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From: Mike Easter on 9 Jul 2008 22:55
Matt wrote:

> About 3 weeks ago he started smelling a
> strange chemical ammonia type odor in his computer room

> it is definitely coming out of this tower.

I've never smelled that in a computer -- but here's an article that
mentions it

http://www.computerpoweruser.com/articles/archive/C0405/24c05/24c05.pdf?gu
id= Warning Signs Of Faulty Capacitors - Strange odor. As a capacitor
leaks, the drying electrolyte may emit a strange, foul odor. Some people
describe the odor as smelling like dead fish; others say the odor
resembles ammonia. Either way, it's distinctive, and it doesn't smell
good.


--
Mike Easter

From: Matt on 9 Jul 2008 23:33

"Mike Easter" <MikeE(a)ster.invalid> wrote in message
news:_dGdnV8Y6Ie65-jVnZ2dnUVZ_sjinZ2d(a)earthlink.com...
> Matt wrote:
>
>> About 3 weeks ago he started smelling a
>> strange chemical ammonia type odor in his computer room
>
>> it is definitely coming out of this tower.
>
> I've never smelled that in a computer -- but here's an article that
> mentions it
>
> http://www.computerpoweruser.com/articles/archive/C0405/24c05/24c05.pdf?gu
> id= Warning Signs Of Faulty Capacitors - Strange odor. As a capacitor
> leaks, the drying electrolyte may emit a strange, foul odor. Some people
> describe the odor as smelling like dead fish; others say the odor
> resembles ammonia. Either way, it's distinctive, and it doesn't smell
> good.
>
Thanks for the link! I actually broke down and went over there tonight... he
had 4 computers in one room and that room was on one circuit breaker... the
odor was the first outlet in the line melting... oddly enough this outlet
had nothing plugged into it and it was behind a bookshelf so he was actually
lucky we found it!


From: Mike Easter on 10 Jul 2008 01:30
Matt wrote:
> "Mike Easter"
>> Matt wrote:
>>
>>> About 3 weeks ago he started smelling a
>>> strange chemical ammonia type odor in his computer room
>>
>>> it is definitely coming out of this tower.
>>
>> I've never smelled that in a computer -- but here's an article that
>> mentions it
>>
>>
http://www.computerpoweruser.com/articles/archive/C0405/24c05/24c05.pdf?gu
>> id= Warning Signs Of Faulty Capacitors - Strange odor.

> Thanks for the link!

It is a good .pdf. It has a lot of good diagnostic advice and pix of bad
capacitors and background.

> I actually broke down and went over there
> tonight... he had 4 computers in one room and that room was on one
> circuit breaker...

Yeah... most house circuits are going to have a single circuit breaker for
more than a room's base plugs. So, we have let's say as much as 4 CRT
monitors and 4 towers, how many amps is that?

> the odor was the first outlet in the line melting...
> oddly enough this outlet had nothing plugged into it and it was behind
> a bookshelf so he was actually lucky we found it!

Wait a minute. I'm not grokking that.

Why are you saying an empty wall outlet is melting?



--
Mike Easter

From: Paul on 10 Jul 2008 01:47
Mike Easter wrote:
> Matt wrote:
>> "Mike Easter"
>>> Matt wrote:
>>>
>>>> About 3 weeks ago he started smelling a
>>>> strange chemical ammonia type odor in his computer room
>>>> it is definitely coming out of this tower.
>>> I've never smelled that in a computer -- but here's an article that
>>> mentions it
>>>
>>>
> http://www.computerpoweruser.com/articles/archive/C0405/24c05/24c05.pdf?gu
>>> id= Warning Signs Of Faulty Capacitors - Strange odor.
>
>> Thanks for the link!
>
> It is a good .pdf. It has a lot of good diagnostic advice and pix of bad
> capacitors and background.
>
>> I actually broke down and went over there
>> tonight... he had 4 computers in one room and that room was on one
>> circuit breaker...
>
> Yeah... most house circuits are going to have a single circuit breaker for
> more than a room's base plugs. So, we have let's say as much as 4 CRT
> monitors and 4 towers, how many amps is that?
>
>> the odor was the first outlet in the line melting...
>> oddly enough this outlet had nothing plugged into it and it was behind
>> a bookshelf so he was actually lucky we found it!
>
> Wait a minute. I'm not grokking that.
>
> Why are you saying an empty wall outlet is melting?
>
>
>
> --
> Mike Easter
>

Maybe he has aluminum wiring ?

"Subject: Aluminum wiring"

http://www.faqs.org/faqs/electrical-wiring/part2/

Paul
From: Mike Easter on 10 Jul 2008 02:06
Paul wrote:
> Mike Easter wrote:
>> Matt wrote:

>>> the odor was the first outlet in the line melting...
>>> oddly enough this outlet had nothing plugged into it and it was behind
>>> a bookshelf so he was actually lucky we found it!
>>
>> Wait a minute. I'm not grokking that.
>>
>> Why are you saying an empty wall outlet is melting?

> Maybe he has aluminum wiring ?
>
> "Subject: Aluminum wiring"
>
> http://www.faqs.org/faqs/electrical-wiring/part2/

OK. I read the section on aluminum wiring and some problems it can
have -- but I'm still not getting the meaning of the empty outlet melting.

Let's say the circuit is 'loaded' - the wire circuit, aluminum or copper,
trooping around the room, outlet to outlet, is carrying the breaker's
capacity.

What process is going to be melting that empty wall outlet?

--
Mike Easter

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