Have you experienced problems with an electric shock from a PC?
If you own a laptop, it is likely that you have had the unfortunate experience of being shocked by your laptop or at the very least, a tingling sensation caused by slight leakage of current. Shock usually happens when a laptop is plugged in and then you noticed that all metallic parts of your PC are untouchable.
If your laptop shocks you, it becomes very dangerous, since some people place their laptops on their laps. In this article, we discuss how to fix laptop shocks. However, let’s discuss what exactly causes your laptop to shock you. Electric shock in laptops is caused by several reasons which include the following.
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Contents
Why is My PC Shocking Me?
If you’re experiencing an electric shock from a PC, here are some reasons why this is the case.
#1. Leakage Of Current
In this case, there is a faulty situation where current flows out of its intended circuit in a piece of equipment to the chassis or the ground. In this particular situation, it flows from the AC adapter. What literally happens is the current from your adapter getting to the ground, case, or metal objects in your laptop because of poor insulation or live wires.
#2. The adaptor is not plugged in properly
This is the most common reason laptops start shocking you. You will notice that your laptop is plugged in, but not charging, rather shocks you. This is caused by only one of the pins being connected to the supply whilst the circuit is not closed. As result, the only connected pin uses the metals inside your laptop as ground.
#3. Faulty AC Adapter
Another reason for laptops shocking people is faulty power caused by faulty insulation or a bridge circuit in the adapter. It is most likely that you have used the adapter for a long time and it is just telling you to buy another adapter. To find out if it’s an adapter problem, try using another adapter around and see if the shock persists.
#4. Faulty Socket Wiring
This is somewhat close to the first because the socket you plugged your laptop into is not properly wired according to IEEE standards of wiring and earthing. Your sockets should have three holes with the second hole (or right hole) called hot, allowing electric current to go out of the socket while the first hole (or left hole) called neutral, allowing current to come back into the socket.
How To Fix the problem of Electric Shock from PC
#1. Make Sure your socket is Earthed
It is a general rule that your house should be properly earthed. This is in order to avoid unnecessary shock. Make sure that your socket is properly earthed to take unwanted current that might be touching the metal casing in your laptop.
Adapter cord should sit properly in the socket
When your laptop has only one of the two pins plugged that drive current in or out of your adapter, you cannot avoid shock. Make sure that all three pins are properly inserted. Meanwhile, put a tester in any of these holes to confirm if the socket is good. A good socket will light up the tester only when it is plugged into the right hole. If any of the other two holes light up, then the socket is faulty.
#2. Use another socket
A simpler workaround is plugging your laptop into another socket in a different apartment to see if it stills shocks.
#3. Use a three Prong Power Adapter
It is best that you use a three-prong adapter and not two. The third prong is very useful because it helps in earthing, which gives extra protection by taking out any crooked current. Crooked current in this case might end up doing damage or shocking you.
#4. Disconnect your laptop before connecting accessories
This may not exactly be a solution, but it may save you. Before you connect something to your laptop, first unplug it.
Conclusion
Those have been our top hacks to avoid electric shock from PC. Which one of them worked for you? Feel free to share other tricks in the comments section.