Thread: Power Surge
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Old August 29th 03, 06:17 PM
Vanguard
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"Ben" wrote in message

lid wrote:
As for surge protectors, they can do SOME good, but the UPS is
the way to go. Particularly if the UPS does a conversion from A/C
to D/C and back to A/C during normal operation. Many of the cheap
ones simply pass through the normal A/C with a relay and then do a
restoration via the battery when it fails.


If I get one of these UPS surge protectors would that mean I could use
my computer during a thunder storm?

thanks,
Ben


Better to install a whole-home surge protector rather than the cheapie
surge protectors you buy at the store. They cost about the same (unless
you need to have an electrician do the wiring for the home surge
arrestor). Then everything in your house is protected. however, surge
arrestors only protect against surges. They don't protect against sags.
Your power supply would have to suck more current to offset the loss in
voltage until the sag became too low (your lights and television will
work but not the switching power supply in your PC). Surge protectors
also do little to condition the line (but then some cheapie UPSes are
just pass-through units, too). I prefer to get a UPS that generates the
power output rather than just pass it through. A UPS with an isolating
transformer is even better but then they get really heavy; mine weighs
60 pounds for the case with transformer and another 60 pounds for the 2
batteries, for a total of 120 pounds (and has true sinusoidal output and
too many other goodies to list, but then it cost as much as a high end
PC). But even a cheapie UPS is usually better than a surge protector.
You could spend $60 on a good point-of-use surge protector (i.e., you
plug it in the wall install of the point-of-entry whole-home surge
arrestor) and hope that it is still working (since many never tell you
when they've gotten fried) or you spend twice that much on a low-end UPS
that protects better. When the power goes out, the surge protector
doesn't do anything. It can be handy to continue computing while the
power is out. You're television don't work so sit at your PC. You can
check the weather, especially if that caused the outage. You can
contact your power company (since calling in puts in the queue with
everyone else trying to report the outage). You can even hook up a
low-power intensity lamp so you can see without having to drain the
batteries in your flashlights. I actually have a small UPS left over
from a prior system used to power the cable modem and a flourscent lamp,
and it's small enough to tote around the house to use elsewhere. Sure
beats sitting in a dark house.

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