[westom]

Originally Posted by Fourpar

Many thanks to all for their input. I just got off the phone with SECO and they are going to install the surge protector... in about 3 weeks. Big backlog, probably due to all the activity lately!

Learn why it works and why other recommendations are bogus.

Lightning seeks earth ground. It finds earth through something conductive - ie wooden church steeple. How did Franklin block or stop surges? He did not. Franklin simply gave the surge a more conductive path to earth. He diverted the surge on a path that creates near zero voltage. 20,000 amps times near zero voltage means near zero energy - no damage.

Lightning seeks earth ground. If finds earth destructively through household appliances. Lightning striking utility wires down the street are a direct strike to your appliances. How does every high reliability facility suffer even 100 surges with each storm - and no damage. They simply gave the surge a more conductive path to earth. They diverted the surge on a path that creates near zero voltage - your building's single point earth ground. A surge current that does not enter the building does not go hunting for earth, destructively, via appliances.

Direct lightning strikes with no damage has been routine for over 100 years. Nothing 'plug-in' accomplishes that. Surge energy connected to earth before it can enter the building means protection already inside every appliance is not overwhelmed. Anything that a plug-in solution might accomplish is already inside appliances.

No protector stops what three miles of sky could not. That is how the UPS is promoted. Those few hundred joules in a UPS or power strip do not absorb surges that are hundreds of thousands of volts. And yet that is what an overwhelming majority will claim because advertising and retail salesmen are so good.

That meter protector earths surges on AC mains. But only if your earthing connection meets critical parameters such as short, a single point ground, ground wire separated from all non-grounding wires, etc. The electric company will provide a protector. But you are responsible for the only thing that makes the protector effective - single point earth ground.

Every wire in every cable must connect short, no sharp bends, no splices, etc to the same earth ground before entering the building. Telephone lines have had that 'whole house' protector for generations. But it too is only as effective as your earthing. Cable TV needs no protector. It must drop down to make that very short wire connection to earth before entering the building. But again, energy absorbed harmlessly in earth need not go hunting for earth via your appliances.

Long before they install the protector, first, how good is your earthing? Is it connected across the basement to a cold water pipe? Then the earthing is too long and has other problems - is not a sufficient earth ground. Does the ground wire from your breaker box to earth go up over the foundation and down to an earthing electrode? Then protection has been compromised. Too many sharp wire bends. Wire too long. Wire bundled with other non-grounding wires. Again, the protector will only be as effective as your earth ground.

Is your soil sandy? Then a few ground rods probably are not sufficient. Your earthing electrode - the single point earth ground - must be enhanced or expanded. Better builders install the surge protection when they pour the footings - Ufer grounds. Why? Protection is always about the earthing.

One couple had multiple lightning strikes to a bathroom wall. They installed lightning rods (the Ben Franklin type - not the scam ESE devices). Lightning again struck the bathroom wall. Lightning rods were connected to eight foot ground rods in sand. The better connection to earth was via bathroom plumbing to more conductive and deeper limestone. Again, protection was only as good as its earthing. And only you are responsible for that earthing. Either you upgrade it or hire an agent (ie electrician) to do the work.

So, where is this UPS 'less than 10 foot' connection to earth? Does not exist. Where is the manufacturer numeric spec that lists protection from each type of surge. No plug-in UPS makes that claim. Most will recommend the UPS because they saw the phrase 'Surge protection' in the sales brochure. But that near zero protection is not even listed in numbers. They know a majority here will only see subjective claims. They know eyes will glaze over as soon as the numbers appear. They know a majority will believe sales propaganda and ignore even what Ben Franklin demonstrated in 1752.

There it is. How your telco has maybe 100 surges with every thunderstorm. Connected to overhead wires all over town, they never have computer damage. They do not waste money on plug-in protectors. They fix or upgrade their earthing. And they only use protectors with that short connection to earth. To make protection even better, they want protector separated from electronics - up to 50 meters. Why do I cite what works AND provide so many numbers? Did this stuff decades ago. Am not educated by retail store propaganda. Instead learned important number such as wire impedance.

Your protectors will only be as effective as the earth ground - which you must provide.