We all use tapes of one type or another to plug in our beloved PC, because it is not only the PC socket that we need, but we also need to plug in the monitor (s), and in many cases also of other devices such as speakers, printers, the router or to recharge the mobile phone. Usually this won’t overload the power strip, but what if you don’t realize it and plug in a vacuum cleaner or plug in the air conditioner and it overloads?
How much power can a conventional power strip contain?
The wattage that supports a conventional power strip that you can buy at any store can vary widely, as it depends on its design, the number of outlets it has, and other factors, but the most normal thing is that even the worst power strips can support up to 2,200 watts peak power. Talk about peak power This means that they are not designed to withstand this energy consumption continuously, but only at specific times, so this is a factor that you need to consider and pay attention to.
As a general rule, all power strips have a label at the bottom in which they will specify, among other things, the wattage they support (you can verify this by looking at what you have in your house, all models except the worst quality must specify this. value) but again you have to keep in mind that we are talking about peak power and not continuous power. You should also keep in mind that this value will always be a guide, which means that it would be absurd to calculate the wattage of connected devices as it is a rough calculation.
Other better quality power strips (and even more protective strips) tend to have a much higher peak power handling value, and the ranges go from 3,500 watts in strips that already have a certain amount of power. quality. up to 4,800 watts or even more in very good quality devices and protective tapes.
Reasons for an overload on the tape
A power strip can be overloaded for a variety of reasons, and although most people think it’s just a sum of the consumption of connected devices, it’s actually a bit more complicated. But yes, indeed if you plug the PC and its peripherals and a vacuum cleaner that consumes 2000 watts into a power strip that supports up to 2200 watts, an overload will surely occur (it is for this reason that we recommend that you of never plug in high consumption devices on the same tape as the PC).
And it is that oddly enough, if a strip has, for example, six sockets, it is designed to support six devices, and this is valid even for protective strips. If you connect an outlet thief to a power strip or even if you plug a power strip to another in series, you can also cause an overload in this one since they also have a maximum current limit supported per outlet, and this is something that is usually also specified on the label.
For example, imagine you have a conventional power strip that states on its label that it supports up to 3,500 W, but also states that it supports 250 volts and 16 amps; This supported amperage is per outlet, and if you were to use a strip connected to another or a plug thief in a single outlet and connect devices that exceed those 16 amps, you would cause an overload (which is why you should never connect one power strip to another, you should not use a plug thief on a multiple socket).
Hardware connoisseurs will now say that pc power supplies they support much higher amperages, and in fact some exceed 100A on their + 12V rail, necessary in many cases to supply high consumption graphics cards. Wouldn’t that lead to overload? The answer is no, because the electricity from the outlets in our homes is AC and the amps in the power supply are DC, what the PC needs to run, and that is the power supply itself. that generates this intensity. AC current coming from the wall outlet.
What happens to the PC if the power strip is overloaded?
When an overload occurs on a multiple socket, the first thing that will happen (or at least should happen) is that the wires in your house jump, that is to say that the automatic protection system of the house goes off. Usually in an average house we have contracted 3.3 KW of maximum power and if we exceed this level the wires will jump and “the light will go out” before the power strip is overloaded due to excessive consumption. However, this is not always the case (it depends on many factors, such as the state of the electrical installation) and there may be serious cases like the one in the example picture we put below- above, in which the tape literally burns. or melts from heat.
In any case, an overload on the power strip must not damage the PC because all power supplies have protection systems both against overloads and against short circuits and overvoltages, so in the event of an overload these systems must be activated and, although they cause a sudden shutdown of the PC, they will prevent any damage to its components.
However, if you had a normal power strip and not a protection (or an inverter), this can have consequences, not directly on your PC but on other connected devices such as the monitor, the router or the printer for example, and for this reason it is particularly interesting to have protective strips and, preferably, an inverter to safeguard the integrity of your precious devices in the event of electrical problems.
