So, I live in an older house. My current computer has happily plugged into a surge protector, which in turn plugged into a 3 prong adapter into the two pronged outlet for 8+ years. The surge protector never complained, but finally died recently.
I got a new surge protector, and any time I plug it in, it screams and its LED for "wiring fault" is lit up. I assume that is because there's no ground?
Anyway, I wish to purchase a new computer soon (desktop), and it's likely it will be a very high-end machine since I'm a software engineer and computer scientist. I'd like to have some measure of protection for my computer, but also I'd like to avoid spending $8,000 – $15,000 getting my house ripped apart and new wiring everywhere.
I've heard GFCI outlets are a possible workaround? But I've also read people saying surge protectors don't like these outlets either… I feel like I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place.
I would appreciate any suggestions, constructive comments, etc. from those familiar with such situations.
Best Answer
You are correct about GFCIs or ground fault devices. In an ungrounded situation, GFCIs are a cure-all for life safety, but they do absolutely nothing to reduce ESD damage to equipment. For that you need proper grounds.
Normally, when a technical person says they are reluctant to mess about with mains power, I encourage them to listen to that voice. However, in 2014, they broadly legalized retrofitting grounds. And retrofitting grounds is a job that matches well with knowledge that is "technical, but not electrical", or that is "electrical, the wrong kind".
Retrofitting grounds is, in a nutshell, you run a ground-wire backbone between all your heavy appliances (A/C, range, water heater, dryer) and the braided copper grounding elecrodes leaving your panel. This is done in 10 AWG wire.
Then, off that, you branch outward to all the other outlets. Any outlet needs to either reach the backbone, or another outlet that reaches the backbone and has large enough ground wire all the way back. Best to use #12 wire for this.
If the boxes are metal it is sufficient to clip it onto the edge of the box. Otherwise adding the grounds is no more difficult than changing a receptacle or switch.
You put the ground wires wherever practical, it's not important to follow the same route as the conductors. (You won't get EMF loops and eddy current heating because grounds don't carry current except during fault conditions.
Now, lastly, the old conductors. Another device is a cure-all for ratty old conductors also: the AFCI or arc-fault breaker. It looks (literally, it listens) for loose connections, inter-wire shorts, or other arcing - it's that scratchy "hooking up speakers with the amp turned on" or "jiggle your headphones in the jack" sound. They are about $40 a pop, or you can get a combo AFCI/GFCI breaker for about $50. Unlike GFCI, AFCI needs to be at the breaker because it protects the wiring, not the outlet.