# How to ensure a proper current flow?



## Gdn8Melbourne (Oct 28, 2011)

I have a PSU of 550W. It has a Type G power cord. Type G is not usable in my country without an Adapter.
The male end of the cable says 13A 250V Fused. And the female end says 10A 250V.
I have an alternative power cord Type D whose both ends says 10A 250V which I'm using temporarily instead of an adapter.
The power cord goes to an UPS whose male power plug says 6A 230V. And I have no idea what is the configuration of the outlet.
I'm not well-versed in electrical engineering at all but something seems odd. Also the UPS sometimes starts beeping when there is a change in voltage in the main line.
I plan to change the outlet and install a separate grounding too. I have options to choose from sockets of 6A, 15/16A or 20A.
Again, I have no idea what those means.
What should I do to make this mess right to ensure proper flow of current?
(please specify the requirements too *for example* what kind of wires I need, so that I can instruct my electrician to follow exact procedure, in case he turns out to be not so knowledgeable.).

PS. Please forward or suggest a suitable section to post this if this forum is not suitable for the question.
Thanks in advance.


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

Does the PSU manufacturer make a cord for use in your country?
Perhaps visit a local pc shop they may have several choices of used ones to use.


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## Stancestans (Apr 26, 2009)

Gdn8Melbourne said:


> I have a PSU of 550W. It has a Type G power cord. Type G is not usable in my country without an Adapter.


There's nothing wrong with that setup as long as the adapter is a tight fit and a good quality one. The biggest problem with adapters is a loose fit, often the case with poorly built, dirt cheap ones.



> The male end of the cable says 13A 250V Fused. And the female end says 10A 250V.


The PSU will never draw more than 13A or 10A, unless it has developed a fault, in which case the 13A fuse in the male end will blow to prevent a fire.



> I have an alternative power cord Type D whose both ends says 10A 250V which I'm using temporarily instead of an adapter.


I'd prefer the same because of the problem of loose fitting of poor quality adapters, often developing over time.



> The power cord goes to an UPS whose male power plug says 6A 230V. And I have no idea what is the configuration of the outlet.


The outlet would have a rating inscribed on the inside, but more importantly, you should find out the rating of the mains fuse that is serving the outlet. In my location, we use 20A circuit breakers at the mains distribution box to serve 13A outlets. Your electrician should be able to determine this.



> I'm not well-versed in electrical engineering at all but something seems odd. Also the UPS sometimes starts beeping when there is a change in voltage in the main line.


Nothing is odd with your setup, but it's good to have the electrical works of the building inspected to make sure everything is as it should be. The UPS is doing its job as designed. Power fluctuations and interruptions are the main reasons for using a PSU and they're more common than you imagine, which is why any reputable UPS will have automatic voltage regulation to protect against under and over-voltages.



> I plan to change the outlet and install a separate grounding too. I have options to choose from sockets of 6A, 15/16A or 20A.
> Again, I have no idea what those means.


The socket should not exceed the rating of the mains fuse that serves it, but most importantly, the appliance that is gonna use the outlet should not be rated higher than the outlet. So, if you choose a 6A outlet and plan to connect an appliance that draws 9A to it, you're gonna exceed the outlet's rating and damage it eventually. If the outlet is fused, the fuse will blow, but if it isn't, it will get heated up and that's not good. The appliance's plug will most likely get super hot and melt its insulation/plastic casing and the outlet and may even get stuck inside the melted insides of the outlet. I'd go with a 15/16A socket.


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## Gdn8Melbourne (Oct 28, 2011)

Stancestans said:


> There's nothing wrong with that setup as long as the adapter is a tight fit and a good quality one. The biggest problem with adapters is a loose fit, often the case with poorly built, dirt cheap ones.
> 
> 
> The PSU will never draw more than 13A or 10A, unless it has developed a fault, in which case the 13A fuse in the male end will blow to prevent a fire.
> ...


Hi thanks for the very detailed answer. This is the type of answer exactly what I was looking for.

So in Layman's term, you are saying High ampere appliance must not draw power from low powered socket but the opposite is fine?

That raises an issue. The male end of the power cable (10A) which goes to the UPS (6A)... chances are the socket on the UPS's back are also 6A. So a 10A plug is drawing power from a 6A socket which itself drawing power from (through a battery though) a 16A outlet... That seems alright?


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## Stancestans (Apr 26, 2009)

Gdn8Melbourne said:


> So in Layman's term, you are saying High ampere appliance must not draw power from low powered socket but the opposite is fine?


The outlet's (socket) rated output MUST NOT be lower than the appliance's rated input. In other words, don't connect a 9A appliance to a 6A socket, but you can safely connect the 9A heater to a 16A socket.



> That raises an issue. The male end of the power cable (10A) which goes to the UPS (6A)... chances are the socket on the UPS's back are also 6A. So a 10A plug is drawing power from a 6A socket which itself drawing power from (through a battery though) a 16A outlet... That seems alright?


You're confusing yourself. First of all, it is NOT the 10A plug (WIRE B) that is drawing power from the UPS' outlet. It is the 550W PSU (in the PC) which is drawing power from the UPS. 

Secondly, the 550W PSU does NOT draw anywhere close to the 10A rating of WIRE B. Look at the information on the PSU itself to confirm its rated input current. I can assure you it is nothing close to 10A, so it DOESN'T matter that WIRE B is rated 10A, as long as the current flowing through it (drawn by the 550W PSU) does not exceed 10A. 

Thirdly, DO NOT assume that the outlets on the UPS are rated the same as its input cable (WIRE C). Look at the UPS' documentation to confirm the rating of its outlets. IF the outlets are rated lower than the input rating of the 550W PSU, then you will have a problem. The UPS will be overloaded, and will make an alarm to indicate that it's been overloaded. This is the same as connecting too many devices to the UPS than it can handle. As long as the Watt output rating of the UPS is higher than the Watt input rating of the 550W PSU, then there's nothing to worry about.

Let's assume that you upgraded the PC with more powerful components, say a faster CPU, one or more GPUs in SLI or Crossfire configuration, liquid-cooling (large radiator), massive case, more fans and RGB controller, you would need a higher capacity PSU, say a 1500W PSU. If your current UPS is rated 650VA and a measly 600W output, it won't be able to sustain the power demand from the souped-up PC. If the UPS is a cheap one with no overload protection, it will be killed by the massive demand of the upgraded PC. You would need a much bigger-capacity UPS that can match the power demand of the PC. 

As it stands right now, your UPS has NOT complained of any overloading, which means the 550W PSU is NOT drawing more power than the UPS can handle, even though the cable in use is rated 10A, as I said, it's not the cable that is drawing power. IF the UPS outlet is rated 6A and the 550W PSU is rated 4A or lower, then the fact that the cable in use is rated 10A is NOT a problem because, the current flowing through it is LESS than its rating of 10A.


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