My girlfriend and I have been renting a room in an apartment built in 1963, which mainly has ungrounded two-prong outlets. She has a gaming PC with a powerful 850-watt PSU and a 4070 Ti GPU. We've been using a cheater plug to connect her PC, but I'm concerned about the safety. I've asked our landlord to either ground the outlets or install GFCI outlets, but I'm worried he might resist due to the cost. Should I consider getting an 80-foot extension cord to connect to a grounded outlet downstairs, or is it okay to keep using the cheater plug since we haven't had any issues so far? We also plug in a GE portable AC to an ungrounded outlet during hot weather.
5 Answers
This place has somehow managed since 1963 without grounded outlets, and I think you’ll be just fine for regular use unless you’re pulling a ton of power all at once. Just keep an eye on things!
You might want to check your local building codes; not having grounded outlets in a rental doesn't seem right. If your landlord gives you trouble, finding a new place with grounded outlets might be worth it!
I had ungrounded plugs in my place years ago and learned the hard way after my VCR and TV started smoking during a lightning storm. I ended up grounding the outlets myself using heavy gauge copper wire connected to a water pipe. A tester showed everything was fine afterward, and I stopped frying my electronics!
If your outlets aren't grounded, it's best to avoid running any metal-bodied appliances for your safety. Just sticking to the cheater plug might not be the best move. Better safe than sorry!
Using a long extension cord could be riskier than the cheater plug, especially with potential ground loop issues. Maybe consult with an electrician before making any changes!
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