Re: OT: surge protectors

You need a UPS. Or two. Or three. Or four. A UPS provides current from its
battery to keep the line voltage acceptably high for sensitive computers. Surge
protectors do not do squat to deal with a DROP in line voltage, which is what
happens when the heat comes on. Surge protectors protect against a SURGE in
line voltage. (They do not protect us against the surge in Iraq.)

You, or the owner of your house or apartment, also needs to spend the money to
hire an electrician to upgrade the electrical service to provide more total
amps, and perhaps more amps on individual circuits. This may not be as
expensive as it sounds when balanced against the cash outlay for a bunch of
UPS's. This might also be a dangerous situation if the electrical wiring and
fuse box are not up to code.

I once sold a computer to a nearby family and got a call a few hours later
telling me that the computer was rebooting itself every 45 minutes. I went
over there and stood patiently by, waiting for a reboot. When the computer
rebooted, I heard a loud noise from downstairs when the refrigerator compressor
kicked on. Yes, the computer was sharing the circuit with the fridge. They
solved the problem, but not by getting rid of the fridge. Some people just
don't have the right priorities... Ben

On Thu, 21 Feb 2008 10:37:34 -0800 (PST), "yirg.kenya" <yirg.kenya@xxxxxxxxx>
wrote:

Is there a difference?

When the central heating comes in I occasionally lose connectivity.
Since I telecommute a lot, this is annoying. Everything in the house,
with the exception of the popcorn popper--well maybe one or two others
-:), are already on surge protectors, typically cheap ones from Home
Depot/Fryes with a 'decent' joule rating.

So, I think I need better. I'm skeptical of manufacturer claims and
what they mean, so I'm hoping for some knowledgeable recs from the
gurus here. And maybe an explanation of what figures, numbers, etc.,
are really meaningful and what not. All four systems in the house are
Dell, of varying vintage, except of course the router, etc.

TIA.
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Battery backup surge protectors
    ... You really should get a UPS (probably the APC devices you were looking at) instead of "just" a surge protector. ... However, with careful shopping, you can get a 600 to to 900VA UPS in the $50-$60 range; a larger unit is likely to be $100 to $150, and I really don't recommend a smaller unit, except as a backup for a laptop. ... I think I will look into the HomeDepot surge protectors. ...
    (alt.sys.pc-clone.dell)
  • Re: Does as GFCI give you some surge protection?
    ... I had to tackle my voltage spikes a few ways. ... Point of use surge surpressors. ... The el-cheapo surge protectors use MOVs to clamp the spikes. ... Problem is, these MOVs, which act like fuses in reverse, only work once. ...
    (alt.home.repair)
  • Re: Battery backup surge protectors
    ... I will now reconsider the APC unit I was looking at. ... You really should get a UPS ... instead of "just" a surge protector. ... I think I will look into the HomeDepot surge protectors. ...
    (alt.sys.pc-clone.dell)
  • Re: What are you using to protect your studio audio equipment from power issues?
    ... And also guide from the NIST: ... Service panel suppressors are a real good idea. ... To limit that voltage you need a *short* ... What did those plug-in protectors do? ...
    (rec.audio.pro)
  • Re: belkin power conditioner for my Samsung LCD - is it worth it???
    ... protectors won't have anywhere to divert the lightning. ... As I have said more than once, the IEEE guide explains that plug-in suppressors work by clamping the voltage on all wires to the common ground at the suppressor. ... They do NOT work primarily by earthing the surge. ... But my plug-in protector was rated at a higher current | than occurred in any case, and the energy rating was higher than | occurred except the strong hit the building. ...
    (alt.tv.tech.hdtv)