Surge Protector

[westom]

well, if you have spare cash and want to have a safe mind, ...

If a power strip does not have protector parts, then it is safe. But if its tiny (hundreds of joules) tries to stop a surge (hundreds of thousands of joules), sometimes this happens - scary pictures:
http://www.hanford.gov/rl/?page=556&parent=554
http://www.ddxg.net/old/surge_protectors.htm
http://www.zerosurge.com/HTML/movs.html
http://tinyurl.com/3x73ol entitled "Surge Protector Fires"
http://www3.cw56.com/news/articles/local/BO63312/
http://www.nmsu.edu/~safety/news/lesson-learned/surgeprotectorfire.htm
http://www.pennsburgfireco.com/fullstory.php?58339

Protection is always about where energy dissipates. If energy dissipates harmlessly outside a building, then no fear. If hundreds of thousands of joules dissipates inside that power strip, then be very concerned - have little peace of mind.

Norma on 27 Dec 2008 in "The Power Outage" describes what happens when a power strip (optimized for profits) contains 2 cm protector parts:
> Today, the cable company came to replace a wire. Well the cable man pulled
> a wire and somehow yanked loose their "ground" wire. The granddaughter on
> the computer yelled and ran because sparks and smoke were coming from the
> power surge strip.

Singapore had a protector unique to what exists elsewhere. When a lightning bolt is being constructed, it radiates a unique RF signature. This gives a box in the basement a long time to disconnect the phone line and connect that incoming wire short to protection - earth ground. This circuit change exists for hundreds of milliseconds. Long enough for a surge to be harmlessly connected to earth. And short enough to not interrupt a telephone conversation.

Three more reasons demonstrate why effective protectors are earthed and why plug-in protectors should concern an informed homeowner.

 

[sgenea]

If a power strip does not have protector parts, then it is safe. But if its tiny (hundreds of joules) tries to stop a surge (hundreds of thousands of joules), sometimes this happens - scary pictures:
http://www.hanford.gov/rl/?page=556&parent=554
http://www.ddxg.net/old/surge_protectors.htm
http://www.zerosurge.com/HTML/movs.html
http://tinyurl.com/3x73ol entitled "Surge Protector Fires"
http://www3.cw56.com/news/articles/local/BO63312/
http://www.nmsu.edu/~safety/news/lesson-learned/surgeprotectorfire.htm
http://www.pennsburgfireco.com/fullstory.php?58339

Protection is always about where energy dissipates. If energy dissipates harmlessly outside a building, then no fear. If hundreds of thousands of joules dissipates inside that power strip, then be very concerned - have little peace of mind.

Norma on 27 Dec 2008 in "The Power Outage" describes what happens when a power strip (optimized for profits) contains 2 cm protector parts:
> Today, the cable company came to replace a wire. Well the cable man pulled
> a wire and somehow yanked loose their "ground" wire. The granddaughter on
> the computer yelled and ran because sparks and smoke were coming from the
> power surge strip.

Singapore had a protector unique to what exists elsewhere. When a lightning bolt is being constructed, it radiates a unique RF signature. This gives a box in the basement a long time to disconnect the phone line and connect that incoming wire short to protection - earth ground. This circuit change exists for hundreds of milliseconds. Long enough for a surge to be harmlessly connected to earth. And short enough to not interrupt a telephone conversation.

Three more reasons demonstrate why effective protectors are earthed and why plug-in protectors should concern an informed homeowner.

Nice information and fiery pictures!

 

[pa9797]

I have been using the 2 Belkin 8 way Surge protectors multi socket for over 2 years and I am well pleased

 

[hpv500]

does SG has this Conserve Switch™ Surge Protector with Remote?

but with SG kind of plug-ins...

 

[vivalabam]

does SG has this Conserve Switch™ Surge Protector with Remote?

but with SG kind of plug-ins...

uhh go to the website and check whether a model exists for local sockets ?

 

[hpv500]

Am at suntec carrefour, unable to locate belkin surge protectors..

 

[csc12345678]

Do you pull wire directly for each point ? If not, I assume that the 14 points themselves are like a multi extension also ?

btw how many in singapore do buy surge protectors, very few i believe.

almost 100% of household in singapore uses multi plug extension etc.

rates of fire due to electrical appliances negligible.

My self i do not use any multiplug or extension at home. in my room alone i got 14 power points. one electrical device to one power point.

 

[t258jgn]

Am at suntec carrefour, unable to locate belkin surge protectors..

You not hand fast leg fast enough

 

[hpv500]

You not hand fast leg fast enough

perhaps...but literally no Belkin power strips at all...i wonder if Belkin stocks are still in Carrefour

 

[gbjack]

Taiyo multi-plug also got power surge, fire retarded, unbreakable features but cost $26 dollars from NTUC. Belkin always chop carrot heads...

 

[fykit107]

I used to switch off my PC when I go out. But now, I want to leave it on. Do I need a surge protector ?

Its actually up to individual needs. The purpose of a surge protector is to protect ur equipments from unforeseen VOLTAGE SPIKES...

Surge protectors will attempt to direct any excessively high voltage which lasts microseconds, coming out from the socket back into earth of the socket...unless the surge is so high that the protection components in the surge protector fails, which in turn causes the surge protector to protect the equipments connected to it by self-sacrificing. Then you will have to replace and buy a new surge protector.

But of coz, it is not logical to connect all appliances to the wall sockets thru surge protectors, so you have to judge wat appliances are the ones u want intact even after very serious surges. But again, if u r rich, u can buy a surge protector for every socket...

And for your information, it is important to know that voltage spikes can be in the range of tens of thousands of volts, so it does not matter if ur appliance is SWITCHED on or off...as long as it is plugged in, even when switched off, as this voltage can ionize almost anyting and create an electrical path to ur appliance...juz like how lightning occurs, as high potential difference casues the ionization of air molecules which create an electrical path to the ground (air is originally an insulator) , causing lightning to strike the earth...

 

[BlackWing1977]

Fierce, but a good post, it said what people don't know or are too lazy to say or to find out.

Sometimes I wonder if the transient filter in computer PSUs are already enough to make buying surge protectors such as the Belkin one moot.

Seriously a UPS makes a lot more sense... but it is not cheap, frankly it is big, heavy and take up space.... Or else I definitely want one.... I have suffered loss of data due to HDD crashing when power trip happens or blackout.....

 

[BlackWing1977]

Taiyo multi-plug also got power surge, fire retarded, unbreakable features but cost $26 dollars from NTUC. Belkin always chop carrot heads...

Really ar??? Good to know... I got a Taiyo lol....

 

[nickwh]

I have lots of Taiyo strips (5 or 6 gang extensions) at home.

But take note, there are a few variants, the older series you need to use a pin to push in 2pin plugs, the newer variants you don't have to, quite handy.

Frankly, i do own a 6 gang Belkin power strip as well, mainly because my router/modem and other peripherals are always kept turned on and i didn't like the idea of reaching back on a daily basis so i got the 6 gang Belkin power strip.

Wasn't too ex, 20++ as well iirc. If the upcoming show has decent prices, probably may just very well get a Belkin 8 gang extension, i'm running out of points...

 

[Coolman]

Seriously a UPS makes a lot more sense... but it is not cheap, frankly it is big, heavy and take up space.... Or else I definitely want one.... I have suffered loss of data due to HDD crashing when power trip happens or blackout.....

UPS will prevent pc from shutdown when power failure thus losing data, and also as what you explain the depend on the important of the data that why it is not necessary for basic home user, even my company of over 20 staff don't use ups.

So far my many years of oversea and field support i don't recall encounter any surge problem, doesn't mean it don't happen but it is not a common things , sometime it could be human create like switch on power then insert the power cord and may blow the fuse of the system, that why you don't see much office/production using surger protection extension cord, i would say it not a must to have, and if price is not much a different. Well some company started to request their vendor to bring their own ELCB to tap to their carry equipment.

Those oversea commonly problem is the fluctuation of the incoming power where they commonly use a voltage stabliser,
http://www.google.com.sg/images?q=v...tle&resnum=4&ved=0CD0QsAQwAw&biw=1033&bih=796
ups also act as a stabliser but to some of them is not a necessary.
The output of the psu also have fluctuation and ripple issue and that why it cause the pc to have problem like hang or crash and funny thing is that i seem people overclocking their pc without getting a good stable psu.(they think watt is good enough).

 

[RuMmYtUb]

I just got myself a Belkin Economy series, $30+.

FOr those who wanna buy, wait for IT Show coming soon, shld be cheaper

 

[westom]

So far my many years of oversea and field support i don't recall encounter any surge problem, doesn't mean it don't happen but it is not a common things , sometime it could be human create like switch on power then insert the power cord and may blow the fuse of the system, that why you don't see much office/production using surger protection extension cord, i would say it not a must to have, and if price is not much a different. Well some company started to request their vendor to bring their own ELCB to tap to their carry equipment.

Let's put numbers to what cool man has posted. Destructive surges occur typically once every seven years. A number that can vary significantly even in the same town. A number affected even by geology. But a number that says surges are not created every ten minutes, hourly, or daily. That myth sells ineffective protectors.

Every appliance contain serious protection. Your only concern is the rare surge that exists maybe once every senve years. Either that enegrgy is harmless absorbed by earth. Or that energy is inside the building hunting for earth ground destuctively via appliances. Few to nobody will discuss this because massive profits result. But this is the reality everywhere that even direct lightning strikes result in no damage.

Either energy is earthed before it can enter the building. Or that surge will overwhelm protection inside an appliance. Worse, if that energy is inside the building, then it will hunt for earth destructively via appliances. Nothing will avert the hunt. Energy must dissipate outside the building. Otherwise no surge protetion exists.

All appliances already contain any protection you might attach to its power cord. The surge that might overwhelm that protection is why every building owner earths only one 'whole house' protector.

 

[sunsetbay]

Taiyo multi-plug also got power surge, fire retarded, unbreakable features but cost $26 dollars from NTUC. Belkin always chop carrot heads...

does the taiyo one provide life-time warranty & product warranty for your equipments upto S$10k? anyway, belkin 8-sockets wif phone socket surge protector can be bought at $59 + free gift at IT show~ its not tat expensive as many think~


here's a cheap one that fail & it has PSB label~ this was what i found out when i opened up~ it doesn't hv any surge protection~






surgemaster gold series:

 

[nickwh]

And yup thats the 8 gang extension from Belkin that i'm keen on buying if the price is awesome at upcoming show.

 

[Marill]

I had my router power adaptor burned out twice!

this was caused by the HDB block shutting down electricity (power outage) for maintainence and then they turn it on again.

After the block power was turned on, the power adaptor stopped working.

Does anyonw know a wat to prevent this from happening in future?

I not want to protect from lightning or watever, just protect from a possible surge when the block power is turned on after maintainenece and caused damage to teh power adaptor of my router...