First question is do I really need to bUy a surge protector? Second question which brand/ make is good some say belkin is the best.
Any bargains around for a reasonable 4 port surge protector. Saw one on cod but it looks bit fakish.
Thanks in advance
I have a Cabac and a Belkin. Some Belkins come with a $$$ insurance guarantee if your equipment is damaged while using one correctly. HPM is a solid brand.
Any useful reply will include perspective (numbers). For example, a surge may occur once every seven years. Brownout (low voltage) and blackout (zero voltage) does not create surges (thousands of volts). Power resotration does not result in thousands of volts on 230 volt wires. Myths are popular because so many feel rather than learn well proven science.
Protectors adjacent to appliances do not claim to protect from typically destructive surges. But when selling a $3 power strip with ten cent protector parts for $25 or $80, then obscene profits mean advertising and other propaganda can manipulate naive consumers.
How do hundreds or a thousand joules in a protector absorb surges that are hundreds of thousands of joules? An adjacent protector must somehow absorb or block a surge. How does its 2 cm protector part stop what three miles of sky could not? It doesn't.
Facilities that cannot have damage use something completely different - also called a surge protector. This well proven solution has one essential feature - a low impednace (ie less than 3 meter) connection to single point earth ground.
Protectors adjacent to appliances are not earthed for many reasons. Including a violation of that number that defines low impedance. A 'whole house' protector can be obtained from other companies of superior integrity including Novaris, Clipsal, and ABB. In every case, this proven solution, that may cost $1 per protected appliance, must also have a dedicated, low impedance (wire without sharp bends) connection to a unique electrode - single point earth ground. Then protection exists even from direct lightning strikes.
A light on ineffective protectors can only report one type of failure. If a light indicates a failure, then the protector was so grossly undersized as to disconnect protector parts as fast as possible - to avert fire. That light is how ineffective protectors get promoted by uninformed consumers. A surge, too tiny to overwhelm protection inside appliances, requires protector part disconnecting. Then naive consumers say, "My protector sacrificed itself to save my computer." Nonsense. A surge too tiny to harm appliances instead destroyed a grossly undersized protector.
Even insurance (warranty) is bogus. Read its fine print. Most who recommend adjacent protectors ignore Belkin's spec numbers and do not read fine print. Numerous exemptions can change with each product. Newsman in a discussion entitled "SONY TiVo SVR-2000" demonstrated what his warranty did for him. "Eventually it boiled down to a line in the warranty that said "Belkin at it's sole discretion can reject any claim for any reason"."
Dan Goodman in "Belkin lifetime warranty" noted, "I had a computer hard drive burn up connected to a Guaranteed Surge protector, should my computer get damaged by a surge. I followed all thier procedures in returning the item and was sent a form letter stating the was nothing worng with the protector and my $300 claim was denied."
Why should they honor a warranty? Even protector specification numbers say it does not protect from typically destructive types of surges. Still so many know something different only because advertising (without any spec numbers) told them what to believe.
Should you need protection, then obtain effective protectors from manufacturers known for integrity. A minimal 'whole house' protector, so that even lightning (ie 20,000 amps) does not harm that protector, is at least 50,000 amps.
Yes, you really should buy a surge protector with a pilot light, and if the pilot light goes out, then buy a new surge protector quickly. I once had a pc damaged and burned inside very badly by a power surge. The mother board was a sight to see, the internal modem was burned out, and the sound card also. Every electrical item of value at my house has power surge protection. As to which brand to buy, that is a now a very good question, due to product recalls in recent times. I would suggest referring to Choice magazine which can be accessed free at most council libraries, and online reviews. Power surge protection should be taken very seriously indeed.
An anti-static wrist strap for pc work is also a good idea. I once saw a high magnification photo that showed a flash of static electricity that looked like a lightning bolt. A power surge may follow a blackout or a brownout at any time.