I had a scary incident while I was away from home during a storm. My computer was moved to a different room, and my friend helped plug it back in without knowing I usually connect it directly to the wall. The PC ended up plugged into an extension cord that was also powering a monitor, a phone, and a wifi extender. After hours of being connected, the extension cord caught fire. Thankfully, my friend unplugged it quickly and informed me, but I'm worried that the incident may have damaged my power supply (PSU) or even my whole PC. I'm still not home to check it out, and I just want to be mentally prepared for the worst. Can anyone offer their thoughts on this?
3 Answers
You should be alright! Typically, if it was just the extension cord that burned, there's a good chance everything else is fine. Just be sure to inspect any other extension cords you have, just in case. Better safe than sorry!
If only the extension cord caught fire, you’re probably in the clear. It could've gotten too hot due to high resistance, especially when overloaded. But that usually means your PC just experienced a protective shutdown and should start up fine.
From what you described, it sounds like you might have exceeded the wattage limit for that extension cord. Worst case, it might have temporarily reduced the power to your PSU, triggering a shutdown. You should be safe to power everything back up again!
Thanks for the reassurance! I’ll check the setup when I get home.
That's a relief to hear! Thanks for the advice!