# electric blanket causes computer to crash 2x



## texastami (Sep 13, 2002)

Is this really possible?

We have a newer system --- and TWICE in 5 days our system has crashed (to the point of repartitioning and reformatting) BOTH times the electric blanket had been turned on shortly before it happened. (the connection between the blanket and computer was made AFTER the second crash) we discovered it is on the same circuit as the electric blanket! We have never used the blanket until it got cold about 5 days ago.......

Our computer guy said that it is likely an ARC being caused by the blanket that is causing our system so much trouble (first time it FRIED our HD) We live in an older apartment with older wiring and the blanket is about 8 yrs old.

No more blanket, even tho I like crawling in to a warm bed, I love my computer MORE!!!!


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## OntarioMan (Feb 11, 2007)

Get yourself a "UPS" (uninterruptable power supply), also known as a "battery backup" unit. These units protect your system from over and under voltage, spikes, etc. as they "condition" the power which goes to your computer.

Those cheap dollar-store surge protectors are basically useless.


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## Gary in ohio (May 11, 2002)

The only thing the blanket is going to do is pull the voltage down a little. That wouldn't fry you hard drive. If your getting ARCing from your blanket then the blanket needs to be thrown away. Sounds like he is feeding your BS and lots of it. I personally think it was just a fluke that the blanket was turned on before something , more likely a had hard drive
problem from the start.


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## MELOC (Sep 26, 2005)

i think it is possible. i have had lots of issues when running too many things on the same circuit as my pc. the power supply can't get what it needs to supply the components of the pc the power they need. this can cause memory errors and it is possible it could cause data errors in the hard drive. i'm not sure if it could actually result in hard drive failure of an electrical nature, but if a device cannot get the volts it needs it makes up for it with amps and vice versa.

the best advice has already been given...use a UPS. another idea would be to run the pc on a different circuit than the blanket is on. 

i'm not sure if you actually have arcing, or merely power spikes from the blanket kicking on, but power spikes are not friendly to computers.


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## texastami (Sep 13, 2002)

MELOC said:


> i think it is possible. i have had lots of issues when running too many things on the same circuit as my pc. the power supply can't get what it needs to supply the components of the pc the power they need. this can cause memory errors and it is possible it could cause data errors in the hard drive. i'm not sure if it could actually result in hard drive failure of an electrical nature, but if a device cannot get the volts it needs it makes up for it with amps and vice versa.


Thank you Meloc, this is EXACTLY what he told me... I just was too tired to type it all out...

Our computer guy is very sweet and wouldn't give me a line of bs... he has handled both failures FREE of charge and guarantees his work.... I have no reason to doubt that...


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## agmantoo (May 23, 2003)

An electric blanket uses approximately 200 watts. That is not much power. The thermostat on an electric blanket is a klixon type switch and it would be very similar to flipping a light switch on. I seriously doubt that is causing the problem. I believe it to be totally coincidental that the failure occurred when it did. Using most any other major appliance in the home would have a far greater impact on voltage fluctuations. The answer given to you IMO was pure speculation and nothing more.


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## MELOC (Sep 26, 2005)

i guess it depends on what else is on that circuit. if the circuit is nearly at capacity because the same circuit feeds other rooms in an old or botched wiring scheme, and the breaker doesn't trip because it has tripped too many times in the past, it is not hard to believe. i have run two computers one with a 350 watt power supply and one with a 400 watt power supply, each with a CRT power hog monitor, a color tv...25 inch CRT, 200 watts of lighting and an electric heater on the 1000 watt setting. the breaker on the circuit was a 20 amp and wouldn't trip unless i set the heater to 1500 watts. granted, the computers didn't necessarily draw maximum wattage, but i was still "over the limit" for that circuit. i lost at least two power supplies on my gaming computer due to those conditions. i also was plagued by memory and hard drive errors.

most likely the power supply is failing due to the poor conditions and causing memory errors and writing errors in the hard drive. you probably wouldn't need to reformat and such and i would guess that safe mode or a rescue disk would help save you from the turmoil of reformating the drive. the ultimate cause is probably the electrical circuitry and/or usage. a power spike caused by any appliance on that circuit...even the blanket... and happening over and over again, it is hard on the power supply. poor wiring could also be the culprit. you could have a faulty house ground or a loose return wire causing problems. i would start by trying to track down all the stuff that is on that circuit. get in the habit of shutting things down if you can do nothing else. i got in the habit of turning off the lighting and only running one of the two computers, or one pc and no tv and or turning the heater to low.


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## lharvey (Jul 1, 2003)

Id be curious if the issues stop when you stop using the blanket.

I agree you should have a UPS as, anybody should, for your computer.

Brown outs are just as hard on a machine as a spike in power and a UPS will smooth out both conditions.

L


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## Shrek (May 1, 2002)

Anything is possible. I had a friend call me a few years back complaining that his PC crashed every time the toilet was flushed or the bath tub was filled. He had even taken his PC to a local repair shop and it was found to be running properly.

When I went to his house to see the flush crash first hand, I figured out the problem as I pulled into his driveway and noticed that he had a well house and no county water meter tap.

His outlets in the room where his PC station was connected to a breaker with a common leg to the well pump. When the pump kicked on, the line voltage in his PC room browned out .

Swapping breakers for his PC room with one from a low use section of his house solved his problem immediately. Later he added a line conditioner to his PC.


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## texastami (Sep 13, 2002)

Situation has corrected itself since the blanket was unplugged.... we currently have a surge protector on it, but I worry its not doing its job.... will get one this week.... 

We live in an apartment and the circuits cannot be swapped or corrected, just need to deal with it.... in reality its probably older wiring, place was built in the late 1970's....

Haven't had a lick of trouble with it since we unplugged the blanket, and that even included a short power outage due to accident down the road....


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