this post was submitted on 24 Jun 2024
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I know that the answer is yes, I should, but outlets near the setup are not grounded (even though they look like they are) and I don't want to have wires running though my living room.

The real question is what are potential problems ? Occasional system reboots? Permanent damage to PSU? Permanent damage to other components?

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[–] [email protected] 55 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (14 children)

It will not affect system stability, but... Surge protectors do not work at all without a ground wire to drop excess voltage to. Any kind of line voltage disturbance could kill every device.

Additionally, without any ground wire to pull the housings of devices to ground, the potential for a short to energize the case and then electrocute you is also high.

additionally additionally, if you have grounded outlets that don't actually have a ground connection running to them, that means either the wiring system is broken or it was "updated" by an unlicensed hack job who has undoubtedly made numerous more dangerous decisions elsewhere in the circuit.

If your house is entirely ungrounded you really should have an electrician come update it ASAP. Outlet grounds have been mandatory since 1971. The chances are high that wiring predating that code is still using old cloth-wrapped wire insulation or even knob&tube, both of which are huge fire risks as the insulation is decayed badly by now. It's expensive to have all new wire pulled but it is necessary.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 4 months ago (4 children)

Yeah it's pricey, very pricey, but the risks are just too high for a home not to be properly grounded anymore. Homeowners have had 50 years to do it, it's time to get it done.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 4 months ago (2 children)

Heh. House I rented was built before ubiquitous electricity. At some point, someone slapped a fuse box on the outside of the back wall and drilled a bunch of 1" holes in said wall to pass wiring. House was built on piers, so they just dragged wires around to places where they wanted outlets, which were mostly planted in the floor. Not a ground wire on site. I have no idea how they got away with renting that out, but it's not like I called code enforcement, either.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 months ago

My house was built in 1939. Initial installation of ecectric cables consisted of a wire in a sleeve filled over with concrete. That was all replaced with proper tubing and isolation, but these few outlets do not have ground.

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