Surge protectors?

[AD-15]

hello,

I have been looking at some Belkin surge protectors, and I see that each has level of product has different specs in terms of the joules it 'has.'

I do not understand what they mean by this. For example, if the surge protector is rated to 'have' 200 joules, what would it mean? Is it the amount of energy it can supply to connected devices when the power is cut/fails? That would be pretty bad, it would only be able to power my speakers, monitor, and system for about 2 seconds.

Although, I'm sure I'm wrong.

Any ideas?

EDIT: Is it the amount of energy it can provide during a power surge? That would mean it could wait around 2 seconds for the surge to 'go away.' Am I right?

Thanks guys!!!

[0iD]

EDIT: Is it the amount of energy it can provide during a power surge? That would mean it could wait around 2 seconds for the surge to 'go away.' Am I right?

Thanks guys!!!

Joule rating — A joule is a measurement of energy. The joule rating on a surge protector indicates the amount of energy that a device is capable of absorbing. In general, the higher the joule rating, the better the unit is able to protect your equipment and the longer it will last. The joule rating is determined by the total number of MOV's. An MOV (Metal Oxide Varistor) is a component in surge protectors that absorbs excess electrical energy and clamps the voltage to a safe level.

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?actio...ctorGuide.html

hope this helps

[AD-15]

OK, thanks for your help.

How many amps come down the live? What is the most common voltage of a large surge, or spike? I guess I could work out how much the protector I'm buying could absorb.

[AD-15]

BTW, I see that the way surge protectors work means surges are basically dumped onto the earth line. Are there any possible consequences of this? It's not how a normal earth line would be (ie, taking frequent amounts of current), maybe it could disrupt the system?

[schmunk]

EDIT: Is it the amount of energy it can provide during a power surge? That would mean it could wait around 2 seconds for the surge to 'go away.' Am I right?

A surge protector will not provide any backup during a surge - it'll (if it works) just prevent the power spike going through to whatever's connected to it, to stop those things going 'bang'. The surge will generally knock out your mains supply (at the circuit breaker), so your PC etc will switch off immediately.

If you want power to be continued for some time after a surge / cut, you will need a UPS. Higher 'VA' rating is better.

[AD-15]

hello,

Thanks again.

What I still don't fully understand is what the joule ratings are for. What I understand so far is that it is how much energy can be absorbed. I know that E= Voltage x Charge, so I just need to know how long the average surge/spike lasts, what the voltage of the average surge/spike is, and it's amperage.

[AD-15]

hello,

I 've found this:

http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Produ...oductID=210771

What do you think? Will it do the job? I am connecting a 22" Widescreen monitor (150W?), 300W (max) speakers, and 620W PC.

[FatalSaviour]

The link that 0iD has already mentioned states:
'A surge typically measures less than 500V and lasts less than two seconds.
A spike, by definition, is much shorter in duration - less than one-thousandth of a second (millisecond), but can measure into the thousands of volts.'
I'm not sure how accurate that is, but in the absence of any other information, I'd take that as a rough guesstimate.

As far as I am aware, the level of protection offered should not be affected by the load on the surge protector.
You should take care never to plug devices in that will draw 3000W or more, to any multigang adaptor. Other than that however, you should be free to plug what you like in.

I used to buy the GOLD series of Belkin Surge protectors when Scan were selling them for a very reasonable price. I've never had a problem with them, and would recommend them.

HTH

[AD-15]

hello,

Thanks for your advice guys.

Do you think the protector I linked will suffice for the stuff I'll be connecting?

[deepvas]

Get one of these from m2cshop.com

Power-Saving-Extension-Lead

Its offers surge protection for equipment plus modem and shuts down periperals attached when you switch off, quite reasonably priced as well

[Lucio]

hello,

Thanks for your advice guys.

Do you think the protector I linked will suffice for the stuff I'll be connecting?

Should be more than sufficiant! That kind of one is more than sufficiant to plug even a server into (not that I would because I like my UPS thank you very much!)

[peterb]

Each time a surge protector absorbs a spike it degrades. Some surge protectors have a warning light to show that the surge protecting element is active - might be worth considering one of those.

However unless you live in a remote area, or have heavy machinery that generates spikes or surges (inductive loads such as electric mjotors) connected to the line that your computer is on, I'm not sure that they are really worth it. If it is to protect against a lightening strike, they won't give any protection against a direct hit, and if there is a thunderstorm in the vicinity you are better off powering down and disconnecting from the mains supply. A UPS will give protection against brownouts and spikes and is a better buy, although more expensive. The only exception is perhaps for a laptop, where the quality of the power supply you are connecrting to may not be known.

[AD-15]

hello,

I've gone and made a purchase, I bought the 6-way one from SCAN, but got the 8 way one due to delays.

Anyway, thankyou so much guys!!

[streetster]

anyone experienced a neutral fault? surge protectors offer no protection if you unlucky enough to suffer one of these...

how common are 'normal' (ie non-neutral'd) voltage spikes?