is it possible for the wiring in my apartment to damage my electrical devices?

Question

so i've been noticing weird problems with some of my electrical devices, particularly my computer. i've replaced all components in my computer except cpu and motherboard, computer keeps rebooting. i've also noticed my gamecube acting strangely... basically, my question is, is it possible for the electrical outlets/wiring in my apartment to be doing this? and if so, is it possible for it to permanently damage anything that is using an electrical outlet?

Answer 1

Step 1, Get a good RFI filter and surge protector. It's possible that you have large surges or transients in the AC line that is causing problems.



The problems would have to be severe to cause permanent damage, but the rebooting and freezes would be a symptom of smaller surges/spikes.



Step 2: the surge protector won't protect against low voltage problems, so you might consider a UPS that includes the above functions. More expensive, but this will totally isolate you from the AC line, since you are operating off a battery, just as a laptop would. Get a good one.



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Answer 2

If the neutral wire on the circuit to your apartment building is not connected firmly to the neutral block at the circuit breaker box, uneven loads on the 2 sides of the 110v line can cause the neutral to shift noticeably. Some loads could be getting 80v and others 140v . One way to check is to have a qualified electrician check the resistance between your neutral line and the neutral block. Power must be off at the circuit breaker to do this.



Actually there are probably multiple boxes, distribution transformers etc that provide opportunities for this to happen. A pro will know.

Answer 3

Plug a 250 watt light bulb lamp into the same outlet that supply power to your computer. Hold the plug and shake it up and down,left and right to see any bad connection inside the power outlet.If the lamp becomes flickering while shaking. Time to change it with a new socket and check any loosing wire inside. An intermittent AC power source shall cause computer bootup frequently. Of course,you should also check to see your computer might catch the virus.

Answer 4

Yes, it's possible. But it's not a very common occurrence.



An incipient fault could create a transient overvoltage that could damage sensitive electronic devices. But that incipient fault could also start a fire that could have far more disastrous consequences.



But there are more likely explanations of your computer problem - like maybe it's just getting old (why have you replaced all of the components except the CPU and motherboard?).