wall outlet sparks when plug is inserted...

Question

Nathan H Author

Level 2

367 points

wall outlet sparks when plug is inserted...

is this normal????? i dont want to start a fire or something...but i really need my macbook for school

MacBook, Mac OS X (10.4.8), 2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo 1GB 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM 

Posted on Mar 2, 2007 9:23 AM

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Answer 1

Mar 2, 2007 10:37 AM in response to Nathan H

my adapter does this as well. I don't think it will cause any problems though, as it isn't that big of a spark or anything.. just enough to get you to jump a little when you see it.

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Answer 2

Nathan H Author

Level 2

367 points

Mar 2, 2007 12:10 PM in response to walter9258

its not big but i was worried it could do damage

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Answer 3

Dibbler

Level 2

490 points

Mar 2, 2007 12:28 PM in response to Nathan H

You'll notice this happens with a few appliances. It prob happens when you have the outlet already switched on and then you plug it in. Its nothing to worry about though.

Dib.

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Answer 4

Nathan H Author

Level 2

367 points

Mar 6, 2007 8:10 AM in response to Dibbler

no...just my macbook, not other laptops even...it's probably the surge...happens in every outlet so im pretty sure its not the house's wiring, or school's...

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Answer 5

horatius

Level 1

30 points

Mar 6, 2007 8:37 AM in response to Nathan H

Try to plug first in the outlet and after that in the mag safe
please tell us the result

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Answer 6

Nathan H Author

Level 2

367 points

Mar 6, 2007 10:33 AM in response to horatius

i think i know what's wrong...i just want to know if people have burned their adapters or houses...

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Answer 7

Mar 7, 2007 5:36 AM in response to Nathan H

my Macbook is poorly due to the same thing....
it's really slow now.

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Answer 8

tcdm1972

Level 2

240 points

Mar 7, 2007 7:01 PM in response to Nathan H

As one member here has mentioned - It is VERY IMPORTANT that you first plug the adapter into the electrical outlet THEN connect the magsafe to your notebook...
Not the other way around ... or you may experience a powersurge and damage components inside the notebook

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Answer 9

Nathan H Author

Level 2

367 points

Mar 7, 2007 9:52 PM in response to tcdm1972

i actually know that now...it would be very helpful if apple included that in their manuals...thanks for your input though...as far as i know, there's been no warning from apple...

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Answer 10

macbook7

Level 1

57 points

Mar 7, 2007 11:54 PM in response to Nathan H

This isn't a problem because a spark that small will not light anything on fire (unless maybe you have a piece of paper or something sitting IN the outlet for some reason). The only place that you would have to worry about is a coal mine or something like that where every particle of air is flammable!... but, i'm guessing that most people don't use their macbooks and magsafe adapters in coal mines...

-Eric

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Answer 11

Nathan H Author

Level 2

367 points

Mar 8, 2007 8:22 AM in response to macbook7

actually, im in a coal mine right now 😉...jk

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Answer 12

Nathan H Author

Level 2

367 points

Mar 21, 2007 6:31 PM in response to Nathan H

Hey ya'll, i did some research and found this:
If you see a spark

Sometimes when you plug the power adapter into the wall, you may see a spark. This is usually normal and can occur when you plug any electrical appliance into a live outlet. If you are concerned about the spark you see when you plug your adapter into the wall, or if the spark comes from somewhere other than the blades of the plug, you can take your adapter (you don't need to take the computer) in to an Apple Authorized Service Provider or Apple Retail Store for evaluation.

from http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=302461

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Answer 13

Mar 22, 2007 2:07 AM in response to Nathan H

Apple plugs spark way more than any other device Ihave ever owned!!!! Doesn't that make them better.

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Answer 14

Nathan H Author

Level 2

367 points

Mar 22, 2007 9:51 AM in response to applehasgivenmebadservice

be careful when you plug them in...i accidentally 'buzzed' myself when i inadvertently touched the plug while unplugging it...it didnt hurt, and it was my fault, but want to warn people to be careful because if anything can go wrong, it will.

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Answer 15

Mar 22, 2007 1:46 PM in response to Nathan H

people on this forum:
its time for a basic lesson in electricity. the electrons in any object will jump to another object (static electricity). this is what makes any device work. when the metal wire in your outlet gets close to the plug on ur macbook, the electrons will jump causing a spark. if you touch the plug (or any plug for that matter) while plugging it in, the electrons will jump to your hand. dont try this. unless ur suicidal. hopefully that answers ur question.

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