psu sparked and caused a black out

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Miskr

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Feb 20, 2014
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Hello everyone,

Today, shortly after moving my computer, I plugged in my psu and I believe I saw a small spark, and my house had a black out.

What should I do now?

I plugged the psu power cord in when it was on for some odd reason.

Should I turn off the psu, plug it in, then turn it on again?

Are my other components possibly fried?

Thanks
 
Solution
Karadjgne
Start at the source. Figure out just exactly what circuit is tripping. Then figure out what load is already on that circuit. 90% of all plug circuits are 15amp, this includes bedrooms, living rooms, hallways etc. Only kitchen and bath, dining and rarely master bedroom are 20a circuits. Commonly 2 bedrooms are joined. If you figure average pc's run about 7a with monitor, its easy to trip a circuit when it's also loaded down with lights, tvs, stereos, hair dryer, curling irons and of course the 12 amp monster vacuum dad bought mom for Xmas.
Check the plug. If it's at all loose, or the ground is close to the line terminals, fix that. If possible, isolate the circuit as much as feasible. You want breathing room. You really don't want more...
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When you plugged in your computer - was it the cause of the circuit breaker/fuse blowing?

If yes, there may be a short in your computer.....

However - if your computer was "on" and you plugged in the power cable to the PSU (while it was already plugged into the "wall"), it is common for a "spark" to happen when you connect the cord. This could in theory cause the breaker to blow if the load of other devices on the circuit were at close to max (if it is a GFCI circuit, it was probably blown from plugging it in - and it would have required resetting the outlet the circuit was on).
 
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When I plugged in my computer, i am 99% sure it was the cause of the fuse to break in my house.

I plugged the power cable into my wall, turned it on, and then plugged it into the power supply which was set to on.

 
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That is an idea, but most of them will charge him at least $50 or more even if they plug it in the wall and say it works perfect. He is better off to just buy a new PSU for $40 and be done.
 
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The fact that I didn't see any smoke or smell any burning is leading me to suggest that maybe it was to dinette the powerboard the psu was plugged into. Also the fact that it was working under an hour ago at my friends house. Is any of this evidence of it being okay?
 
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I have been in computer repair for 30+ years.....the "smell of smoke" doesn't always indicate something that has a short in it. There is a 50/50 chance that you can plug in your computer and everything will be fine. There is also a 50/50 chance that there is a problem - and if that is the case, the best case scenario is that it blows the circuit breaker again. Worst case - it burns down your house.

Knowing the risk - you can make the choice.....
 
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That is true, but if the PSU is bad and everything else is fine and he takes it to the PC shop to have it looked at, they plug it up, and it could well fry his whole system. Of course the PC shop will just say it was dead to begin with, which it might be, but either he is looking at a minimum $50 charge if he goes to the PC shop and its fine, and a multi-hundred dollar charge if he goes to the PC shop, and the PSU fries the rest of the parts in the computer cause he will need to buy a new computer.

If he buys a half decent $40 PSU, he runs the risk of completely wasting $40 on the parts all being dead already or that it was something else and the other PSU was fine all along, but regardless the outcome it at worst saves him $10 over going to a PC shop that he can put towards a new computer, and at best saves him from having to buy a whole new computer.
 
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Wait wait wait, we have all been over thinking this.

If it might of been the power board you plugged it into, unplug that and take that apart. If its all burnt up and crap inside then you know it is what died and not the PSU.
 
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I could be wrong here - but I am getting a bad vibe from this conversation - I am concerned that any advice that I give you can create a big issue - such as an electrical shock and/or injury to you or others or an electrical mess that burns down your house.

When you have a short like you do that has tripped the circuit breaker twice now - this is a serious problem....the circuit breaker keeps the wiring from getting too hot and burning your house down - and your computer is trying to get the wires too hot and burn your house down....by continuing to troubleshoot this - I fear bad things happening.....
 
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When moving a computer, the case will bend slightly back and forth, and components shift - including power cables. A cable could be damaged (that is easy to see), but it could be that a circuit board has shifted (that is a lot more difficult to determine). Bumping inside a car could damage the computer as well. It is often difficult to find the problem - and dealing with electricity is serious business....
 
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