Surge protector recommendations

this

or

better

Paging westom. It's time for another surge protector rant.

I heard surge protectors don't really work as intended. I can't remember where though.

not enough Joules
Joule ratings measure a surge suppressor's ability to absorb surges.

I have the same one and I've always heard that you shouldn't connect any amplifiers (powered sub & receiver) to it because it can limit the amount of current they can draw.

quote:

---

... you shouldn't connect any amplifiers (powered sub & receiver) to it because it can limit the amount of current they can draw

---

First, restricting power to electronics does not cause damage. Meanwhile a power strip with or without protector parts must deliver the same 15 amps.

Anyone can read specification numbers. That is the point. Only one referenced what is always found in responsible recommendations - numbers. Too many automatically believe what they are told to believe. Too many fail to separate hard facts from wild speculation - by not demanding spec numbers.

Ignore recommendations for Tripplite, Belkin, Isobar, Panamax, Monster, etc. Read their specification numbers. Destructive surges can be hundreds of thousands of joules. How many joules does each claim to absorb? Hundreds? Thousand? How does its 2 cm protector part block what three miles of sky could not? Why do so many only recommend near zero protectors that can even, in rare cases, cause fires? Why do so many ignore spec numbers?

Defined was what a protector must do and what has long been a proven solution - in re: How often do you replace your router? at LINK

'Whole house' protectors (ie about $1 per protected appliance) come from companies known for integrity including Ditek, General Electric, Polyphaser (an industry benchmark), ABB, Square D, Syscom, Intermatic, Siemens, and Leviton. A Cutler-Hammer is sold even in Lowes and Home Depot.

Numbers. A typical direct lightning strike may be 20,000 amps. A minimal 'whole house' protector is 50,000 amps. Effective protector has numbers that define protection from destructive surges (without failure) including and not limited to direct lightning strikes. Those plug-in protectors do not even claim effective protection.

Finally, no protector does protection (as discussed in that previous post). A protector is only as effective as its earth ground. Effective 'whole house' solutions provide this. Magic box plug-in devices do not. Protection is always about where hundreds of thousands of joules are harmlessly absorbed - single point earth ground.

Useful recommendations provide perspective - the numbers.