UPS / surge protector

[VJ]

I have been thinking about a suge protector for my computer, but now that a colleague of mine had problems (400 V in stead of 220 V on his line, destroyed some equipment), I'm not going postpone this much longer.

However, seeing that simple UPS's aren't that expensive anymore, it might be interesting to go that route.
To what extent do UPS's work as surge protectors ? Is there any guarantee ?
Belkin claims to insure the connected equipment upto a certain price dependant of their UPS model; they even throw in data recovery insurance. Has anyone got experience with this ? Do other manufacturers (e.g. APC) have similar offers ?

What does the protection specifications in joule mean ?


Jörg

[Dr Mordrid]

Joule: a unit of electrical energy equal to the work done when a current of one ampere passes through a resistance of one ohm for one second.

Some UPC's have basic surge supressors and some don't. My preference is to have a separate surge supressor as you can get 'em bigger than those in reasonably priced UPC's.

When looking at surge protectors I'd try to get one with a capacity of at least 1000 Joules. My preference is towards one of 2000 Joules or better, but then I'm paranoid after having our neighbors power pole get cut in half by lightning last year.

Most of the consumer surge protectors, good and bad, use a component called a MOV (Metal Oxide Varistor). One problem with MOV's is that they wear out with use, meaning that if they take a hit they're more likely to fail the next time. If the've been hit several times then....

Basically; don't cheap out. This is one case where you usually get what you pay for, and a $10-$20 surge supressor generally isn't worth the plastic case it's contained in. I've actually seen some of these catch fire when the MOV's blew

Because of this you want to look for one that has higher quality MOV's, meaning a UL 1449 Suppressed Voltage rating that shows a clamping voltage of 330 volts max and a reaction time in the picosecond range, and a metal case More than 330 volts and nanosecond reaction times means a weaker MOV.

There are other options....

One of these is the Brick Wall. It's favored by many HAM radio operators because it doesn't use MOV's at all. It uses a humongous series induction coil based circuit that not only protects against surges but also acts as a line filter.

http://www.brickwall.com/index.htm

Dr. Mordrid

[VJ]

Thanks!

The UPS's I found on APC (matching my configuration) only offer 180 joules or 480 joules, and result in a 10 minute operation.

http://www.apcc.com/resource/include/techspec_index.cfm?base_sku=BR1500I&language=nl&LOCAL.APCCountryCode=BE

http://www.apcc.com/resource/include/techspec_index.cfm?base_sku=SUA1500I&language=nl&LOCAL.APCCountryCode=BE

Even their surge protectors (not UPS) only go up to 480 joules:

http://www.apcc.com/resource/include/techspec_index.cfm

I can't seem to find the joules-specification for the Belkin UPS's...

http://catalog.belkin.com/IWCatSectionView.process?Section_Id=200755

Their top surge protector

http://catalog.belkin.com/IWCatProductPage.process?Merchant_Id=&Section_Id=201754&pcount=&Product_Id=162311&Section.Section_Path=%2FRoot%2FSpanning%2E%2E%2Eeiliging%2FSpanning%2E%2E%2Eeiliging%2FSurgeMas%2E%2E%2Eavan2003%2FGoldSeri%2E%2E%2Eavan2003%2F#

is rated at 3240 joules and 90.000 A.
Their lower specced models are rated at 2700 joules and 75.000 A.

So the better option would be the Belkin ?

Is it "important" to protect cable (TV) ? (Some of the protectors offer cable/telephone/network, yet there never is an ability to protect 2 incoming cables (TV & radio). Then again, I would intend to buy 2 such things (hifi/tv and computer), so I could route one of my cables to the other surge protector (they won't be that far apart)).
Belkin offers a lifetime warranty on the connected equipment, including data recovery (for selected models). Is there a catch here ?

Brickwall doesn't seem to have European models (220-240 V)...


Jörg

[Dilitante1]

Some of the APC line and other brands have line conditioning as well. Rumor is that it is a good thing

[Dr Mordrid]

I'd protect everything I could so it you cna find one that covers the cable port then go for it. Same with phone, but not at the cost of using a crap protector. AFAIK Belkin is OK, but I'd read the guarantee first.

Dr. Mordrid

[VJ]

Ok, thanks for the info!

I probabely won't go for a UPS, as they seem to protect less against surges and I don't really need the all the time online feature (powersupply rarely gives issues here).


Jörg

[KvHagedorn]

You could plug the UPS into the surge protector and get both benefits, but do NOT plug the surge protector into the UPS. I dunno if the Panamax surge protectors are available there, but here they are the best ones going.

[Kurt]

Originally posted by VJ
Ok, thanks for the info!

I probabely won't go for a UPS, as they seem to protect less against surges and I don't really need the all the time online feature (powersupply rarely gives issues here).


Jörg

Don't go with Belkin equipment. It's OK but they're hardly specialized in anything...

You'll find better equipment with APC and MGe [Merlin Gerin] (they're the easiest to find in Belgium - and of better quality than the others you can find in most places).

[VJ]

Originally posted by Dr Mordrid
Because of this you want to look for one that has higher quality MOV's, meaning a UL 1449 Suppressed Voltage rating that shows a clamping voltage of 330 volts max and a reaction time in the picosecond range, and a metal case More than 330 volts and nanosecond reaction times means a weaker MOV.

I'm still a bit puzzled... APC has this in their faqs:

http://emea-en.apc.com/cgi-bin/emea_en.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_sid=rk8bgD-g&p_lva=&p_faqid=65&p_created=1000309964&p_sp=cF9zcmNoPTEmcF9ncmlkc29ydD0mcF9yb3dfY250PTEmcF9zZWFyY2hfdGV4dD1qb3VsZSZwX3NlYXJjaF90eXBlPTMmcF9wcm9kX2x2bDE9fmFueX4mcF9wcm9kX2x2bDI9fmFueX4mcF9wYWdlPTE*&p_li=

At the bottom they conclude:
"Therefore, based on the above and the intent of the surge protection device, we believe that a surge protector should be selected based on the lowest
let-through voltage capability and UL's best effective clamping voltage rating of 330V (i.e. UL1449 330V)."

Could this explain why their surge protectors are relatively low rated when it comes to Joules ?
e.g. http://www.apcc.com/products/family/index.cfm?id=176


Jörg

[Dr Mordrid]

The clamping voltage and speed are big factors to be sure, but they don't do much good if the MOV's crap out after the first few surges. That's why I'd still look for high Joule ratings or pray for the Brick Wall to come out in a 240 volt version.

Dr. Mordrid

[VJ]

Are these OK ?

http://www.mgeups.com/products/pdt230/smallups/cl/clch.htm

(CL8 model)


Jörg

[Brian R.]

I've had alot of trouble with APC UPSs. I would not recommend them.