Fluctuating Electrical current

[Ray]

I have a small home office containing. 1 computer/monitor, phone, router, lamp and a laser printer. When I heave everything on and turn on the printer it trips my battery backup power strip for a split second.

This room has 4 outlets and shares a breaker with the bedroom across the hall which is only running an alarm clock and a lamp. That room has

5 outlets.

would the fluctuation be an issue with the a wire? or perhaps the type of service I have 100 or 200 amp? How would I find out what type of service I have?

I have replaced the breaker in the box as a first step.

[barry]

Nope- none of the above. Want a general rule-of-thumb? Never, repeat never, connect laser printer to ups. In some office buildings, with system ups power, building mgmt will get very testy (rightfully) if you do.

Read the printer's docs on power draw to heat the fuser. For many, it's over

500 watts- waaaaaay more than all the other stuff. With other stuff on, and fuser heating, you'll typically severely overload a typical single-user ups.

If all else fails, RTFM.

John

[hallerb]

yeah dont put printers on UPS, unless you want to spend a grand or more for the UPS:(

[Ray]

The printer is not plugged into the strip it is howerver on the same circuit breaker. My point was that the printer drains enough power to trip the the strip to battery backup.

There are times that with the printer off the lamps in the two rooms blink and intermittently go slightly dim.

Is there a way to prevent this? other than Read The Fucking Manual? Last I checked there wasn't a manual for most home electrical systems. I think all of us in this group could do with out the flaming. If that's your thing maybe try /. or some other of the kiddie sites.

[Ray]

Thanks for the tip Hal. I would never do so. Been in the biz too long to not know better. ;)

[Joseph Meehan]

I suggest a new circuit for that laser printer. A heavier wire would likely help, but rather than run a replacement wire, I would just run a new one. If you were closer to the breaker box, it might not have the same problem. I would also suggest that a newer laser printer would be less likely to do it as most don't draw as much power.

[Toller]

My laser printer dimmed my lights, which is pretty much the same problem you have. I think they all do; only fix is to put it on its own circuit.

I have an ink jet now. Of course, it took two hours to print out my 80 page tax return; but that doesn't happen often.

[John Hines]

Laser printers suck a lot of power when warming up.

Put the laser printer on its own electrical circuit.

There is, it is called the NEC (National Electrical Code) in the USA.

Houses were not built in the old days (in the last few years) to handle the electrical loads of today's appliances.

Your UPS is doing its job, and only the computer itself should be powered by it. Printers and lights and stuff don't need to be protected, and will handle the fluctuations fine.

[Ray]

Thanks for the tip on the NEC. I'm sure it's over my head, but worth a look if I pick up a few nuggets of knowledge.

[Mark Lloyd]

80 pages. I thought MY tax return was long, but not that long.

[George E. Cawthon]

Let's get practical. What printer, what does the manual say the wattage is (or the label on the bottom of the printer)? How much does power draw on the battery backup strip? I doubt that it is too much which would be about 1800 watts. So, that leaves wires and connections. Make sure the panel connections are good, then look at the connections at the wall sockets. If you have the backstab plugs that don't clamp down, switch to sockets that screw the wire down.

If you still have problems, maybe your wiring is inadequate.

[John Hines]

It is an expensive book, written to please lawyers . There are books written to explain the NEC to mere mortals.

is one of these.

[Ray]

Wattage on the printer is 600. Let's not forget the lights also blink more frequently then I would like with the printer in the mix.

I've also noticed the fluctuations are more frequent when the central air and heat are running. I have a dual zone a/c and heat if that matters.