What is the damn point of surge protectors?

[Maxwell]

In the last month at my place, we've had a couple of power surges. The first one knocked out the computer plugged into my nice surge protector. The second knocked out the computer hooked up to my shiny UPS (at least). But the computer that is plugged right into the wall? No problems whatsoever.

Ugh.

[Al]

I use them because they make me feel better...you've thrown a wet blanket on that feeling. Thanks Maxwell :)

[zombie67]

The point is to take the money out of your pocket, and put it into their pocket.

[Al]

Z is correct...I actually use them to get more outlets and I buy the cheap ones.

[Bryan]

The serious surge protectors used to be gas filled tubes across the line. The gas was doped so that it would ionize above a certain voltage. Once that threshold was reached it would create a plasma path across the lines and shunt the excess voltage. These are still used in big systems. The semiconductor versions that are common today have a very limited capacity. Once they fire there is a limited amount of current capability so very large spikes can continue into your system. A lightning strike in your neighborhood will most likely get past them.

Where surge protectors are really beneficial is when electronics are being used in a facility with a lot of machinery running motors. When a motor is turned off it creates a inductive spike back down the power line as the magnetic field of the motor collapses.

When I worked at HP I visited a facility of Bell helicopters. They had a motor that was 3 stories below ground and had a very large steel shaft running up three floors to a room lined with very thick steel. They would put full sized helicopter rotors (blades w/ hub) onto the steel shaft and rotate them to see where they self destructed. The motor was so large that they had to coordinate with the local power company at turn on/off otherwise it would cause the power station to kick off line. When they turned it on it drew so much current that under normal circumstances it would cause the power grid breakers to trip. When they turned it off it created a power spike that could also trip the grid's breakers. :D The power company would override the normal settings for very short periods to allow them to spin up and drop down the motor.

[Al]

My farm doesn't cause that problem locally. :rolleyes:

[Maxwell]

Sorry, y'all. That was 99% a "Maxwell needs to vent" post.

But holy feces, Brian. That is a hell of a story...

[Fire$torm]

Hello team! >:D<

The thing that most people don't realize is the that the major component of a surge suppressor, the Metal Oxide varistor (MOV), wears out over time. And does so without any physical sign of doing so. Bottom line: If you live in an area with a lot of surge activity, thave some form en it is necessary to replace your surge suppressors every couple of years.

High quality units will have some form of internal tester with a pass/fail indicator to let you your equipment is not protected. I have an Tripp Lite ISOBAR 8 Ultra (Link (http://www.tripplite.com/surge-protector-isobar-8-outlets-12-ft-cord-3840-joule~ISOBAR8ULTRA/)) for my main desktop that has such indicators. It also meets current UL safety standards for surge suppressors.

More info
Wikipedia (Link (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surge_protector))
The Wire cutter (Link (http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-surge-protector/))

[STE\/E]

I used to run Surge Protectors & UPS's on all my Computers, but after some years of having a blip in the Power & the Computers still shutting off or restarting I began to think what the hell am I spending all this money on UPS's & replacing the Batteries in them if they don't do their job of keep the Computers running when there is just a few second blip in the power. So I just got rid of the UPS's & the surge protectors too since all the UPS's were doing was creating more heat & not their job of keeping the computers running for a short period of no power. as far as I know I've only had to replace 1 Video card over the Years because of a power surge or outage. That card was replaced by the Manufacturer under Warranty, so I figure I save my self way more money by not running surge protectors & UPS's than if I did run them.

Since I do have $25,000 worth of Insurance on them in the event of a Fire I should check with the Ins Co & see if they are covered in the event of a major repair bill because of a Power Outage or Power Surge ... ???

[Shandia]

Here's one of the lovely threads I missed. I've often wondered about the point other than having a power strip with multiple outlets handy. A few years ago I bought a surge protector that was highly rated and had more than a few good reviews. (APC) It lasted me little under a year. I had no surges to speak of in that time. I had quite a few brown outs that caused some damage but nothing to major. When the surge protector gave out did it just trip?? Did it sound with bells and whistles?? Did it shoot a flare up in the air signaling it was giving up?? NO! What did it do?? It caught fire! That's what I get for actively seeking out a high dollar doohickey to help protect my computers when it was actually the biggest risk and threat to my equipment. Yes, It was under warranty and after letting the fire department look at it, I sent it to the manufacturer with the papers from the fire department. Never ever heard a word from the company about a replacement or compensation for melted plastic in the carpet or the char marks on my desk where it was mounted. Today I have a $10 surge protector that I modified with a 25' cord. So far after a few years, no tripping, no melting and no flames. So things are good all in all.

[John P. Myers]

The better quality PSUs have surge (overvoltage) protection built into them anyway. I do like the additional outlets, but all you need for that is a power strip, which looks just like a surge suppressor. Much cheaper. I actually had a computer fry in 2007 during a thunderstorm that was plugged into a surge suppressor. PSU and motherboard both were useless, but it was a stock Compaq PSU of poor quality.