# surge supressors



## Raylo (Feb 12, 2006)

This is one of those things I have always sort of taken for granted but not after this past weekend. We had a power outage (very common here) and when it was restored there was a huge surge (first time I have seen anything like this) that destroyed a bunch of stuff. Partial results list follows:

1. Downstairs LCD TV dead. It was connected to an APC Pro surge supressor that showed "operating and protected" after the event. The TV was dead but the a/v receiver, cd player and subwoof connected to it were fine.

2. Garage door RF receiver. It was a plug in receiver designed to convert an older GDO to a rolling code setup. It smoked good with black soot around the receptacle plate and the little pop off wire acces cover was blown off.

3. Digital LCD HVAC thermostat (dead) and humidifier (damaged) that both run off the furnace 24 VAC transformer. Luckily the furnace circuit board seems ok and the system operates normally w/o the humidifier connected.

4. Main upstairs TV was OK but the ancient no name surge protector was blown. It was making a very high pitched whine and would not reset. TV and all components connected were fine.

5. One PC plugged into a surge protector was fine and another PC and network gear closet plugged into UPSs were all fine.

So I guess my question is what is the best strategy for protecting TVs from surges like this? Does a higher Joule rated suppressor protect better or does it also take a bigger surge to trip in the first place and thus risk damage? I am trying to reconcile how a lame no name suppressor blew and apparently protected my main TV while the other name brand seemed to do nothing (neither did the one on the PC but the PC was fine anyway?) and let the TV fry (but the receiver was OK?).

So many questions.... This mess would be a good one for the power surge forensics department but the mixed bag of effects has me baffled.


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## JMPC (Jan 15, 2011)

When did this occur? I recall my UPS coming on for a bit a few days ago but we had no other issues with any other devices in our house.

A whole house surge suppressor may be a good option. I've looked into them in the past but never went through with it.

You probably know this stuff already but I thought these articles had a lot of good info:

HowStuffWorks "How Surge Protectors Work"
Anatomy of Surge Suppressors | Hardware Secrets
Surge Suppressors Explained (1) - A First Line of Defense
Residential Surge Suppressors


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## bruiser (Jul 30, 2005)

You need to file a claim with your utility company. They caused it, but will probably deny it.


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## Raylo (Feb 12, 2006)

It happened last Saturday when we had 50 mph gusts here in my neighborhood in suburban MD all day. Power was out for 6 hours this time.

Thanks for the links. I needed to refresh my memory and know better what specs to look for when shopping for surge protectors. I also like the idea of a whole house unit to provide a first layer of protection, esp for bigger appliances and such.

From what I read it still seems you need smaller point of use protectors for electronics. I need to spend some more time researching to make sure the ones I get/have are any good.


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## Raylo (Feb 12, 2006)

Yes, already in the process of filing a claim. I am hopeful that they will be responsive since they have an absolutely horrible reliability record since deregulation and they are getting close to where the state's patience is wearing out. If they want to stay in this lucrative markey then really need to shape up.

If that doesn't work out I will be writing our county executive with copy to consumer affairs. Might not get me any $ but will add to the record of this company's abysmal record.


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## JMPC (Jan 15, 2011)

Sounds like you're a Pepco customer.


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## bruiser (Jul 30, 2005)

I have seen a Phillips surge suppressor that claims it is so advanced that it will endure any size voltage spike that can occur, therefore they do not print the joules rating. That's impressive, if true, because I've seen another one of theirs that claims a joules rating of 48000.

I think the newer "smart" ones might now be the way to go.


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## Raylo (Feb 12, 2006)

Exactly! PEPCO, indeed. Over the last year or so I have been without power cumulatively about 8 days in 4 major outages. I have lived in my house since Dec 1995 and had next to zero issues with power except for a very few minor outages... until the mid 2000s. That was through the dual blizzards 3 days apart in Jan 1996, a major ice storm a few years later, hurricane Isabel (whatever year that was) and untold bouts of t-storms. Then deregulation and since a constant stream or power outages, always with some excuse about how extreme the situation was to cause them. Nonsense, of course. They simply have found that it is cheaper to fix stuff as it breaks instead of doing preventive trimming and maintenance. Shareholders come first, rate payers second. PEPCO does a little PR with the public and tap dancing for the state and congress, then back to business as usual.


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## Raylo (Feb 12, 2006)

Interesting, Bruiser. Monday I picked up a Philips to replace the one that died. I didn't look at the specs at the time. From the link posted by JMPC above I think I am going to look closely at "clamping voltage" for future purchases. That seems to be a measure of how quick acting they will be, which has to be key.


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