Surge protector

[BillyB]

I'm hooking up a new plasma in a location where I will need a new surge protector.I don't want to be cheap but can't go too crazy on the cost and was wondering if there is a minimum Joules rating I should be looking for or something else I should know about surge protectors.We actually do get a lot of instances where our power goes out for a second and then comes right back on.I don't know if that constitutes a true power surge or not.I notice that these surge protector manufacturers all seem to imply there product comes with an equipment replacement type of guarantee but I don't know if that's legitimate or not.Do you just register the products plugged into the surge protector and they actually cover it against getting fried from surge issues?Any advice would be appreciated.

[aevans]

I'd recommend a battery backup, a cheap one will work fine as you mainly want to protect from brownouts, not keep watching your tv for 20 minutes after the power goes out.

office depot should have a pretty good selection, I like APC for a brand, 500 should be a good size.

[blackraven]

Look at best buy, they sell new surge protectors with RF filters rated at 5,000J for about $40. They are made by acoustic research. If you want to spend a little more, I just bought a Cyberpower 1030HT unit rated at 6000J or more online for $55 normally sells for $80 if I remember correctly. It also has a nice EMI/RFI filter with votlage and amp light readouts. Check out TigersDirect.com Its a big unit 18" long and has a lot of weight to it which I always equate with build quality. Has $400,000 life time damage warranty.

[aevans]

one thing to watch for is that surge suppressor warranties only cover surges that come through the power cord, not coax or phone lines.

I lost about $8000 worth of computer equipment through a phone line lightining strike.

[BillyB]

Thanks for the replies as I found an A/R surge suppressor at audio discounters online for $12 that retails for as much as $50 depending on where you see it.I'm sure ther are much better one's out there but it comes with a decent equipment guarantee so I don't think I did too bad.Just a question that may sound trivial.Is it a no-brainer to run the Coax into the suppressor and then on to the HD cable box.My cable company claims that my house cable line(coax)is protected against surge protection automatically by the grounging rod they put outside my house where the line comes in.Guess it can't hurt either way but I'm always a little paranoid about any connections that can deteriorate a signal.I suppose even a marginal suppressor will have a decent internal circuit for the coax signal.Thanks

[BillyB]

one thing to watch for is that surge suppressor warranties only cover surges that come through the power cord, not coax or phone lines.

I lost about $8000 worth of computer equipment through a phone line lightining strike.

That's awful.Is that something that would be picked up by homeowners insurance? or are you literally out the 8K.

[aevans]

That's awful.Is that something that would be picked up by homeowners insurance? or are you literally out the 8K.

out 8k, it was buisness equipment.

[emorphien]

one thing to watch for is that surge suppressor warranties only cover surges that come through the power cord, not coax or phone lines.

I lost about $8000 worth of computer equipment through a phone line lightining strike.

Even the ones that have the phone line pass throughs? (I don't have phone lines hooked up to anything, but just asking).

And how about the ones with cable pass throughs since many have their computers tied to power and cable if they have cable internet and a wired network.

[BillyB]

Even the ones that have the phone line pass throughs? (I don't have phone lines hooked up to anything, but just asking).

And how about the ones with cable pass throughs since many have their computers tied to power and cable if they have cable internet and a wired network.

Good question as these things all now seem to have both phone and Coax protection.Sure hate to think they're just there for show.

[westcott]

I am a big fan of Tripp Lite and they will cover ANYTHING hooked up to their Isobars including phone, ethernet, and cable. Devices must be UL or CSA listed and I do not recommend buying products that are not so.

Here is a link to Tripp Lite

[Rich-n-Texas]

Thanks for the Tripp... err... tip Westcott. I just ordered their "Protect it" 808TV surge supressor from Amazon.com for $30.00 shipped. 2,020 joules, sat/cable coax and dual output RJ/11 protection, and Ultimate Lifetime Insurance.

Rich

[westcott]

Thanks for the Tripp... err... tip Westcott. I just ordered their "Protect it" 808TV surge supressor from Amazon.com for $30.00 shipped. 2,020 joules, sat/cable coax and dual output RJ/11 protection, and Ultimate Lifetime Insurance.

Rich

Let us know how it works, once you get it. I would tell you what I observed, but I will wait until you get back with us so as not to bias your opinions. I am sure you will be happy with its performance.

[Rich-n-Texas]

Well, let me pose a question since I have your attention: Would it be a better idea to purchase a UPS system with surge supression? I talked to a few of my engineers at lunch time and the majority use battery backup systems with their HT's.

[westcott]

Well, let me pose a question since I have your attention: Would it be a better idea to purchase a UPS system with surge supression? I talked to a few of my engineers at lunch time and the majority use battery backup systems with their HT's.

Just depends on what you are trying to accomplish. A battery back up can not hope to provide enough back up power to run a stereo system for optimal performance for very long unless you spend a LOT of money. Since it is not critical that power be available for an AV system, it is hard to justify the added expense. A quality surge protector will provide the same level of protection and signal isolation at a far more affordable price. As I have stated before, most quality AV equipment comes with good self regulating power supplies so providing more stable power is redundant in most cases.

[westcott]

one thing to watch for is that surge suppressor warranties only cover surges that come through the power cord, not coax or phone lines.

I lost about $8000 worth of computer equipment through a phone line lightining strike.

This is why I recommend a quality surge suppressor from Tripp Lite.

Telephone and Data Line Transients: Tripp Lite will repair or replace directly connected equipment that is damaged by transients on telephone and/or data lines only when all such paths are protected by a Tripp Lite protection product(s) and the AC power (utility) line is simultaneously protected by a Tripp Lite power protection device (UPS, surge suppressor or line conditioner) with Ultimate Lifetime Insurance coverage. Additional telephone and/or data line connected devices downstream must have their own telephone and/or dataline protectors.

[Rich-n-Texas]

Let us know how it works, once you get it. I would tell you what I observed, but I will wait until you get back with us so as not to bias your opinions. I am sure you will be happy with its performance.

Well, right out of the box I realized that I got much better value for the money over the equally priced GE power strip that I bought from a local retailer that didn't work (obviously). The product description from the website where I purchased this Tripp Lite model stated 2,020 jouls, but the box says I think 3,500, so that's good. Well laid out outlets (I'm able to make use of the separated wall wart sockets, and good placement of the telco/coax recepticles. Looking into each socket, it looks like the contacts are big and beefy which is always a good thing too.

Two drawbacks, it was nice of Tripp Lite to include a coax cable, unfortunately it's RG-59 which is of no use to me, and I wish the unit was made out of steel instead of plastic, but again, at this price point I got a good value. One minor glitch was that I had to force the center conductor of my coax cable that runs to the TV into the coax out of the strip. I hate having to do that because I never know if the lead seated between the two contacts, if it ended up behind one of them, or even if it was crushed. I also didn't see anything in the literature about power filtering and/or conditioning.

The 8' power cord is a good thing as well, but the bad thing is I can't plug it in where I orginally wanted to (around the corner in a different room, allowing easy access in the off chance I have to disconnect power in an emergency) because the VCR's power cord won't reach. I think eventually I'm going to replace the VCR cord with a longer one to eliminate this problem.

Something that puzzled me when I was reading the instructions. I want to mount this on the wall behind the audio cabinet; it says you can do this but it must be mounted before you plug anything into it. Why's that?

Anyway, as far as noticing any difference in picture or sound quality (I'm guessing that's what you were eluding to), nothing noticeable, but that may be due to the fact that right now I have to watch the TV while sitting too close to it, and I'm also right in front of the front left speaker, which sucks also.

I know this post is probably trivial to most of the big guns here, but what the heck, I love playing with and talking about all these big-boy A/V toys just the same.

[westcott]

I know this post is probably trivial to most of the big guns here, but what the heck, I love playing with and talking about all these big-boy A/V toys just the same.

I have the HT10, which does provide line filtering and signal isolation. I did not notice any audio difference by there was a noticeable improvement in video.

Glad you are pleased with your purchase and hope it provides you the same level of protection I have grown accustomed to.

Surge protection is not trivial, and you would be surprised how little people invest or research the subject. Once you start making the types of investments in equipment some of us are making, there is no getting around a good power solution for peace of mind.

[Hashpot]

one thing to watch for is that surge suppressor warranties only cover surges that come through the power cord, not coax or phone lines.

I lost about $8000 worth of computer equipment through a phone line lightining strike.

I don't know if this aplies to me but I have dsl and this block thing called excelsus its a dsl filter and from one end it connects the the phone line and the dsl and the other end is just the cord line.(in North America comcast provides several of these filters to connect to your phoneline to the dsl) If a phone lighting strike were to occure what would happen to my computer? Could your situation have any simalar negative affects to my computer?

[westcott]

I don't know if this aplies to me but I have dsl and this block thing called excelsus its a dsl filter and from one end it connects the the phone line and the dsl and the other end is just the cord line.(in North America comcast provides several of these filters to connect to your phoneline to the dsl) If a phone lighting strike were to occure what would happen to my computer? Could your situation have any simalar negative affects to my computer?

Phone lines and Cable lines are just as susceptable to lighting strikes\surges so get a good protector that warranties these types of equipment connections.

I lost a computer modem card (thank goodness not the whole computer) to a lightning strike many years ago when I lived in an apartment and working my way through college. Come to find out, the ground was bad in my study and the surge protector was basically rendered useless. The apartment fixed the wiring, but only after I discovered the problem. Most good surge protectors now a days will have a series of lights that will tell you if the unit is properly grounded, if the unit is functioning properly, and if it is powered on.

[lap2288]

http://www.ul.com/consumers/surge.html

http://www.howstuffworks.com/surge-protector6.htm