Another thing that has started happening is I've been having this issue where I hear a clicking or switching sound somewhere in my kitchen, and when that happens I either get a little flicker on my monitor for a split second or it goes black for a second instead. This also happens sometimes when I turn my ceiling fan on.
Sounds as if your ceiling fan is the cause.As they age,the power required to overcome the inertia,[Isaac Newton and his Laws] increases,bearings wear and the lubricant dries out.It could also be the Fan controller momentarily arcing.My TV audio temporarily cuts out when the fan speed is changed.
One day change might happen,at my end,maybe!
Update: The clicking sound was coming from my 20 year old water cooler, and unplugging it has stopped the monitor blinking. I haven't had that scrambling screen craziness again, but this whole thing has sent me down the electricity rabbit hole and now I am learning about line conditioning. Since I'm having these "brownouts", I'm concerned about the health of my hardware. Unfortunately line conditioners cost at least $100.
What should I do? I live in a small apartment suite with no bedrooms and have only so many circuits in which to divide devices. I kind of need everything where it is, and I'm counting 6 devices plugged into one circuit.
Is my PC in danger? Do I need a line conditioner, considering the low voltage issue? The cost is prohibitive.
You only have two options,one is to fit a surge protector on the circuit which serves the valuable equipment or an uninterruptable power supply to your computer system.The water cooler probably needs a new thermostat and considering it's age,spare parts could be a problem.
Hmmm, I see. I'll look at my options in terms of UPS.
Last edited by Frosst; 21 Dec 2014 at 20:38.
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