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Question

Fluorescent lights on same power strip as PC

Sep 9, 2015 9:58AM PDT

Is it OK to have my PC plugged into the same power strip as my fluorescent lights? I've had problems using fluorescent bulbs in my garage door opener and dining room lights with a dimmer switch. Also, what if my room air conditioner is plugged into the same wall outlet as the power strip that has the PC and the lights.

Discussion is locked

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Answer
Personally I use a UPS (aka battery backup) for desktops.
Sep 9, 2015 10:28AM PDT

I doubt if the florescent (or incandescent) lights would be a problem, but if you have a flicker from the power company, a UPS can save you from power surges that can cause reboots and shorten the life of your computer. You can get decent ones for around $50. And of course if you have a room air conditioner on the same outlet, that could cause voltage to drop temporarily which doesn't help either.
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Good luck.

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Answer
Best solution is a good UPS
Sep 9, 2015 10:35AM PDT

Older fluorescent lighting was once a cause of interference on some radio and TV sets. Some dimmer switches could do that as well. I don't see where they should affect a PC. You don't want sudden power changes on the same circuit as your PC. Motors that turn on and off can momentarily draw heavy amounts of current. I can see a room AC doing that. Experiment by putting a lamp on the same circuit as your AC. If it dims when the motor compressor cycles, it might affect your PC. Keeping your PC on a separate circuit from appliances with motors that cycle on and off is a good practice. It's not just the outlet that matters but the electrical run on that particular circuit breaker that counts. Get a UPS and you'll have less to worry about.

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Answer
Strips with computers should be isolated
Sep 10, 2015 8:09PM PDT

Nothing else but your PC related items should be plugged into the same strip. A UPS will fill in drop outs and outages but cannot condition it. Fluorescent lamps are prone to failure of the ballast (transformer) and that can cause spikes on the power line at all kinds of different frequencies. These spikes are impressed upon the AC power and can cause weird unrelated, intermittent faults. Easier to replace the offending lamp.