PSU causing circuit breaker tripping?

[postmortemIA]

Has anybody experienced this? Since I changed PSU to Corsair 600W gaming series, circuit breaker goes off randomly. About once a day. And each time computer was item that was powered.

I've checked power consumption of the PC under idle, load, when is powered off. Nothing unusual.

Circuit breaker is 2 ys old, modern GE brand with AFCI. Rated 15A, and I haven't seen more than 400W being used by PC and monitor together.

 

[bruceb]

The problem is likely because it is an AFCI breaker. They are now required in living quarters, such as a bedroom. You can try either running the PSU through a UPS such as from APC or change the breaker to another brand or a non AFCI unit (if this is not in a bedroom) .. Personally when I wire my home, as I had done for my addition, the computer, TV and Surround Sound are all on one dedicated 20Amp circuit. (15A would have been enough, but I went for 20A for extra if needed)

 

[postmortemIA]

Yep, it is in bedroom, so I can try adding the UPS to the equation. I've seen only same circuit breaker (GE) in the store. Kind of not wanting to go that far, I wish that circuit breakers are simple plug-in as they used to be.

 

[ctk1981]

Yep good ole arc fault breaker. Some of the first models were recalled...for starting fires oddly enough. I have to say, when I worked at menards in college cutler hammer brought in a model for demonstration.....was pretty impressive and the theory sounded good at the time. Most of us lost some faith though after the recall, not sure if all brands were affected or just the Square D line.

 

[postmortemIA]

The problem is likely because it is an AFCI breaker. They are now required in living quarters, such as a bedroom. You can try either running the PSU through a UPS such as from APC or change the breaker to another brand or a non AFCI unit (if this is not in a bedroom) .. Personally when I wire my home, as I had done for my addition, the computer, TV and Surround Sound are all on one dedicated 20Amp circuit. (15A would have been enough, but I went for 20A for extra if needed)

Running PSU through the UPS has fixed the problem, at least for now.

 

[Rubycon]

Running PSU through the UPS has fixed the problem, at least for now.

Most UPS' have LC "hash filtering" that can suppress the wideband "chirp" distortion that APFC correction often sends down the line which can trip AFCI devices. An arcing contact or simply unplugging an appliance under load produces a similar signature. Nuisance tripping can be a real PITA with these devices.

 

[yustof7]

Running PSU through the UPS has fixed the problem, at least for now.

I ended up getting a UPS as well. I picked this one up from homedepot and it's working perfectly.

Yep, it is in bedroom, so I can try adding the UPS to the equation. I've seen only same circuit breaker (GE) in the store. Kind of not wanting to go that far, I wish that circuit breakers are simple plug-in as they used to be.

Sometimes installing the breaker can be a pain, just wiggle it around and go slow. Use rubbing alcohol if need be to clean it out.

The problem is likely because it is an AFCI breaker. They are now required in living quarters, such as a bedroom. You can try either running the PSU through a UPS such as from APC or change the breaker to another brand or a non AFCI unit (if this is not in a bedroom) .. Personally when I wire my home, as I had done for my addition, the computer, TV and Surround Sound are all on one dedicated 20Amp circuit breaker. (15A would have been enough, but I went for 20A for extra if needed)

You need to check the total wattage that is on one circuit. If you get too much juice running on one breaker it's going to trip like crazy and destroy it fast.

Has anybody experienced this? Since I changed PSU to Corsair 600W gaming series, circuit breaker goes off randomly. About once a day. And each time computer was item that was powered.

I've checked power consumption of the PC under idle, load, when is powered off. Nothing unusual.

Circuit breaker is 2 ys old, modern GE brand with AFCI. Rated 15A, and I haven't seen more than 400W being used by PC and monitor together.

A good breaker should last a lot longer than that. I had about 1200w on one breaker at one point which wasn't a good idea. Lesson learned. Ultimately just ensure you're spreading out the wattage across as many series circuits as possible.

 

[imagoon]

I ended up getting a UPS as well. I picked this one up from homedepot and it's working perfectly.



Sometimes installing the breaker can be a pain, just wiggle it around and go slow. Use rubbing alcohol if need be to clean it out.



You need to check the total wattage that is on one circuit. If you get too much juice running on one breaker it's going to trip like crazy and destroy it fast.



A good breaker should last a lot longer than that. I had about 1200w on one breaker at one point which wasn't a good idea. Lesson learned. Ultimately just ensure you're spreading out the wattage across as many series circuits as possible.

15A Breakers are rated for 1440watts (most just say 1500watts) continuous draw. 1200wats shouldn't affect a 15amp breaker unless it is defective.

Rule of thumb is 80% = Continuous draw.
15a = 1440watts (1500) = 14 gauge wire
20a = 1920watts (2000) = 12 gauge wire
etc.

Alcohol is not really what a breaker should be cleaned with. First most are sealed so you can't even get to the contactor and heater elements. The rest of the breaker IE the slide / screws / what ever at best should be cleaned with a very fine sand paper. In humid environments you might use electrolytic gel to seal out water but otherwise nothing else. Basically if the breaker is corroded enough to cause heat in the panel, replace the breaker, touch up or replace the rails.

Also most breakers have a flat head screw driver slot to pop them out. You really don't have to be gentle with them.