The truth about your surge protector is it doesn't help much.

[tron3]

Today I am on the UPS kick in an effort to save people from equipment loss.
A UPS. Uninterruptable Power Supply. Staples carries the APC model.

In this day and age of "firmware updates" you don't want the power dipping or going out in the middle of flashing the ROM.

Even GOOD surge suppressors don't trip until about 600v. Considering standard current is 115v, that is still enough to damage your stuff. What about those spikes and transients which are below 600v? Does your surge protector do anything? NO.

Most surge protectors are "fail-safe" devices designed to go off in one catastrophic event. They do NOTHING for the pulses below the threshold. Some better ones have line conditioning and filters, but most people think the common outlet strip is enough. It is not. "Surely my strip does SOMETHING. Right?" Yes, it allows you to plug in more valuable electronics to fry like fish.

Spikes and transients are common. Your equipment becomes weakened by every spike it survives. I have a 13" Panasonic TV which has lived for 19 years plugged into a surge protector with filter, line conditioner, and REAL surge protection.

A battery backed up device is a natural supressor and could arrest some lightning strikes. Your battery will be toast, but not your home entertainment system. Lead Acid batteries are designed in layers. Those layers not only store energy it tends to slow it down and absorb it. My sister once lost a TV, stereo and DVD player because a squirrel got in the nearby power transformer. It can happen to anyone at any time.

My UPS is low end mostly to keep the players alive, not the TV, but still protects it. No more lost settings, and no fear of power loss during firmware upgrades to the BD player. I even have a small battery backup on my cordless phone.

BE SURE TO PLUG IN THE BATTERY FIRST!

[JTK]

It makes little sense to me when people have thousands of dollars of nice equipment and then they think a $50 surge protector or $20 rinky dink power bar is really going to get the job done.

For my home thater I use the Belkin PF60 and for my computer I just installed an APC Back UPS 1500VA which I'm quite confident in as well.

A few years ago I had an electrician install a household surge protector as well. It cost about $500 but it's been well worth it.

[tron3]

Originally Posted by JTK

It makes little sense to me when people have thousands of dollars of nice equipment and then they think a $50 surge protector or $20 rinky dink power bar is really going to get the job done.

For my home thater I use the Belkin PF60 and for my computer I just installed an APC Back UPS 1500VA which I'm quite confident in as well.

....

I should talk as before I bought my APC unit I was using a Radio Shack wall protector. It was one of the better ones, but I did not want to trust it any more.

During the great east coast blackout of August 2003 I unplugged it from the wall. Good thing too. When the power came back on it still fried the surge protectors and some of the equipment for hundreds of people. I worked at Radio Shack at the time and the next day I sold those surge protectors like crazy! Some people came in with protectors partially melted.

I heard many a sob story of people frying their TV's and such because they had no protection. In many cases, those cheap units barely did anything except stop a continuous surge from becoming fire.

[JTK]

Originally Posted by tron3

I should talk as before I bought my APC unit I was using a Radio Shack wall protector. It was one of the better ones, but I did not want to trust it any more.

During the great east coast blackout of August 2003 I unplugged it from the wall. Good thing too. When the power came back on it still fried the surge protectors and some of the equipment for hundreds of people. I worked at Radio Shack at the time and the next day I sold those surge protectors like crazy! Some people came in with protectors partially melted.

I heard many a sob story of people frying their TV's and such because they had no protection. In many cases, those cheap units barely did anything except stop a continuous surge from becoming fire.

Even at that, if I know that the weather is going to hell in a handbasket, I unplug everything from the wall anyways. Why chance it?

[BTBuck1]

I dont think surge protectors are a waste if you get the right ones.

The monster cleanpower setups like the 1000 or 1100 have been a godsend to me.

[tron3]

BUMP. Happen to find this older thread and thought the newer members could benefit.

I feel much safer doing firmware updates knowing my player is on a UPS.

[Deadset]

Originally Posted by tron3

Most surge protectors are "fail-safe" devices designed to go off in one catastrophic event. They do NOTHING for the pulses below the threshold.

This is true, small spikes really are not detected by the office max power strip. Power Quality is a very complex subject, but a UPS is the way to go. Sagging and over voltage can occur but it depends on the distance you are from the substation and age and setup of your feeders to your house. People should check their voltage at their houses as well, if you see it sagging, better call your provider. I'm an engineer in the industry and it's always a good idea to check to make sure the power to your service drop is of good quality.

Typically you want to see 120v, the old standard used to be 110v. Ideally, you don't want to see anything less than 114v. But during peak loading, if you look at a load duration curve, from 3pm - 7pm are the peak times where voltage can sag or rise....If you're a night owl like me, the probability of this happening is less but not impossible.