Any solutions for electric plug overload?

[RokasM]

Hey, so I have a question which is quite dumb. I live in a flat where there is only 1 plug sucket, so I must run a extension cord in order to supply power to pc, monitor, printer and a lamp. So the question would be, how do I keep the plug from overload? I'm really afraid that wires inside wall could catch on fire. 

[D.U.F.F.]

41 minutes ago, RokasM said:

Hey, so I have a question which is quite dumb. I live in a flat where there is only 1 plug sucket, so I must run a extension cord in order to supply power to pc, monitor, printer and a lamp. So the question would be, how do I keep the plug from overload? I'm really afraid that wires inside wall could catch on fire. 

https://www.apc.com/shop/us/en/categories/power/surge-protection-and-power-conditioning/surge-protection-devices/N-u9t8ll

 

[amdorintel]

5 hours ago, RokasM said:

Hey, so I have a question which is quite dumb. I live in a flat where there is only 1 plug sucket, so I must run a extension cord in order to supply power to pc, monitor, printer and a lamp. So the question would be, how do I keep the plug from overload? I'm really afraid that wires inside wall could catch on fire. 

unsure what the electrical code is for europe, you stating flat probably means united kingdom, so ??240V and 10A circuit breaker??

do you have access to the electrical panel?

[Bombastinator]

I know what I would do in the USA.  That kind of outlet dispersion is totally illegal here.  I’d talk to the building inspector and make the landlord add the legal amount of outlets.  Different country different rules though. It might possibly be a really bad idea depending on the situation.

[Hugh54321]

I had a flatmate that ran his TV, playstation, toaster, and kettle off one plug. Plug would trip if we tried to make breakfast while playing games. Just get a multi-socket with a fuse and you will be ok. I wont buy a multi-socket that does not have a fuse. They are cheap & nasty and they are banned on construction sites because they fail so much. The ones I have that have lasted the longest are expensive ones that either have surge protection or were designed for use in construction.

[amdorintel]

33 minutes ago, Bombastinator said:

make the landlord add the legal amount of outlets.

if there is one outlet for all those devices and appliances, i doubt that dwelling unit is even legal to begin with.

[Bombastinator]

14 minutes ago, amdorintel said:

if there is one outlet for all those devices and appliances, i doubt that dwelling unit is even legal to begin with.

I dunno law outside my city though, or even my state let alone my country.  British building law is really unusual partly because the buildings are so old.  Many of them predate plumbing, let alone electricity.  Law in my area is outlets every 6 feet.  It’s a radius.  Really big rooms need outlets in ceiling or floor for living space., Also special rules for wet areas like bathrooms and kitchens that are more strict.  I do know of one British rule about wet areas though.  It’s kind of famous: No wall switches at all.  Lights are non metallic pull cord only.

[amdorintel]

yes, new builds vs grandfathered in which is old buildings

also at some point in a renovation, when a contractor touches electrics, to some extent, they have to change it all over at which point that is, who knows.

 

but yes different laws for uk vs usa vs canada vs australia

 

if i were the op, i would buy a couple extra carbon monoxide and smoke detectors for the habitat they are living in. i have lived in some shitty holes and some landlords are pure scum!

[RonnieOP]

Your not running much off one outlet so i wouldnt worry.

 

Ive got 2 monitors, a pc, router, modem, xbox, printer, vinyl cutter, lamp, and a soundbar all running off a surge protector coming from one plug.

 

Only time ive ever even tripped the breaker was when i had a heater and heat gun going at the same time added to it.

[Spotty]

You could always move here...

 

5 bedroom detached property, 3 bathrooms, garage, conservatory, and over 300 power outlets.

https://metro.co.uk/2019/11/03/house-worth-1350000-enough-plug-sockets-everyone-street-11033568/

[Bombastinator]

8 hours ago, amdorintel said:

yes, new builds vs grandfathered in which is old buildings

also at some point in a renovation, when a contractor touches electrics, to some extent, they have to change it all over at which point that is, who knows.

 

but yes different laws for uk vs usa vs canada vs australia

 

if i were the op, i would buy a couple extra carbon monoxide and smoke detectors for the habitat they are living in. i have lived in some shitty holes and some landlords are pure scum!

The scum landlord problem is an issue.  I happen to be a landlord so I can speak to why at least in my area. The business specifically selects for scum.

Multi unit housing is one of the lowest margin businesses that exists. This means a couple of things:  because it is low margin it selects for ownership of large numbers of units.  Hundreds is a minimum often.  Landlords don’t know their tenants or their problems.  There are too many of them.  They become numbers not people.  Also because it is low margin even small expenses change the balance sheet from profit to loss.  What this means in practice is that landlords generally will do the absolute bare legal minimum to continue renting.  Less if they can arrange it.

Slums are more profitable than high grade housing.  This has to do with building cost. A slum apartment may make 20% less in rents but cost 60% less to buy.  Higher margin.

 

this means that unless you are scum, it is close to impossible to be a landlord and make money.  Me I’ve never even once made money at it.  I bought a multi unit building because of a peculiarity in housing markets in my area around 1999, due to what turned into the US housing bubble, where it was impossible for me to buy a single family home, but I could still afford an apartment building.  I own only 4 units, one of which I live in.  I’m going to have to sell soon.  It’s too expensive.  Back when I bought the building the thing broke near even.  Still a loss but near even.  Now I pay twice as much to live here as the tenants do, plus I get to work for no money.  It’s not sustainable.

[mariushm]

17 hours ago, RokasM said:

Hey, so I have a question which is quite dumb. I live in a flat where there is only 1 plug sucket, so I must run a extension cord in order to supply power to pc, monitor, printer and a lamp. So the question would be, how do I keep the plug from overload? I'm really afraid that wires inside wall could catch on fire. 

 

You said in another post that you're in Lithuania, so you're dealing with 230v give or take a few volts.

 

The electrical panel will have fuses that trip if you use more than 16A of current - that's a common standard value. This means you could take up to 230v x 16A  = 3680 watts before the fuse trips and disconnects the sockets.

The outlets themselves are usually rated for 10-12A, so you should not take more than around 2500 watts from one outlet.

The rating is less than the electrical panel rating, but the idea is you could have two outlets on the wall each rated for around 10-12A.

 

An extension cord is usually rated for 2000-2200 watts.

 

Your computer doesn't consume a lot of power, it doesn't consume as much as the label of your power supply, it only consumes as much as it needs to.

The computer you're planning to build in the other thread, will consume at most around 200-250 watts when you're playing games.

A monitor doesn't consume much power, a LCD monitor will vary between 15w and 50 watts for a 21..27" common LCD monitor, the amount will depend mostly on the brightness you're gonna use (the leds that produce the light in the back of the LCD panel consume more as brightness increases, everything else consumes about the same amount of power no matter what you do)

The speakers on your desk or some 5.1 system will consume 10w..50w

A lamp will usually consume little. If it's a LED or fluorescent bulb, you're looking at 10-15w.

There's some lamps with small halogen bulbs which consume 20-40w and some lamps have incandescent bulbs that go up to 40-60w

 

A printer... depends on the printer. An inkjet printer will consume around 20-30 watts.

A laser printer will consume 1000-1200 watts as it heats up the drum and gets ready to print... while printing it will consume much less. As it idles, it consumes peanuts.

 

So, you shouldn't really worry much about it, and a good quality regular extension cord (with earthing, and make sure the earthing works in the outlet on your wall) will be enough.

 

[greenhorn]

The devices you are running off of that plug should not nearly draw enough current to get that circuit in trouble. Do you have access to the electrical panel so you can see what current the fuse is rated for? If the electrical system was done properly, the fuse is selected such that it switches off long before the wires can get hot.
As for the extension cord you are using, make sure that it is a quality one with a wire thickness of 1.5 mm^2 (you should see something like 3G1.5 on the cord), that way you are on the safe side.

If you are not the flat's owner but renting it, then you can speak to your landlord if you have any doubt the electrical system is safe/code compliant and/or adequate for this kind of flat. In some countries, tenants can ask the landlord to either provide documentation showing that the installation was done by a professional or have it checked by a professional (at the owner's cost of course).

[amdorintel]

14 hours ago, Bombastinator said:

Multi unit housing is one of the lowest margin businesses that exists.

maybe where you are from, but there are way lower "lowest margin" businesses out there then rentals.

Getting 6-10% a year return is pretty darn good!

I've even seen some landlords cram 8 rooms into a 2 floor house, figured he was getting 12-15% per year return, when I pulled the land title to see who owns it and how much he paid.