New Power Supply throws my circuit breaker every time. Troubleshooting help, plz

[Xdrive]

Looking for some quick opinions on this. Thanks in advance!

Just picked up an Antec EarthWatts 650w power supply at Frys, and it appears to be overloading my circuit breakers as soon as I try to power on a motherboard with it. I've tested it on two different cases/motherboards (that both work otherwise) with the same results. I also tried two different circuits in my house (both 15 amps).

I'm trying to figure out if there's something wrong with the PSU, or if my 15 amp circuits are too weak to feed it. Either situation seems unlikely to me. On the one hand, the PSU is brand new. On the other hand, I already have one of these circuits powering a 550w PSU and a bunch of other things simultaneously with no problems whatsoever - for years. So why would a slightly more powerful PSU - by itself - trip these circuits instantly?

Just trying to get some ideas/opinions. I'd rather not take back the PSU unless I know for sure it's fubar'd, since I got a really good deal on it. Thanks again!

 

[xoke]

Is it set to 110 on the back, or 220? (Little red switch)

 

[Xdrive]

Is it set to 110 on the back, or 220? (Little red switch)

Thanks for the quick reply. For some reason this PSU does not have that switch... I think this might be the first I've owned that doesn't have that.

The label on the side says AC Input: 100V-240V/10A-5A;47Hz-63Hz

 

[EarthDog]

Its auto switching, thats why. Most modern PSU's are auto switching iirc.

To the issue, you are tripping your house breakers? Wow. But you put your old PSU in and it works? Sounds like you need to take that great deal back to the store if havent changed anything else.

 

[xoke]

Thanks for the quick reply. For some reason this PSU does not have that switch... I think this might be the first I've owned that doesn't have that.

The label on the side says AC Input: 100V-240V/10A-5A;47Hz-63Hz

Just checking...had that switch in the wrong position before on a new PSU, took me hours before I stumbled across it. Hmmm, well, in that case it sounds like a you gots a bad PSU.

 

[muddocktor]

Its auto switching, thats why. Most modern PSU's are auto switching iirc.

To the issue, you are tripping your house breakers? Wow. But you put your old PSU in and it works? Sounds like you need to take that great deal back to the store if havent changed anything else.

Quoted for truth. It sounds like you got a defective psu. That happens occasionally even with the best of brands.

 

[madhatter256]

How old is your house? I did run into this at my parent's house (built 1970ish). Their outlets don't have the third prong (ground) and use a converter. I brought my PC over one day and it tripped the circuit, too, but this was with a corsair 450watt PSU. I think some PSUs might take a certain amount of amps from the wall being put under load that can be more than what your outlet can give out.

If your house is younger, than it is most likely a bad PSU. Confirm this by taking it to your friends house and see if it does the same thing, too.

 

[Jmtyra]

Quoted for truth. It sounds like you got a defective psu. That happens occasionally even with the best of brands.

Yup, that's going to be my vote as well. Very strange, too, never heard of a PSU popping a breaker like that. Weird.

 

[Xdrive]

Thanks for the advice, guys. It was, in fact, the PSU. I took it back and got a cheap (but perfectly adequate) Thermaltake 500w and it's not tripping the breaker on either board. Funny thing is the guy at Fry's said the PSU was fine (he tested it right there). Which means he's going to repackage and sell it to someone else who will just be bringing it back again. :\

Anyways, thanks again.

 

[Super Nade]

Sounds like a defective unit. Modern PSUs have active power factor correction and hence you don't need to manually switch between 220V/110V.

 

[larrymoencurly]

I can't think of an explanation except a short inside the PSU, ahead of its fuse, possibly a dangerous one to ground. Because otherwise the PSU's fuse should have blown because it has a lower amp rating than the household circuit breaker, and fuses, even slow blows, react faster than breakers, including breakers of the same amp rating.

If your EarthWatts is like many Seasonics, its AC receptacle is soldered to a small circuit board that includes the EMI filter (capacitors and coils). You may want to see if anything there is touching the PSU case, or if there's a short on the circuit board itself (sloppy solder). It's even possible that one of the small disk capacitors wired between line and ground is defective inside. Report this incident to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, http://www.cpsc.gov , and on the form indicate you want Antec to get a copy of the report.

 

[ArcturusVi]

He may have checked it, and it in fact worked. My guess is a short that is just a loose connection of sorts. Don't know why he'd still think it's okay. That's a pretty big thing to "test" rather than just letting the manufacturer deal with it. I'd honestly go back and talk to that dude's manager, or the manager in general. Of all things to tell somebody, popping a breaker box is a pretty tall-tale to get your money back, like most store employees think people are doing.