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Two PSU's blew in short succession

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  • Power Supplies
  • Components
  • Surge Protector
Last response: in Components
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June 16, 2013 4:22:17 PM

About two years ago I bought two 1100W Xion power supplies. I hadn't heard of them but at the time I needed a PSU and they were in the price range. They lasted until now with everything from light gaming to incredibly heavy and watt-intensive F@H work. I recently moved them to a new location hooked up to a monstrously large extension cord and then connected to that cord was a Belkin Surge Protector.

It should be worth noting that both power supplies were at the time hooked up together with an Lian-Li power supply adapter, so both would turn on when the computer was powered up.

After having set them up and assuring all connections were set, I turned it on. Within about 10-20 seconds as I was leaving the room I heard a loud crackling and then a pop and more violent crackling with flashes of light and smoke.

I rushed over and turned off the power to it as quickly as I could and surveyed the damage. Some components visible from the rear exhaust were completely black, I couldn't see a blown or bulged capacitor though, just some very large yellow wrapped object that was scorched along with a few scorched wires.

The power supply was 2-3 years old at this point and had recently been under heavy loads. So I chalked it up to natural - if violent - death. Rechecked the surge protector, said it was protected and grounded (via it's LED light for each).

I reconfigured the computer so it had the proper load for only a single power supply, and I reconnected/disconnected appropriate items. This time, fearing that because they were bought at the same time that they might both go (this one was hooked up to the other via the adapter when the former blew) I stayed with my finger hovering on the surge protector's switch to cut power.

Lo and behold, about 10-15 seconds later after no obvious issues, no sound, no light, no smell, no smoke, it made a loud flash and a pop that was shocking loud and I immediately turned power off. My computer seemed to turn on okay and the PSU didn't show any signs of distress.

I have it hooked up on a large outdoor quality 16AWG line that's built for heavy-duty use. The surge protector had been working fine as well or so it would seem. What I'm concerned about is if the change to a new location with its different outlet is the cause.

While the power supply blew, both times, there was a small CFL lamp hooked up on the same line, but not on the surge protector, it didn't flicker or show any signs of damage and still is on.

What I'd like to know...is it really that possible for two PSUs, even though they were bought within a week or so to die the very same way, within less than 5 minutes of each other? It took longer than 5 minutes, but I'm only considering the time they were actually powered on.

Is something wrong with my wiring causing this, or did they just die from a 'natural' death? They had been working really hard and really well previously to this. But showed no signs of damage. I don't know if it matters, but I had the computer set up to resume power as soon as it was restored, if it had been cut. Which means when the power to the house went out for half a second, just enough to knock out the power, they'd be turned on immediately again.

I'm deeply concerned that if I were to buy a new power supply and hook it up out there, that it'd blow too. I have very little money to get this going again and another blown PSU would completely devastate me. I don't know how to check for an electrical fault or anything else, but no circuit breaker tripped or anything of the sort that I can tell. Am I good to buy another (better brand) power supply or is there something else wrong?

More about : psu blew short succession

June 16, 2013 4:30:35 PM

If I had to guess, it sounds like your neutral on that outlet is hot somehow. You can get an outlet tester at a hardware store for around $6. Greenlee sells a kit that has a multimeter, pen tester, and outlet tester for around $20. I would recommend getting the kit, but if you are trying to conserve money, just the outlet tester will do.

The lights on the tester will indicate whether or not the outlet has been wired correctly and if it has a ground.
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a c 154 ) Power supply
June 16, 2013 5:00:35 PM

you have a mess there electrically .... lose the cord, lose the adapters. Voltage drop thru all that stuff means higher amp draw and that's likely what fried everything.
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June 16, 2013 5:13:09 PM

JackNaylorPE said:
you have a mess there electrically .... lose the cord, lose the adapters. Voltage drop thru all that stuff means higher amp draw and that's likely what fried everything.


The only way to verify that is with a multi-meter. However, I doubt that this is the case given that these PSUs blew within 20 seconds. OP can you confirm exactly what has changed in your setup to power these PSUs? (New surge protector, new drop cord, new location, etc)
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June 16, 2013 6:45:38 PM

iknowhowtofixit said:
JackNaylorPE said:
you have a mess there electrically .... lose the cord, lose the adapters. Voltage drop thru all that stuff means higher amp draw and that's likely what fried everything.


The only way to verify that is with a multi-meter. However, I doubt that this is the case given that these PSUs blew within 20 seconds. OP can you confirm exactly what has changed in your setup to power these PSUs? (New surge protector, new drop cord, new location, etc)


If the neutral was hot, wouldn't the surge protector be messed up, or anything else I connected to it? I also unplugged the surge protector and plugged in a normal CFL lamp and it didn't show any issues.

I moved it to the garage because it was too hot in the house, there's a sturdy extension cord that I've used before with power tools and other high-draw, it's a 16AWG line rated for 105C (I was shocked to see that too) with multiple outlets running along its length. Then it's plugged directly into a single outlet in the wall. There's one CFL lamp running off the closest outlet to of the extension cord tot he wall, the second outlet is where I was running the surge protector. Aside from that, nothing else is drawing power or plugged into the extension cord. There's maybe 15ft of it between the outlet the surge protector is in and the wall.

The surge protector is undamaged and shows ground/protected still and anything plugged into either the surge protector and/or the outlet that the surge protector was plugged into was unaffected in any negative way. I do have a multimeter so I can check but a brief instruction on how to check if the neutral is hot and what I should be looking for would help me out immensely. I appreciate the time/effort to answer this that you both have went through!

I almost ruled out something wrong with the wiring or outlet simply because no breaker tripped, the box fan that was on the same surge protector didn't even hiccup when the PSU blew (both times) and the light on the other outlet of the extension cord didn't flicker either. But the fact that both blew so quickly...seems and feels so wrong and unlikely.

As for losing the adapter, that shouldn't cause any voltage drop. It's the same thing as shorting out the pins on the PSU to get it to turn on, except it triggers whenever the main PSU is on and without the need of using a paperclip or whatever one may use. No actual power is running constantly through the adapter. The adapter is turned on through a short of two wires (green and black) that comes from one PSU and registers the power turned on, shorting the pins in the second PSU's ATX/motherboard connector, allowing both to turn on at the same time. That way the second PSU can power the remaining components without needing to be switched on itself.
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June 16, 2013 6:51:55 PM

Furtonis said:
iknowhowtofixit said:
JackNaylorPE said:
you have a mess there electrically .... lose the cord, lose the adapters. Voltage drop thru all that stuff means higher amp draw and that's likely what fried everything.


The only way to verify that is with a multi-meter. However, I doubt that this is the case given that these PSUs blew within 20 seconds. OP can you confirm exactly what has changed in your setup to power these PSUs? (New surge protector, new drop cord, new location, etc)


I moved it to the garage because it was too hot in the house, there's a sturdy extension cord that I've used before with power tools and other high-draw, it's a 16AWG line rated for 105C (I was shocked to see that too) with multiple outlets running along its length. Then it's plugged directly into a single outlet in the wall. There's one CFL lamp running off the closest outlet to of the extension cord tot he wall, the second outlet is where I was running the surge protector.

The surge protector is undamaged and shows ground/protected still and anything plugged into either the surge protector and/or the outlet that the surge protector was plugged into was unaffected in any negative way. I do have a multimeter so I can check but a brief instruction on how to check if the neutral is hot and what I should be looking for would help me out immensely. I appreciate the time/effort to answer this that you both have went through!

I almost ruled out something wrong with the wiring or outlet simply because no breaker tripped, the box fan that was on the same surge protector didn't even hiccup when the PSU blew (both times) and the light on the other outlet of the extension cord didn't flicker either. But the fact that both blew so quickly...seems and feels so wrong and unlikely.

As for losing the adapter, that shouldn't cause any voltage drop. It's the same thing as shorting out the pins on the PSU to get it to turn on, except it triggers whenever the main PSU is on and without the need of using a paperclip or whatever one may use. No actual power is running constantly through the adapter. The adapter is turned on through a short of two wires (green and black) that comes from one PSU and registers the power turned on, shorting the pins in the second PSU's ATX/motherboard connector, allowing both to turn on at the same time. That way the second PSU can power the remaining components without needing to be switched on itself.


Desktop power supplies are full of metal parts, sensitive PCBs, and are 100% not designed to be used in an un-climate controlled environment. If this isn't an issue with the 110V, I'm guessing condensation/humidity since this happened when the computer was coming out of the off state.
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June 16, 2013 7:04:57 PM

I had literally just taken it out there about 30min prior to powering it on. Are you positive that'd be the cause, because I've seen several others do the same in more humid conditions than mine and not suffer any issues. Previously it had been sitting inside and had been off for about a day, but inside I have central A/C.
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June 16, 2013 7:46:45 PM

Furtonis said:
I had literally just taken it out there about 30min prior to powering it on. Are you positive that'd be the cause, because I've seen several others do the same in more humid conditions than mine and not suffer any issues. Previously it had been sitting inside and had been off for about a day, but inside I have central A/C.


Obviously, this is just speculation. This is my theory:
You took the computer from a climate controlled environment into a more humid, hotter environment without enough time for the components to acclimate to the new conditions. Had you waited 24 hours, you would have probably been fine (if condensation is truly the cause). Condensation occurs on objects/surfaces that are cooler than the ambient temperature (like your toilet).

You confirming that you just took it out of the house 30 minutes prior to turning the computer on is likely your worst case scenario. Had you turned the computer on immediately, there would not have been enough time for condensation to build up and the components would have quickly heated past the ambient temperature.

If you had waited 24 hours, the computer would have likely acclimated to the new environment and any condensation would have hopefully evaporated by this time.

The only way you will be able to know what is the true culprit is to take the PSUs to a local electronics expert (TV repair shop or an audio receiver repair shop would be good ones to call). They should be able to determine if it was condensation pretty easily.
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June 17, 2013 8:10:41 AM

I know the computer system in bios has a "de-humidify" option and I know more than a few people who actually run desktop pcs in unconditioned houses or out of storage units without any issue. I'll check the line first, but I suppose the PSU would be the first to go seeing as most of its components are jam-packed more than the board? Anyways I really appreciate the advice, do you have any idea how much it might cost to have it looked at?

I am also shocked that it could condensate so quickly. The inside of my house where the computer was sitting was next to a door that went to the outside and opened/closed a few times out of the day separated by a half-wall. The temperature around it was around 81-83F most of the day while the temp in the garage at the time of placement was around 88-90F. I figured if it had been cold in my house then condensation may be an issue. Is it possible for there to be enough condensation that I can't see it openly but that the electrical components can still short?
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June 17, 2013 9:03:29 AM

Furtonis said:
I know the computer system in bios has a "de-humidify" option and I know more than a few people who actually run desktop pcs in unconditioned houses or out of storage units without any issue. I'll check the line first, but I suppose the PSU would be the first to go seeing as most of its components are jam-packed more than the board? Anyways I really appreciate the advice, do you have any idea how much it might cost to have it looked at?

I am also shocked that it could condensate so quickly. The inside of my house where the computer was sitting was next to a door that went to the outside and opened/closed a few times out of the day separated by a half-wall. The temperature around it was around 81-83F most of the day while the temp in the garage at the time of placement was around 88-90F. I figured if it had been cold in my house then condensation may be an issue. Is it possible for there to be enough condensation that I can't see it openly but that the electrical components can still short?


Like I said, this is purely speculation and theory. I would guess maybe 30 minutes of labor to figure out what happened? Hard to say how much someone would charge as rates for stuff like this vary wildly across the country.
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June 17, 2013 9:43:34 AM

I'll see if I can't call around and ask. A small update though, i went out and checked the outlet of the extension cord with a multimeter. The short/smaller pin which I'm to understand is the Hot registered @121-122v when probing both Hot/Neutral and Hot/Ground, however Neutral/Ground registered 0 voltage which I assume rules out an electrical fault? Which makes this entire problem seem condensation related.
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