Weirdly, Laptop Power Brick Overheats at Home but Not at Work

[daynthebold_62]

Ok this is a weird one. I got a Gigabyte Aero 15w laptop recently and have been gaming on it (Final Fantasy XV to be specific). I noticed that while plugged in at work, the power brick gets slightly warm to the touch which I figure is normal for a laptop using a 1060 GPU. However, when at home, same exact cord, same power brick, it heats up quickly to the point of being unbearably hot. Once it even said the laptop was plugged in but no longer charging. I tried a different cord with the same result. The laptop itself warms up too but not unbearably so.

Now my house is old, like 1940s-1950s old and the power outlets have been wonky. I was wondering if the outlet at home could be the cause of my problem? I'd hate to have to RMA the laptop again since the first one had a bad fan.

 

[Onus]

Check the voltage at the outlet. Chances are, the outlet at work is on the high end of the 110V-120V, and your outlet at home is on the low side of it, maybe even under the "standard;" this will increase the stress on the adapter considerably.

 

[daynthebold_62]

If I find that's the issue, is there a simple way to fix it? I'm not an electrician. Also, would plugging the adapter into a power strip help?

 

[t53186]

You outlet may also be miswired (phase and neutral swapped), and probably no ground. No a power strip will not help. How about trying a different outlet at home, in a different room.

 

[daynthebold_62]

Different outlet, same issue. Brick gets hot as hell to the point where I'm afraid it'll malfunction. Freaking weird ...

 

[daynthebold_62]

Update: tried different cords in different outlets both at home and at work. Same results. Brick gets super hot at home while only lukewarm at work.

 

[Onus]

Test the voltages at home and at work. If you do not have a multimeter, you can get a cheap one for $8; it's a tool worth having.