Re: "chain" surge suppressers?

On Jul 19, 1:04 pm, Caesar Romano <S...@xxxxxxx> wrote:
I assume then that those plug-in surge protectors that have *more*
than one path to earth have both the neutral line and the ground
(green) line. Is that correct?

Impedance is why that wire is not a connection to earth. To claim
plug-in protectors are effective, others must ignore impedance or
(more often) have no idea what impedance is. Impedance is why a surge
protector on Page 42 Figure 8 does not divert surge current via white
(neutral) and green (safety ground) wires. If the plug-in protector
was earthed via those wires, then 8000 volts could not exist to
destroy the adjacent TV. But the surge instead imposed 8000 volts
destructively on an adjacent TV. How could these 8000 volts exist IF
protector was earthed by neutral and safety ground wires?

No such earthing existed. Wire impedance was excessive.

Provided were typical numbers for 50 feet of Romex. Whereas that
wire is well less than 0.2 ohms resistance, that same wire is maybe
120 ohms impedance. Even a trivial 100 amp surge would put wall
receptacle (and surge protector) at something like 12,000 volts. Bud
pretends wire impedance does not exist. And yet every professional
citation (including Bud's) requires low impedance (not low resistance)
earthing connections.

Earthing for surge protection must be short to earth ('less than 10
feet', no sharp bends, no splices, etc). A wall receptacle is not
called earth ground. It is called safety ground or equipment ground.
No accident. Wall receptacles are not earth grounds.

Why does Bud avoid discussing "What these protective devices do
is ... simply divert it to ground, where it can do no harm." Because
no plug-in protector claims (in numeric specs) to achieve that
earthing and does not claim to protect from that type of surge. Bud
would have you assume all surges are same. Sales are at risk.

Front page article in Electrical Engineering Times entitled
"Protecting Electrical Devices From Lightning Transients" discusses
wire impedance because 50 foot of interior AC electric wiring is
woefully too long to provide earthing. Since the article is about
protecting electrical devices, then it does not discuss plug-in
protectors and it does discuss how to make earthing better. But then
EE Times is for engineers; not for a majority who know only what is
taught on retail store shelves. That propaganda is powerful stuff.

Assume a safety ground wire is earthing a surge. Since that wire is
bundled with other wires, then surges are induced on those other
wires. Now more surges on other wires - more surges inside the
building. Just another reason why plug-in protectors do not properly
earth the destructive surge AND why surges must be kept out of the
building. One requirement for effective surge protection: those
earthing wires must be separated from other non-grounding wires.

No technically accurate answer is determined from majority
conclusions. After all, Saddam had all those WMDs? The majority said
so by ignoring facts and numbers that engineers saw. It was also
obvious in those 2002 numbers that Saddam’s WMDs did not exist. So
what did the majority say?

Propaganda from retail store shelves is the source of most
recommendations. With obscene profit margins, a plug-in protector
gets promoted everywhere; 'whole house' protectors only sell on the
science. If you don't grasp this simple science, then spend tens or
100 times more money on plug-in protectors. Propaganda is that
effective. How does Monster Cable sell a $3 power strip with fancy
paint and ten cent protector parts for $150? Obscene profits make
propaganda easy.

A surge will travel to earth via that Romex wire and not induce
surges on all other wires? Of course not. Even sharp bends inside
every junction box means that wire does not provide effective
earthing. What is found only in responsible (professional)
citations? Even references to no sharp bends. Why? A sharp bends
only increase 8000 volts destructively through the adjacent TV - Page
42 Figure 8. No earth ground means no effective protection. Why does
Polyphaser make a protector with no earth ground connection? For even
better protection (Polyphaser is an industry benchmark), that
protector makes a zero foot connection to earth. One who even
designed and built this stuff (who learned after direct lightning
strikes from surprising successes and by making these mistakes) is the
minority. Therefore he is wrong?

Why does your telco not use plug-in protectors? Why do all telcos
use ‘whole house’ protectors? Retail store salesmen or angry others
cannot answer that. A protector is only as effective as its earth
ground. Demonstrated by numbers and citations is a wall receptacle
does not provide earthing. Those who promote plug-in protectors also
avoid all discussion about impedance – an engineering concept not
taught on retail store shelves. A concept so essential to protection
as to be discussed by engineers in a magazine only for electrical
engineers. An article entitled “Protecting Electrical Devices From
Lightning Transients" devotes a large part to impedance – and why that
wire connection to earth must be so short; no sharp bends, etc.

What does that article and most every professional source note?
That neutral and safety ground wire cannot earth surges. It will
easily conduct 60 Hz AC electricity. But surges have completely
different characteristics make wire impedance relevant. People such
as trader do not do this stuff. What did every professional citation
define? Resistance? Of course not. Trader is only discussing
resistance. It is what he understands. But every citation also talks
about wire *impedance* when discussing surges. An electrical concept
that is little taught in tech school but is well taught to engineers.

How much current can a lamp cord (18 AWG) conduct? That wire
typically rated for 10 amps may conduct approaching 60,000 amps of
surge current – can even conduct a majority of direct lightning
strikes without damage. A majority without engineering training would
not know this; may even deny it. Which one is an engineer and has
experience? A protector is only as effective as its earth ground -
which is why a plug-in protector has all but no earthing.
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Lightning and computer?
    ... Impedance is determined by wire length, number of sharp bends, ... house' protector installed by the telco. ... A protector is only as effective as its earth ground. ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.hardware)
  • Re: "chain" surge suppressers?
    ... Required is a low impedance connection to earth - ... Why do plug-in protectors have all but no earth connection? ... Whereas a plug-in protector may be connected less than 0.2 ... AC electricity about wire resistance. ...
    (alt.home.repair)
  • Re: surge protectors
    ... 40 annually to the WTC - and electronics not ... this is about a nearby lightning strike to a long wire antenna. ... You did not see protector devices inside the blender? ... As described in another post is wire impedance. ...
    (alt.home.repair)
  • Re: Surge protectors to use with home electronics when grounding is not available?
    ... A plug-in protector interposed between the load and the mains, ... romex may be less than 0.2 ohms, that same wire is maybe 120 ohms ... A trivial 100 amp surge 'clamped' by ... all wires are at something less than 12,000 volts to earth. ...
    (sci.electronics.basics)
  • Re: "chain" surge suppressers?
    ... However wire impedance - not resistance - is the ... A tiny 100 amp surge would put that receptacle at ... At 12,000 volts, its will find other paths to earth. ... Putting the 'whole house' protector adjacent to a ground rod does ...
    (alt.home.repair)