Surge - protecting your investment

[Shindoug]

Gentlemen

Thanks for the very helpful info re whole house surge suppression. Don't know why I didn't think about this. I'm going to buy one this weekend. Any specific recommendations?

Doug

[thebeatles67]

Originally Posted by jdandy

You guys are missing the boat on surge protection by not installing a whole house surge protector at your service entrance panel. Doing this clamps the surge current and over voltage BEFORE it enters your home's electrical wiring. Protect your entire home's electronics, not just a few audio components.

Dan--I did exactly what you suggested here--called my local utility and they installed the unit for around $40.00 and they charge me 5.95 per month which is a decent price. South Carolina gets its fair share of lightning---- a no brainer for me.

Mike

[JJinID]

I also installed a whole-house surge protector when I first moved into my current home about 5 1/2 years ago. Well worth the $$ and the peace of mind, plus I still have all equipment plugged into a combination of my PP2000 and PS Audio Soloist SEs.

[westom]

Originally Posted by Shindoug

I was wondering what people use for surge suppression, to protect their valuable Shindo gear from electric spikes or lightning?

Many know 2 centimeter protector parts block what three miles of sky could not stop. They know those protectors work due to advertising. Because a protector manufacturer does not even claim to provide that protection. See manufacturer spec numbers.

Any facility that must never suffer damage may even fire an employee for installing a protector adjacent to electronics. Protection is and 100 years ago was never about a protector. Some protection systems do not even have any protectors. But every protection system always has the only item that does protection. Earth ground.

Surges are connection from cloud to earth. One electrical conductor was a wooden church steeple. But wood is not a better conductor. So 20,000 amps connected to earth via wood creates a high voltage. 20,000 amps times high voltage is high energy. Wooden church steeple damaged.

Franklin's lightning rod stopped lightning? Of course not. Nothing stops a surge. The lightning rod was effective because lightning was connected to protection (earth ground) via more conductive wire. 20,000 amps in a wire is near zero voltage. 20,000 amps times near zero voltage is near zero energy. No damage.

That is building protection. Another electrical conductor is appliances. 20,000 amps connected to earth via appliances (or protectors that somehow stop that surge) create high voltage. 20,000 amps times high voltage is high energy. Appliances (or useless protector) damaged.

Did that adjacent protector stop lightning? Or course not. Nothing stops a surge. A 'whole house' protector is effective because lightning is connected to protection (single point earth ground) via a low impedance (ie 'less than 10 foot from breaker box to earth) wire. 20,000 amps via a 'whole house' protector to earth is energy harmlessly absorbed outside the building. No interior damage.

In any facility that can never have damage, protectors connect every incoming wire as short as possible (ie 'less than 10 feet') to single point earth ground. Earth ground absorbs that hundreds of thousands of joules. Where is a power strip protectors that will absorb hundreds of thousands of joules? Informed homeowners earth one 'whole house' protector so that everything inside is protected.

In facilities that cannot have damage, the protector is located up to 50 meters distant from electronics. Better protection means separation between protector and electronics. Just another reason why the best protection (for tens or 100 times less money) is only one 'whole house' protector where AC wires enter the house.

Protection is never about a protector. Protection is always about the earth ground. A protector is only as effective as its earth ground. That earthing electrode (not a protector) should have most of your attention. Defined is two protection system. One for a building and another for appliances inside.