Surge Protector. Never used one before...

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  ThePensioner on 05/12/2012 - 17:28

  this is important to me because it powers all of my equipment.

  thanks!

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  ThePensioner on 05/12/2012 - 17:29

  is this the same one i just ordered???: http://dicksmith.com.au/product/M7810/surge-interceptor-8-wa…

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  ThePensioner on 05/12/2012 - 17:32

  it says it can protect a coaxial cable… does this mean i can plug my cable internet into it?

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  ThePensioner on 05/12/2012 - 17:40

  by using this i'm making things safer right? i'm not making things more dangerous?

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  _Bruce_ on 05/12/2012 - 18:06

  1: Wow you are impatient.

  2: You existing setup is not inherently dangerous, particularly if you have RCDs in your house rather than fuses.

  3: Surge protection MAY protect the components from failing during a surge (ie: lightening). They don't do much for safety. Note that these boards include breakers, which does help for safety, but there is no mention of residual current detection.

  4: Those products look to be the same to me, despite some issues with the listings.

  5: It looks designed for antenna, not sure what effect it might have on a cable TV signal.

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    ThePensioner on 05/12/2012 - 18:11

    thanks. so i can't be making things more dangerous by adding this surge protector? it's a decent quality one, right?

    the reason i ask is because i've had my current setup running for 18 months and haven't had an issue.

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  mskeggs on 05/12/2012 - 18:07

  Using a powerboard or surge protector will make no difference to the safety of your setup, the surge protector is to protect your devices from a lightning strike or other current surge.
  As to whether your setup is safe, you need to consider the total power load (this is the total Amps of everything you have plugged in) and see if it is within specification.
  Most powerboards are rated to 10amps.
  If you look at the plugs of most devices it will show you and input and output value. If I use a typical example (a camera charger) it says input 100-250v 50-60hz 0.065a-0.04a output 5v 0.5a. We are interested in the first value, as the power board will be rated up to 10a @ 240v, so this device uses up just a tiny fraction of one amp (0.04a because we use 240v in Australia).
  Looking for some more examples, I see some devices that just show wattage. A 100w device will draw about 0.4a (100w/240a= 0.41a).
  A 2000w device (e.g. a fan heater) will draw 8amps.
  Add all these amperages together and you will be able to tell if you are safe. A value below 10a is fine.
  If it is above 10a it could be a problem.
  Luckily, most powerboards have a cutout switch (and reset button) to protect you if you overload them.
  And if yours doesn't, your house will have a circuit breaker or fuse to cut power if there is an overload.
  So why worry? Well, an overloaded circuit will heat up, and get so hot it causes a fire, and there is no guarantee a circuit breaker or fuse will blow first, although it is likely.
  If I had to guess, I would estimate your IT gear draws way below 10amps, but don't plug in a heater or airconditioner or other power hungry device to the same powerboard.

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    ThePensioner on 05/12/2012 - 18:15

    alright thanks, that helps a lot.

    so the number one danger comes from having too many devices drawing power from one wall socket?

    what would happen if i use dual adapters to get 2 ports from 1 port on the surge protector?

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      mskeggs on 05/12/2012 - 18:20

      As long as the total power draw is within limits, you can add as many as you like (although more than one or two gets a bit tricky!).

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        ThePensioner on 05/12/2012 - 20:21

        ok thanks.

        it says it can protect a coaxial cable… does this mean i can plug my cable internet into it?

        so there's no issue with me using dual adapters for things like external hdd's or the cable modem that are low power?

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        mskeggs on 05/12/2012 - 20:23

        If you have so many low power devices it uses over 10amps, then it could still be dangerous, but I wouldn't expect you would have that many.
        If in doubt, just add up the total amps.
        As for the coax, suck it and see!
        Although judging from your questions, no, don't literally suck it. Try connecting the coax and see if it works ;-)

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  ThePensioner on 06/12/2012 - 19:36

  ok thanks guys. so even if i add the Q9400 PC i'll be safe in terms of power use?

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    mskeggs on 06/12/2012 - 20:30

    If you have so many low power devices it uses over 10amps, then it could still be dangerous, but I wouldn't expect you would have that many.
    If in doubt, just add up the total amps.