Tucker said:
Thanks for the reply.....in my research I found this page about GFCI
receptacles at the plug
http://www.faqs.org/faqs/electrical-wiring/part1/section-34.html
if you scroll to the bottom it says this...
".....If you're in the situation of wanting to install computer
equipment on two wire groundless circuits take note:
Adding a GFCI outlet to the circuit makes the circuit safe for
you. But it doesn't make it safe for your equipment - you need
a ground to make surge suppressors or line filters effective...."
Now I'm more confused....if i simply replace the plugs and dont ground them,
i can at least plug in my surge protector, but because it isnt grounded, its
useless anyway, to my equipment.....I cant install something ideal at the
panel level.....i can wire to the radiator without necessarily telling my
landlord, which isnt great either BUT at least I could do that then test it
for groundedness, and at least Id know if it was grounded or not...this is
becoming quite a headache.
Yes - it is a headache, but it need not be.
GFCI comes first, for your safety, and has
nothing to do with surge protection. Next
comes a point of use surge protector or
a UPS, because that's all your situation
allows you to do.
That's it in a nutshell, but details are below if
you care to read them.
1) There is a myth that computers MUST be
protected from surges. Not true. Computers will work
fine with or without surge protection.
2) There is a myth that surge protectors are "effective"
where the word "effective" is misunderstood to mean
something like "100% safe from damage". Not true.
A surge can be powerful enough to overwhelm both
whole house and point of use protectors,
Surge protectors are like "crash tested" bumpers on your
car or air bags/seatbelts. Cars run just fine without them.
PC's run just fine without surge protectors. But a car
crash can be violent enough where the safety devices are
overwhelmed. Same is true of surge protectors - a large
enough surge can overwhelm them. A point of use surge
protector, whether grounded or not, provides a little
bit of protection - say roughly analogous to a "crash-tested"
bumper that will withstand a 5 mph impact. A whole house
protector provides much more protection - say roughly
analogous to the air bags/seatbelts.
In your case, the GFCI will protect you. It has nothing
to do with surge protection.
You cannot install whole house protection in your situation,
so that is not an option for you. Any wiring you could do would
also be out of the question, as you do not own the building.
A wire to the radiator connects you to the hot water pipes,
which may or may not be bonded to the cold water pipes.
The effectiveness of that "ground" is questionable, and
becomes more dubious, in terms of surge protection, when
you add in the impedance of the "add-on" wire and connection.
You again have the restriction that you don't own the building.
What does that leave you? You can add a point of use
surge suppresser or a UPS. If the receptacle into which
they plug is grounded, so much the better, but whether
it is or not, that appears to be your only options beyond
installing a GFCI. Those devices provide some protection.
Could you have a surge that would destroy them and the
equipment that plugs into them? Yes. Are they better
than nothing? Yes.
The three prong adapter mentioned in the thread is actually
a bad idea. If the metal box is in fact grounded even
though it has a two-prong receptacle, the adapter still
relies on an uncertain mechanical connection to present
a ground at its ground hole, and can create the false
assumption that a ground is present. Aside from that,
if the box is in fact grounded, it would be better
to install a 3-prong receptacle than an adapter.
Installing a GFCI will bring a ground to the ground hole
on the GFCI **if** the box is grounded and the GFCI is
properly installed. Proper installation includes connecting
a green or bare wire from the GFCI ground screw to the
metal box. The GFCI will still protect you if the metal
box is **not** grounded.