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Name: |
Mack
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Subject: |
AC Power Surge Protectors???
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Date:
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6/27/2011 8:13:03 PM
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Several afternoons running we in our area have had some fairly rough thunderstorms and rain, also lightning. AC power takes hits, blinks, computer goes down, clocks start flashing, etc, etc. Restart and move on, right? One lightning strike, apparently close. Thought I heard a small pop from near the outlet that supplies both DSL and power to the computer. Lost Ethernet link between the DSL modem and computer. AT&T rep gets me as far as the Windows Network Adapters, no Ethernet at all. Long story short, maybe, a power surge got in and wiped out the ethernet software net adapters? Who knows? But, I got it back, eventually. How effective are power surge protectors for very expensive electronic stuff???? The plug-in-the-wall kind?? Belkin seems to be a common name in products. Your expertise and suggestions appreciated. Mack
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Name: |
MrHodja
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Subject: |
AC Power Surge Protectors???
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Date:
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6/27/2011 9:47:42 PM (updated 6/27/2011 9:48:02 PM)
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Mack, since you are using DSL, buy a surge protector that includes protection for your telephone line. Spikes can be induced on the phone cables as well as power cables. And don't get the cheap charlie type. I believe their effectiveness is measured in joules...the higher the number of joules, the better the protection.
If you eventually got your connectivity back, the good news is that the spike didn't fry any hardware. I was at the lake during that little weather event yesterday and it was a doozy...liquid version of a whiteout. Had just finished putting the felt on the newly installed (since Friday) roof on our cabin addition at 5:00 PM...and 45 minutes later the bottom dropped out. The roof didn't leak but we haven't put up any walls except for corner bracing, and a scaffold we inadvertently left just outside the room and under the eave provided a significant splash factor until it was moved. Come over and take a look sometime...it is actually starting to look like it might be habitable some day. I'll tell you, though, at one time there were five of us working on it, but through various forms of attrition, as of 2:30 yesterday it was myself and my older son putting on the second half of decking and all the felt...heat index 105 and NO clouds. Pretty brutal, but we both survived.
Cheers!
NH
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Name: |
Barneget
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Subject: |
AC Power Surge Protectors???
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Date:
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6/27/2011 9:51:28 PM
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Mack, I use APC battery backups at home, lake, and stores. All mid to hi $$$ electronics are plugged into them. Structured wiring at home with modem and routers on battery backup, desktops, sound and all hd equipment using it. They employ a surge detector, but for me, the greater value is when voltage drops off. These things kick in right away and keep the current level. Last night, lights dimmed and returned to normal 3x before power loss. Desktop stayed lit, and audio system continued to play dinner music. I usually get right at 4 years out of them before I have to replace a battery.
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Name: |
muddauber
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Subject: |
AC Power Surge Protectors???
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Date:
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6/27/2011 9:56:21 PM
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Do not buy one of those plug in the wall kind. Get a good UPS (Uninterupted Power Supply) that has the battery in it. Get one big enough for the wattage you will draw, and then a bit more. They have two sides, one surge and one battery. Plug in you computer etc on the battery side. Power will go thu the battery to your electronics which in addition to the surge protection, will also greatly reduce the spikes that are not big enough to trip but do cause problems over time or even during a write event to your computers hdd. One note, printers should not be plugged into a ups. For that, do use a plug in surge protector. I've replace several UPS's that got a serious hit, yet my electronics were fine. Cheap protection.
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Name: |
lakngulf
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Subject: |
AC Power Surge Protectors???
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Date:
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6/28/2011 6:21:17 AM
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Good issue to bring up, Mack. Not sure if you were talking about your home or lake home but we experienced the same thing as Hodja...weird power surges, off, then on, then off. Cannot be good for electronic equipment. I have a UPS for computer, modem, etc (why should the printer NOT be plugged into UPS?). I think I will investigate one for each TV (How many amps or whatever does a normal 42 inch flat screen pull, and a DVD player?). Also, I think it is time to look into a larger generator to run part of my cabin when power is out. Seems we have more and more outages.
But when we do, we look across the lake, and there your lights are just shining brightly.
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Name: |
muddauber
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Subject: |
AC Power Surge Protectors???
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Date:
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6/28/2011 6:45:02 AM
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Reason for printers are that they draw so much they overtax the UPS. Every ups manufacturer warns against that. I have all my electronics at home and work on a ups. Two years ago after a bad storm, my plasma tv went green. UPS seemed to be working. Replace ups and tv was fine.
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Name: |
Mack
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Subject: |
Hodja....
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Date:
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6/28/2011 7:00:17 PM
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Be down from Thursday until,,,,, we go home. I'll try to get by. Got a large group (for us anyway) coming Sunday, as many as 20 hungry/thirsty souls. Guess considering the recent posts that I can say we are gonna" Kizma the Cove??
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Name: |
MrHodja
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Subject: |
Hodja....
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Date:
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6/28/2011 7:32:08 PM
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I really need to get the OSB put up on the outside walls and felted so the water doesn't blow in, so will most likely tackle that Saturday. If you get a chance stop by. I am using a nail gun so I promise not to give you a hammer and put you to work...:>)
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Name: |
Mack
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Subject: |
One Big Difference I See....
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Date:
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6/29/2011 11:58:35 AM
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is that the cheap "plug in the wall" protectors have a much higher joule rating than a @ 500 watt UPS system. A $50 wall type goes maybe 3000 joules. Is that just overkill for preventing spikes? I see an APC UPS rated at 350W but just 450 joules. I understand the battery protection side, but is 450 enough for the non-battery side??
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