Electricity Power

[TheTwist]

I am always concerned whether too many devices are getting plugged into an extension lead connected into the power mains.  If anyone could explain how to work all this out, it would be useful. I am not an electrician, but it still can be useful for day to day use.

So for here in the UK the maximum volts for UK plug sockets is 230volts (I think).

If I want to work out how many of a particular device for example a computer which produces a maximum of 500Watts and I plug in 4 of those (2000W) into a 6 way with a  13amp fuse extension reel at the end of it.

Would it be safe or not? Would I be able to plug in anymore?

 

 

[OrionFOTL]

A 13A fuse on a 230V circuit will blow when power exceeds 2990W.

 

A power supply outputting 500W will pull slightly more from the socket, because it's not perfectly efficient. If it's 90% efficient, it will pull 555W from the socket to output 500W to the components.

Four of these particular 500W power supplies will pull 2220W from the sockets.

[goto10]

you can buy a killawatt to know exactly how much watts each device uses

 

https://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-Kill-a-Watt/dp/B01D1YA8G2/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?keywords=killawatt&qid=1565542479&s=gateway&sr=8-2

[Windows7ge]

Adding to OrionFOTL's statement. This is also assuming these stations are actually consuming this much power all at once all of the time. It's likely you'll have much more overhead than this to expand further unless you plan to run these full-tilt like a Crypto-mining farm which if you do you'll want larger than 500W PSU's.

 

Whatever splitters you use to give you more outlets off the same wall jacks just make sure they're of sufficient gauge to handle the current. Being on 230V though will help you there.

[TheTwist]

Thank you for the comments, i think its understandable now. I'm not Crypto-mining  but there is a lot of CPU rendering which could use a lot of PSU power.  More that 4 of these machines have are being used but i just wanted an example.

[mariushm]

A computer will only consume as much power as it needs: the power supply produces the energy on demand. The wattage on the power supply is just the maximum amount of energy it can convert into the voltages computer components expect. So for example, a 550w power supply will take only as much as components demand, plus around 5-10% - because the conversion between AC voltage and DC voltages is not 100% efficient. If your components need 100 watts to work, your power supply will only consume around 110 watts from the wall (110 watts / 230v = ~ 0.48A)

 

You have Voltage ... typically 230v AC +/- 10%

You have Current ... typically 13A or maybe a bit more (16A) for a regular home wall outlet.

So you get a maximum of 230v x 13 = ~3000 watts  ,,, voltage x current = power

 

If you have a power strip, the amount of power may be limited to a lower number by the thickness of the wires used and by the fuse in the plug and the quality of the internal construction.

For example, a power strip with 5 sockets may be rated for maximum 2200 watts.

 

Best thing for you would be to get one of those cheap power meters which will tell you how much power the system consumes. This way, you can measure the power consumption for one pc and just multiply.