Rant: Nearly fried a customer's router when I didn't check the power surge from an old house in St. Louis

I was installing a new line in a 1920s home last Thursday, hooked everything up without testing the outlet first, and the whole system started smoking before I yanked the plug - anyone else run into sketchy wiring that almost took out their gear?

2 comments

2 Comments

cora_perez13d ago

Was it really that close to frying it though? Old houses have surge problems all the time, but modern gear usually has some protection built in. I've seen setups spark and pop for a second then keep running fine. Smoking is bad sure, but unless you saw real flames I'd bet the router was still okay. Those things are tougher than people give them credit for.

adam_thomas13d ago

Man, I once plugged a modem into a knob-and-tube setup and watched the lights flicker like a strobe show.