My girlfriend and I rent a room in an older apartment that mainly has two-prong outlets, dating back to 1963. She runs a gaming PC with an 850 watt PSU, a 4070ti GPU, and a 5700x CPU. We just discovered that these outlets are ungrounded. Currently, she is using a cheater plug to connect her PC. I've already asked our landlord to either ground the outlets or install GFCI outlets, but I'm expecting he'll resist due to costs. I'm wondering if I should get an 80ft extension cord to connect her PSU to a grounded outlet downstairs, or if it's fine to keep using the cheater plug since we haven't had any issues so far. We also plug in a GE portable AC into an ungrounded outlet during the hot days.
3 Answers
I dealt with ungrounded plugs years ago and had a bad experience when close lightning struck and fried my electronics. I ended up grounding the outlets myself and no more issues since. If you can, definitely push for getting the outlets checked out!
Using a long extension cord can be trickier than just sticking with a cheater plug. Ground loops can be a problem, especially if things aren’t properly grounded. Maybe ask a pro electrician instead for the best solution.
It's wild that rentals can skip GFCI outlets! I'd check your local building codes; it might give you leverage with the landlord. Just remember, if he pushes back, it might be a sign to find somewhere safer.
Yeah, I would second that! Better to get expert advice than risk it.