# Is it safe to use laptop without earthing ?



## Deadman (Feb 23, 2014)

I stay in a hostel and it started about a month ago that whenever i connect the laptop to the plug then i get mild to medium shock even when i do not switch on the plug. 
I use asus laptop which has a aluminum body. It makes me worry whether i should continue using as it could damage the components. Same thing happens with my friends hp laptop.


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## harshilsharma63 (Feb 23, 2014)

It's safe for the laptop but not very safe for you. Bring this issue to the hostel authorities and request them to do proper earthing. As a temperory solution, you can hammer a nail into the wall, wind a copper wire's one end on it and stick the other end with masking tape on the laptop's body when you charge it. This will create a localized earthing for your laptop.


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## $hadow (Feb 23, 2014)

Or you can also use UPS. I know few people who use UPS for the earthing purposes but don't know about its safety.


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## harshilsharma63 (Feb 23, 2014)

$hadow said:


> Or you can also use UPS. I know few people who use UPS for the earthing purposes but don't know about its safety.



My new home doesn't have any earthing and I do use a UPS and still I got shock from cabinet's body. Had to do the nail and wire thing.


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## Deadman (Feb 23, 2014)

Gonna try this nail and wire thing. Thanks for the help.


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## $hadow (Feb 23, 2014)

harshilsharma63 said:


> My new home doesn't have any earthing and I do use a UPS and still I got shock from cabinet's body. Had to do the nail and wire thing.



Thanks for the update. I will surely look for earthing when the construction of my new house start.


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## patkim (Feb 24, 2014)

I think if you are getting shock on the body of pc or laptop there's something wrong in the electrical circuit. Earthing shall prevent you from getting such shock as it keeps the chassis at zero volts but I guess the original fault still remains. Wiring or any repairs done somewhere might have also reversed the line and neutral thereby the switch is placed in neutral rather than live wire resulting into the device still getting the voltage when the switch is off.


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## SaiyanGoku (Feb 24, 2014)

better ask the hostel in-charge for getting a proper earthing done.


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## vutonium (Feb 24, 2014)

This used to happen on my age old Compaq Presario C505. It had metal speaker grilles and back then we had faulty earthing at home. I used to get a shock at the speaker grilles. We fixed the earthing, the issue went away and the laptop is still working after 6 years. 

The thing I don't understand is, the laptop adapter is supposed to provide 19V correct? So that means there's a step down transformer inside it. Only the DC side of the adapter connects to the laptop. How is it that the laptop body gets electrified to a point where you get a shock and still nothing in the laptop dies because of excess voltage?


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## Deadman (Feb 25, 2014)

I think you are right coz i remember the electrician few months ago fixed the spark that was occuring on the main switch outside the room & currently there is no enclosure.


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## whitestar_999 (Feb 25, 2014)

> How is it that the laptop body gets electrified to a point where you get a shock and still nothing in the laptop dies because of excess voltage?


because current follows the path of least resistance which is metallic body in case of laptops.


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## ithehappy (Feb 25, 2014)

I don't know much but I have seen more than enough people who didn't have proper earthing and they used to get shock from cabinet and else. So I would definitely say you need proper earthing. An electrician will say better, but for me it was that deep ground earthing. If you don't have the authority to alter the given earthing at least use a good surge protector, for the laptop.


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