

 

[TheNiceGuy]

Thank you for the detailed descriptions Bruce and Bob!

I should give more details. It is an old house in Japan that we have moved into. The owner told us that the electrical system has problems, and breakers will often go if too many appliances are used at once (he means normal usage). IIRC, the main breaker switch blows (there are 3 breakers in total), but some outlets still work.
I know there is a slight differnce in power here vs the US, exactly how, I don't know. But I know US appliances can be used here.
My PSU has a 3-prong plug, but none of the house pluigs do, so I just use an extension cord to bypass the ground. There is one bizarre, large, 3 prong twist-in type outlet in the garage, but I'm not sure if it can be adapted to a standard PSU plug.
My PSU also has 3 lights on the back to warn of proper voltage, and are always OK when I check them.

So barring having the house's electrical system redone, is there anything I can do? And are power outages liklely to cause damage to the PC?

Thank you!

 

[daveybrat]

The only thing you can do is to take the advice we give you and buy a GOOD APC/UPS!
Short of fixing your house, this is the only route to go. Everyone should have one anyways, but you definitely need one to prevent damage to your computer in the future.....and yes, it's not good for your pc to take brownouts, blackouts, and overvoltage's repeatedly!

Now go get that APC!!

 

[bendixG15]

Originally posted by: daveybrat

Now go get that APC!!

:thumbsup:

 

[bruceb]

If the wiring is as old as you say, better spend the money for a Licensed Electrician
to update all your wiring and circuit breakers ... Very old wiring is a common cause of
home fires ... the small cost (about $3-$4K USD) is well worth the extra safety and peace of mind

 

[TheNiceGuy]

Would something like this work for my system?

http://www.apcc.com/resource/include/techspec_index.cfm?base_sku=SU700

 

[bruceb]

Without seeing a Photo of that garage outlet, I can not tell you what Voltage it should be
used at .. a 3 prong twist receptacle can be anywhere from 120V to 600VAC depending
on the Shape and Position of the Twist Tabs

Do yourself a favor and call an Electrician to fix and update that home Before you have
a Fire

 

[Navid]

Originally posted by: TheNiceGuy
Would something like this work for my system?

http://www.apcc.com/resource/include/techspec_index.cfm?base_sku=SU700

I click on that link and it shows me a 700VA UPS that works with 120V.
The VA figure is good. However, my understanding is that the voltage is Japan is 100V. So, if you use this, it will always run off of battery! That is not good. It will heat up and may not last long.

You need to find a UPS that is meant to be used in Japan with a 100V voltage.

 

[bruceb]

You are correct about Japan only using 100VAC .. rather odd choice ... Eastern Japan runs at 50HZ & Western Japan at 60HZ
You are also probably spot on about the APC unit running all the time .... I would suggest a Voltage Transformer to bring it
up to 120VAC

APC suggests their Model #SUA750JB which is intended for use in Japan
with a 100VAC Input and 100VAC Output

you can get a good one from here:

http://www.voltageconverters.com/japan_voltage.html

I still say, however, that these are all short term fixes ... the wiring Must be checked & updated before a major problem occurs
Circuit breakers Do Not Trip unless there is a Definite Problem, be it Loose / Corroded Connections or a Circuit Overload
Loose connections will Overheat

 

[TheNiceGuy]

Thanks for the heads up. Odd about that APC not being OK for Japan... it was off a Japanese retaling site:
http://kakaku.com/ksearch/search.asp?Query=ups
And Japanese retailers are generaly much more trustworthy that the ones back home.

On a side note, if there is an issue with the 100V, would that also affect my PC (in sig)? I have had a bizzare issue since build time, that could be explained by a power issue:
http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.aspx?catid=27&threadid=1978819

 

[Navid]

Originally posted by: TheNiceGuy
Thanks for the heads up. Odd about that APC not being OK for Japan... it was off a Japanese retaling site:
http://kakaku.com/ksearch/search.asp?Query=ups
And Japanese retailers are generaly much more trustworthy that the ones back home.

On a side note, if there is an issue with the 100V, would that also affect my PC (in sig)? I have had a bizzare issue since build time, that could be explained by a power issue:
http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.aspx?catid=27&threadid=1978819

According to the manufacturer of your PSU, http://www.ocztechnology.com/products/PSUSpec.pdf, it can accept voltages in the range of 95 to 132. So, 100V is acceptable.
However, 100V is the nominal line voltage for Japan. The real voltage of an outlet could be less due to line resistance and the length of the line. The drop should usually be less than a few percent. For an old house, it may be more! So, you see it is getting close!

You can replace the power supply with one that is for Japan.

 

[imported_fixit]

Check with the local computer hardware shop, they will be having something suitable for your electric supply

 

[TheNiceGuy]

Thank you for the interest everyone. I am checking out all the possibilities and will get back to you on what's available.

However, re the Japanese PSU, here's a Japanese brand advertised as being made for Japan:
http://www.scythe.co.jp/power/gouriki-p.html
But if you click on the specs:
http://www.scythe.co.jp/images/kama/gouriki-p/gouriki-p-550w-label.jpg
You'll see it has even less tolerance than my OCZ.

 

[TheNiceGuy]

I found one 100V model that should work. Its about $150. http://www.apc.co.jp/products/ups/es500_725.html
IIUC, Its rated as able to hold up to 455W for 2 min, 45 sec.
http://sturgeon.apcc.com/Kbase.nsf/ForE...7B28CB63449256EAF003E4219?OpenDocument
Can I use UPS without the ground? Only one plug in the house has grounding, and it will be a hassle to get access to it.
I guess the lighter duty ones are out of the question? Also, I hope to plug my phone into the UPS if possible.
We have frequent short powerouts here (as in the switch flips, and we run and flip it back and turn off the oven or whatever was on).
I checked with the landlord, and apparently its all safe and has been recently rewired - it just doesn't have that much power comming into the house, period. We checked with the power company about upping the power, but apparently it will be more expense than it is worth to rewire the house again.
So there you have it.

 

[TheNiceGuy]

I'd like to thank you all for your help again, as it is very difficult to get this info where I live. I'll have to hunt down a specialty shop to find someone who actualy knows what they are talking about, and then I will have to get a willing translator - by far the biggest obstacle.

 

[Bob Anderson]

You mention in your post of the 14th that the landlord said it had recently been rewired, but then you say you only have one plug with a ground. I think your landlord is BSing you unless code in Japan doesn't require plugs with grounding, which if so, is unbelievable.

You really should have a ground for your UPS.

-Bob

 

[Navid]

Originally posted by: TheNiceGuy
Can I use UPS without the ground?

You can if the UPS can plug into an outlet that does not have a ground!
The UPS will then provide power in case of a power loss. However, most UPS/surge suppressors need a ground connection for surge suppression. So, your UPS may not protect you against surges.

I guess the lighter duty ones are out of the question?

!

Also, I hope to plug my phone into the UPS if possible.

What would be the purpose of doing that?

 

[TheNiceGuy]

Cheers Bob and Navid- I went into the attick myself and looked around, pretty messy, but it does look new. And the landlord is a good guy, he's telling the truth. Apparently code in Japan does not require grounds. In fact, the one heavy duty plug in the house was put in the garage by the ladlord before we moved in, as a courtesy in case I wanted to "do something special" in there. I checked my power tools, and none of them have grounds also!
Anyway, I found out that there are 3 ciruits in the house (very oddly placed), so I put my PC on it's own circuit by stringing extension cords through the attic. Works great, and no more blackouts!
I am wondering, though, what is acceptable voltage for my PC? I can check voltage through BIOS, and my PSU has adjustable rails. I noticed the 3 rails are slightly off.

Thanks again!

 

[bruceb]

Three circuits for one whole house ? ? ... Thats nuts. At a minimum you need at least 2 or 3 circuits
just for Lighting .. 1 15Amp circuit per room (or per 2 rooms if they are small) for General Appliance use
In the Kitchen, you need at least 1 20Amp circuit for things like Toaster, Microwave or other High Current
Draw kitchen appliances ... in the Garage and Bathrooms, the outlets should be their own circuit with
Ground Fault Protection so you do not electrocute yourself due to water and a circuit or appliance fault.

 

[TheNiceGuy]

There's a lot of stuff about Japan I had to adapt to. Don't get me started on insulation and heating!

Any idea about the 3 rails tolerances?

 

[Bob Anderson]

Each of the three rails must be within plus or minus 5% of the nominal +3.3, +5, and +12.

Ignore the minus voltages.

-Bob

 

[TheNiceGuy]

In BIOS my voltage is as follows (all varience observed whilst in BIOS):
Vcore= 1.40/1.39
3.3= 3.28/3.29
5= 5.02
12= 11.90/11.96

 

[Bob Anderson]

Originally posted by: TheNiceGuy
In BIOS my voltage is as follows (all varience observed whilst in BIOS):
Vcore= 1.40/1.39
3.3= 3.28/3.29
5= 5.02
12= 11.90/11.96

All are good. The specification ranges are

3.14 to 3.46 for the +3.3 rail

4.75 to 5.25 for the +5 rail

11.4 to 12.6 for the +12 rail.

You don't have to adjust anything.

Your vcore is correct for that cpu (I have the +3500 2.2 Ghz version and the vcore is the same).

-Bob