Important information about surge protectors

[Ol Smoke]

I was an APC dealer and went to their manufacturing plant and went thru the process of how they make surge protectors and UPS systems. I learned a lot.

One of the most important lessons I learned was that not all surge protectors are alike.

 

Here is a short version of my knowledge on surge protectos.

 

1. Cheaps ones use Germanium cups to handle voltage spikes.

A. Germanium cups wear out very quickly. Usually within 6 months. After that you have a multi-plug AC device.

 

2. Good ones use voltage clamping devices that act in micro-seconds and dispel the voltage to a grounding device.

 

If you bought anything but Tripplite or APC as a surge protector or didn't pay over $30 for it. Then it is useless.

 

You actually need to purchase a UPS (Un-interruptible Power Supply) this has a battery pack in it that actually gives your system

the power, not the wall plate. The AC goes into the UPS and charges the battery, and the battery powers a voltage system to give

your unit 125V of steady AC current. No spike can go thru this system and brown outs won't harm your system. In case of power

outage, your UPS can give your system up to 7 minutes of AC power. This will give you time to shut everything down properly.

The only things you should have on the UPS battery backup side is your PC and your monitor. Everything else can be shunted thru

the surge protector outlets. Don't put your scanner, printer, sound, and other stuff into the battery backup outlets.

 

I have used only APC units since 1996. I have only sold APC. I have never had or had a customer have a problem with them or with

spiking destroying their equipment.

 

In my area we have a giant steel mill that causes all kinds of electrical problems. We have ice storms that destroy electrical poles and

wiring. So I have two systems in my house. I replace several breakers in my junction box with surge protected breakers. This is a

first step in just stopping the surge. The other step is your internet hook up. Yes, CAT5 can kill your system, too.

 

3 years ago, about 5 blocks away, a guy was digging up his sidewalk and his sewer llines, so he could replace them. As he was using the

backhoe he damaged a nearby tree that knocked down the power pole that was going to his house. His internet cable was also on this

pole. When the pole came down, the wires broke loose and the AC went thru the internet cable, and into his house, and his neighbors

houses. In all, there were 5 PC's damaged by this and several phone systems and some cabling in the houses. The back of his PC

was actually melted. The motherboard was fused into a melted mess. He lost everything. He had to pay out thousands of dollars for his

accident. But it was a reminder to me to tell everyone to plug your internet thru a surge protector to protect your system.

[UAdave]

I administer our work's UPSs and PDUs and APC is all we use. Great products and their support is great (they've replaced alot of out of warranty parts for us). I have a rack mount APC UPS at home that i have alot of my computer stuff plugged into and even use APC surge protectors where needed.

[Krayzie]

Have one, batterys dead on it though. To expensive to repair

[RedBaird]

..your UPS can give your system up to 7 minutes of AC power.

I get the Big-Uns. (Big Ones, in "Married With Children" parlance). They last longer. I've been known to keep playing through short power outages.

Have one, batterys dead on it though. To expensive to repair

Some have user-replaceable batteries, but by the time a home-user wears one out, cheaper, smaller and more powerful UPS units may be available. My second Big-Un weighs near half what my first Big-Un weighed (75#, 34kg), at the same power rating.

[Ol Smoke]

I administer our work's UPSs and PDUs and APC is all we use. Great products and their support is great (they've replaced alot of out of warranty parts for us). I have a rack mount APC UPS at home that i have alot of my computer stuff plugged into and even use APC surge protectors where needed.

 

You and I are a lot alike. I suggest you have the breaker in your junction box replaced with a surge protected one. It will take the hit and not the UPS. Mine has paid for

itself twice now. The least you can do is replace the outlet with a GPS.

 

Do you use the noise suppresors on the lines at your work?

[Ol Smoke]

Have one, batterys dead on it though. To expensive to repair

 

Here is something you can do. Take the battery to a reconditioner. For about $10 to $15 they will make it work again. Most of the time, the UPS battery is

dead because it is top loaded and hasn't been drawn down in a while. I draw mine down every 3 months or so. It keeps the batteries working longer.

Some of the newest UPS systems have auto-draw down on them. They will unconnect the battery from the AC, then run the battery down until it reaches it's

failsafe point and then reconnect to the AC and let it charge again.

 

You really should do something about the battery in your unit. Continually charging a dead battery is a good way to start an overheat problem. It's on the APC

website.

[Krayzie]

I don't even use it anymore. It stopped working so I stopped using it. It's stuffed away in some cupboard in my garage. I have this one: http://www.amazon.com/APC-BACK-UPS-BK500BLK-500VA-System/dp/B0000ZQTCS/ref=sr_1_64?ie=UTF8&qid=1358383930&sr=8-64&keywords=apc+ups but white I believe it is.