lack of grounded power

[Dorkenstein]

If a grounding wire that runs from a telephone pole to a house with several computers in it is cut or otherwise rendered useless, would that cause computers and other pieces of electronic equipment to die/cease functioning?

I ask because I think that's what's happening to me and my father's equipment but I want to know how likely it is. Someone told us our grounding wire was cut, and we're trying to get to the bottom of it in case this is the cause of our dead powermac and other things. Thanks for any help.

 

[us3rnotfound]

There's a copper rod behind your house somewhere with bare copper wires connecting your house electricity to it, but I don't know what this other ground wire is you're talking about.

 

[Modelworks]

It is possible.
Do you have cable internet or dsl or satellite tv ?

If you look at where your power meter is located, there should be a ground wire from the meter, telephone, cable, satellite, all connected to the ground rod. If anything is not connected it is against code.
Damage can occur if there is a difference in potential between the house and lines coming in. So if you connected a phone line to a modem on a pc and the grounds are not correct, you could have a situation where current flows from the pc ground to the telephone line through the modems connection, eventually damaging it. It is rare for damage to occur, mostly people get shocks or a tingling feeling when touching something like a coax cable and the pc case at the same time, but it does happen.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Modelworks is probably right here.

My brother has an old Victorian-era farmhouse built around 1870. Sis-in-law has two computers downstairs, Bro' has one machine upstairs. I gave them both UPS/battery-backup units.

The one upstairs kept kicking on "site-wiring-fault," and eventually went on a permanent fritz. My brother -- a retired tele-co employee -- determined that there was indeed an "error" in wiring the lines that feed a couple rooms on the upstairs floor, and they took pains to correct it.

Meanwhile, he didn't follow my advice and get a new UPS. The computer I gave him for Xmas "went South" before he had the wiring fault corrected. He was lucky I'm an enthusiast over-clocker, and that I'd used the same motherboard for his system that I used for one I was getting ready to retire.

 

[JASTECH]

Yep, that will do it. My house is an old farm house too and I had the same issues. I had to install a sub-panel then pund in a 10' grounding rod. I removed the bridge (Connect Ground and Neutral) rails then started one circuit at a time. It's the only way to save that equipment. They will burn out compact lighting early too as I have done due to the poor wiring.

Thanks, JASTECH