Surge Protectors

waterman3

Hello!

I've just started using my laptop wirelessly in my house and i've got a surge protector which i now just plug the modem and router into. I'm not sure whether i should buy a surge protector for every room in the house or whether this is overkill.

Just wondered what other people do?

thanks

scottishblondie

Probably overkill unless you have dodgy wiring. The only things I have surge protected are my TV, media PC and games consoles.

JG007

if you are looking for cheap surge protectors I would check B&M and Home bargains as I have seen some really decent ones at great prices.

waterman3

thanks. Is Home Bargains also called TJ Morris?

JG007

yes - " TJ Morris Ltd, trading as Home Bargains, is one of the UK's fastest growing discount retailers. "

westom

waterman3 wrote: »

I'm not sure whether i should buy a surge protector for every room in the house or whether this is overkill.

Most would spend £2000 or £5000 for plug-in protectors. Much fewer will read numeric specifications. No plug-in protector claims protection in its spec numbers. Where does it claim protection from each type of surge - in numbers? It doesn't.

How does that 2 cm part stop what three miles of sky could not stop? Most believe it does that by simply forgetting those numbers. How do its few hundred joules absorb destructive surges that are hundreds of thousands of joules? Again, the manufacturer simply made that claim without any numbers.

Yes, it is a surge protector. Then we look at numbers. Near zero protection. But near zero is large enough to hype "surge protection" in big letters - to people who don't ask for numbers. A majority will only recommend what they were told; do not ask some simple damning questions.

All appliances contain protection. But the rare transient may overwhelm that protection. Something that occurs maybe once every seven years. Even less often in the UK. Either earth that surge. Or that surge is inside hunting for earth destructively via appliances. Either that energy dissipates harmlessly without entering a building. Or it is inside the building and given even more potentially destructive paths to earth via plug-in protectors. Your choice.

Only more responsible companies sell a 'whole house' protector. The effective protector connects energy 'less than 3 meters' to single point earth ground. More responsible companies include General Electric, Siemens, Intermatic, Keison, Eaton, Square D, or Leviton.

The point. No protector provides protection. Either a protector connects that energy harmlessly to earth. Or that energy is inside a building. Your choice. Spend £20 or £100 per appliance for plug-in protectors everywhere - that do not claim protection. Or install one effective protector for about £1 per appliance - to protect everything including the dishwasher, furnace, dimmer switches, and everything else.

Only earth ground provides protection. Your building earthing (which is not safety ground in wall receptacles) provides that protection. Either you connect energy to protection via a 'whole house' protector. Or you enrich the salesman. Your choice. A protector is only as effective as its earth ground.

chrisw

I didn't understand most of that but I guess you are talking about lightning. I thought plug-in type surge protectors were more about preventing electrical spikes in the mains such as you might get with a washing machine kicking in.

Lil306

It purely depends how much you want to protect your equipment

I use a surge protector from asda (4-way surge protector extension) mainly to protect my electrical equipment from damage and it's small / compact.

For my PC and expensive equipment I use a SurgeGuard which protects 8 sockets, LAN, phone etc with up to £30,000 equipment damage. I'm soon replacing that with a 10-way for when I run a server rack

Surge protectors are only useful if you have crappy wiring in your house, or you a paranoid of damage to electrical goods through power spikes etc.

kwikbreaks

IMO most domestic surge protectors are a waste of money. They won't protect you from a nearby lightning strike because they really aren't good enough for that (virtually nothing is) and as they are in effect just a spark gap you'd need one hell of a mains surge to trigger them.

Some offer to protect the phone line too - that already has a spark gap device in the master socket (it offers protection from static electricity but a nearby lightning strike will still see off your phones and router).

westom

chrisw wrote: »

I didn't understand most of that but I guess you are talking about lightning. I thought plug-in type surge protectors were more about preventing electrical spikes in the mains such as you might get with a washing machine kicking in.

If a washing machine creates destructive surges, then a first thing destroyed is the washing machine. Ask that damning question. Why is the washing machine not destroyed? A 'washing machine surge generator' is the classic myth that promotes high profit plug-in protectors. Again, where does 'washing machine' spikes get dissipated? It’s not confusing. The answer is obvious. A washing machine does not create those spikes.

Dimmer switches all over the house fail and must be replaced everytime you wash clothes? Oh? Even dimmer switches - which have even less internal protection - are not damaged by a washing machine? Another damning question. That washing machine surge myth promotes sales of obscenely profitable and ineffective protectors.

Install one protector for a transient that occurs maybe once in seven years - and much less often in the UK. Spend 25 or 100 times less money for a protector so effective as to even earth direct lightning strikes and other destructive utility transients. Why spend tens or 100 times more money for a power strip that does not even claim to protect from a washing machine? Not confusing. So simple as to be understood even 100 years ago?

Don't take my word for it. Post those plug-in manufacturer specification numbers that claim protection - such as noise from a washing machine? Show me the numbers. You cannot. If protection exists, then manufacturer specifications are in your very next reply. It's that simple. Even the manufacturer does not claim that protection.

Why does BT not waste money on those plug-in protectors? Why would they tens of times more money on that Surgeguard ... that does not even claim protection that Lil306 has assumed (he provides no spec numbers). Where are the Surgeguard spec numbers for protection? Do not exist. Even the warranty is full of fine print exemptions to not be honored.

To make their protectors effective, BT puts each protector as close to earth as possible. And up to 50 meters distant from electronics. That separation necessary for better protection. And not known to those only educated (intentionally confused) by advertising. BT puts protectors up to 50 meters separated from electronics because separation INCREASES protection. BT does not waste money on Surgeguard, et al that have virtually no earthing AND do not even claim to provide protection. One can use the 100+ years of knowledge that BT used - including the so critically important less then 3 meter connection to earth. Or one enrich Surgeguard whose protector is a profit center. Where are those Surgeguard numeric specs?

No earth ground means no effective protection (ie Surgeguard). A protector is only as effective as its earth ground - which is why BT used properly earthed protectors separated up to 50 meters from electronics.

Lil306

I really couldn't be bothered to read all above this time in the morning. It's far too much and you obviously just wanted a rant over something.

My area doesn't suffer from lightning strikes much but there's a bloody great power station nearby which is a huge conductor. I'd rather have the safety of a surge protector for SOME kind of surge (even simple househould electricity) than having nothing at all.

Regarding my surgeguard. No clues if it's done the job, but my PC and equipment is still working fine when we have had some major lightning here and nothing went bang. I'd rather choose it for my own peace of mind and I trust it being it's rated by a well know Surge Protector company

I'll try and dig out the specs, it's ancient technology.