Question Can frequent load-shedding while not having a UPS cause damage to my PC components ?

[Mahir Niloy]

I get frequent load-shedding in my area but I never cared about it as I only play online games so theres nothing for me to save. I dont have a UPS because of this but a friend told me not having a UPS
when load-shedding occurs can damage my PC components. Is this true?

 

[ex_bubblehead]

Over time, yes.

 

[Misgar]

If the mains voltage drops below 100V AC you may get over-current damage in a switched mode PSU. If the voltage exceeds 253V AC you may get over-voltage damage.

I've visited one country where the mains voltage drops as low as 55V AC (150kVA micro Hydel scheme) and another country where my multimeter showed 330V AC (small petrol powered generator). The light bulbs in my hotel room exploded and showered the bed with broken glass.

Switched mode PSUs are remarkably resilient when subjected to voltages outside the specified range, but eventually they go BANG, especially the cheaper ones.

Check the label on most laptop PSUs or ATX PSUs and you'll find they say 100V to 240V AC. Any voltage within this range is considered "safe".

The load shedding I've experienced usually means one village in the valley loses power for several hours in the evening. The following night it's the turn of another village along the valley and so on, until they've all taken their turn. This load shedding is unlikely to cause equipment failure.

If your load shedding involves the mains voltage bouncing up and down rapidly, get an always online UPS (not a cheaper switching UPS).

 

[Mahir Niloy]

If the mains voltage drops below 100V AC you may get over-current damage in a switched mode PSU. If the voltage exceeds 253V AC you may get over-voltage damage.

I've visited one country where the mains voltage drops as low as 55V AC (150kVA micro Hydel scheme) and another country where my multimeter showed 330V AC (small petrol powered generator). The light bulbs in my hotel room exploded and showered the bed with broken glass.

Switched mode PSUs are remarkably resilient when subjected to voltages outside the specified range, but eventually they go BANG, especially the cheaper ones.

Check the label on most laptop PSUs or ATX PSUs and you'll find they say 100V to 240V AC. Any voltage within this range is considered "safe".

The load shedding I've experienced usually means one village in the valley loses power for several hours in the evening. The following night it's the turn of another village along the valley and so on, until they've all taken their turn. This load shedding is unlikely to cause equipment failure.

If your load shedding involves the mains voltage bouncing up and down rapidly, get an always online UPS (not a cheaper switching UPS).

The load sheddings i get are usually 4 times a day and every time the power comes back after 30minutes or at most 1 hour.Is this safe?

 

[Misgar]

Your power cuts are probably "safe" for most of the hardware, but they're not so good for your Operating System (Windows?) drive.

Windows keeps hundreds or possibly thousands of files open on the boot drive when the computer is running and closes all these files gracefully during a normal shutdown.

Windows also marks a 'bit' on each drive to indicate the shutdown was normal. When Windows starts up again, it checks this 'bit' to monitor the status of the last shutdown.

If the OS detects an uncontrolled shutdown, it often runs CHKDSK to check all your drives for errors. This can add several minutes or longer to the boot time. If CHKDSK finds any errors, it attempts to repair them, but it might not be successful.

Your computer may survive dozens or hundreds of unexpected shutdowns, but eventually it may fail when crucial operating system files are damaged. Alternatively, a program or game may stop working for the same reason.

You can continue using the system and accept the fact you might have to re-install Windows, or you can buy a UPS. Since your power cuts seem to be "normal", you should be OK with a standard (cheaper) switched UPS.

 

[Mahir Niloy]

Your power cuts are probably "safe" for most of the hardware, but they're not so good for your Operating System (Windows?) drive.

Windows keeps hundreds or possibly thousands of files open on the boot drive when the computer is running and closes all these files gracefully during a normal shutdown.

Windows also marks a 'bit' on each drive to indicate the shutdown was normal. When Windows starts up again, it checks this 'bit' to monitor the status of the last shutdown.

If the OS detects an uncontrolled shutdown, it often runs CHKDSK to check all your drives for errors. This can add several minutes or longer to the boot time. If CHKDSK finds any errors, it attempts to repair them, but it might not be successful.

Your computer may survive dozens or hundreds of unexpected shutdowns, but eventually it may fail when crucial operating system files are damaged. Alternatively, a program or game may stop working for the same reason.

You can continue using the system and accept the fact you might have to re-install Windows, or you can buy a UPS. Since your power cuts seem to be "normal", you should be OK with a standard (cheaper) switched UPS.

i did notice the longer boot time after a load shedding.So this and re installing windows will be the only problem?No damage to my pc parts right?

 

[Misgar]

I wouldn't guarantee all components will survive repeated power cuts. One day something might break.

One item that might die is your SSD, but this is only a hunch in my part, so don't take it as gospel. I've had an occasional SATA SSD die on me and they're not as robust as some people think.

Enterprise class SSDs contain multiple electrolytic capacitors which provide enough power to complete all pending data write operations, if the computer loses power unexpectedly.

Commercial SSDs just die unceremoniously and any data held in volatile buffers (RAM) is lost. This is just supposition on my part, but might explain why some SSDs give suddenly stop working.

If you're trying to come up with an excuse not to spend a lot of money on a decent UPS, I cannot help you. I picked up a brand new 1500VA APC UPS from a local seller at half the normal price. The official cost was around $700 US. Overkill for just one PC but it copes well with 3 PCs in my setup.