Surge protector indicates ground fault

M

mega10169

New Member
Under the strange circumstances of the house I'm living in, my computer must be run off an extension cord since there are only 2 pronged outlets near it (no ground). I had it running like that for a long time and soon found out the extension cords ground plug was not working properly. I switched to an extension cord that I know works and now my surge protector indicates there is a ground fault. I'm not even sure what that is or why it appeared so could someone shed some light on this situation?

Edit: The surge protector still passes power through to my computer even though the fault light is on.
 
Correct me if i'm wrong but 2 pronged outlets are not ground the 3rd prong is the ground. I switched all of mine out and had all new wiring ran in my house when i moved in just better and not worth the risk but from what i know from electrical the 3rd prong makes the ground
 
If you only have two pronged outlets you should get the adapter that taps into the center screw of your outlet, it's by no means better then a true 3-pronged outlet, but it's better then nothing.
 
Your right in what ya said. the common and ground was the same for years. its better than no ground. On the other hand the code now in the states says no. In fact if installing a new service panel or building a new house it requires ground rods and the common and ground in the service panel on a separate ground bus. Why you might ask,.....because the current is not supposed to be flowing through the ground in the 1st place.
just a thought with the intent.
you better have some kind of ground.
my statement above will apply to a two prong receptacle.
 
Last edited:
I realize proper grounding is essential which is why I'm running a 50' extension cord to the nearest 3 pronged outlet. Obviously not the best route but I won't be here for long anyways. What has me puzzled is the fact that my surge protector didn't indicate a ground fault when I was not using a grounded cord, but now that I am using a grounded extension cord it says there is a ground fault.
 
I realize proper grounding is essential which is why I'm running a 50' grounded extension cord. Obviously not the best route but I won't be here for long anyways. What has me puzzled is the fact that my surge protector never used to indicate a ground fault when it wasn't grounded, but now that it is grounded its indicating that there is a fault.
 
mega10169 said:
I realize proper grounding is essential which is why I'm running a 50' grounded extension cord. Obviously not the best route but I won't be here for long anyways. What has me puzzled is the fact that my surge protector never used to indicate a ground fault when it wasn't grounded, but now that it is grounded its indicating that there is a fault.
Click to expand...
I may have mis-read what you said in your first post, but are you saying that originally you were only using a two-pronged extension cord when you werent getting a fault error, but when you use a three prong extension cord into a two prong outlet you do? If so then that makes sense, the surge protector may have realized you never had a ground connection to the surge protector, but when you used the three-pronged extension cable it determined that there was a fault somewhere else in the electrical line.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top