Pack of 2 Arlec 12 Outlet Master Switched Powerboards
Noticed this in the aisle, not sure if it's a regular stocked item or just a once off aisle promo. It's extremely cheap for 24 power outlets even though Arlec may not be the highest quality around.
Update: Confirmed it’s an aisle promo item, so may not be around for long. Seems to be plenty of stock around though.
Come harvest time I know how labour intensive those tomato crops can be - happy to help
How much for a kilo? My mate at Auspost can sort out a deal on delivery.
mate at auspost
@HamBoi69?
@SchabelleCorby ???
lol. I was made redundant*.
Which strain of tomato buds do you grow?
Same variety as redbull. Gives you wings.
have you got a wickr?
190 joules of surge protection probably wouldn't do much against the storm in Sydney last night
I’m surprised there’s any protection at all tbh
You would turn off your stuff off the wall anyway with that kind of storm. That means TV, computers, router…
Don't play with fire and think power surge protection will work
You would turn off your stuff off the wall
Don't just turn it off, unplug the power board too.
That lightning has just come down a kilometre from the clouds, the ~1mm gap between the switch contacts isn't going to present much difficulty. Unplugging makes the gap several centimetres, so the lightning will arc over somewhere else.
That's a bit paranoid. I lived in Sydney for years and never turned anything off during storms or ever. Nothing ever failed.
In many years of leaving everything on all the time, I've had one single DC power adapter die, easily replaced.
I've had thousands of dollars worth of tv, reveiver, playstation destroyed due to lightning strike on the house. Luckily my insurance at the time covered it (with excess payment of course). Its not paranoid, its being sensible in my view. The chances are not rediculously remote, it happens.
@onlybuysdeals: Completely agree, mate. You don't need insurance until you do. Same with lightning damage - vast majority of the time, nothing will happen at your place during a story - until it does happen, and then you're screwed. Unplugging at the wall is common sense when there is a large electrical storm in the vicinity.
Unplugging at the wall is common sense
"OMG is that thunder? Quick! Shut it down! Shut it down NOW!"
What if you're not home when storms are forecast for later, do you unplug everything before leaving home? :-)
Like I said. Paranoid. But you do you.
@onlybuysdeals: Sounds like lightning struck your house specifically - not surrounding trees or taller objects, but your actual house. And you lost all that stuff on that occasion. I don't want to argue about it, but that is a ridiculously remote possibility for most people.
@cerealJay: Something like 90% of lightning strikes hit power lines, and that then gets conducted down the lines to nearby houses. It doesn't get too far though, the electrical charge from the lightning strike builds up too quickly for it to be fully conducted away, so there will often be a second lightning strike - either directly from the power line to ground, or more often from the power line to something metal on a power pole that runs to ground. On the very-high-voltage lines that traverse the countryside, they deliberately have the topmost two wires connected to ground at every pylon, in an attempt to "catch" the lightning before it reaches the power-conducting lines lower down, and conduct it harmlessly away through the steelwork of the pylon.
So strikes to houses are rare, but damage to mains-connected electrical equipment is common close to a lightning strike.
@cerealJay: Not an argument, both opinions are valid, it just depends on your risk tolerance and capability to fork out the cash if required. There is a reason insurance policies do and don't cover this item. I will say though, if you are right and it is a ridiculously remote possibility, imagine the ridiculousness that has just occured for someone not only to have experienced it, but be a member of a bargains website, and also have commented! Nearly a rip in the time space continuum for sure! 😁 My comments all in jest though, I'm not PHASED in the slightest 🙂
I've had stuff fry, at least stop working after a storm. My old LCD TV was one of those things, we've had our sewer pumps fail after storms, it will happen. Those probably weren't direct strikes, the sewer pump for example took our us and our neighbour. Maybe you haven't been directly impacted by major storms in your area.
But who knows, many factors at play, all the wires in my area are underground but high voltages aren't that phased and are quick to anger and arc up.
Would an apartment complex have their electrical system better protected against storms of this degree or are they just as susceptible?
I don't know, this is just a guess, please correct me if anyone knows better:
House Vs Apartment, likelihood of lightning damage in sever storm.
Both are grounded via metal rod(s) into the dirt. I expect apartments to have more, or larger, grounding rods.
Apartment buildings have larger surface area, as they stretch up into the sky and are often full of steel rods, beams, wires, etc.
Larger surface areas, probably increase the chance of a random lightning strike. Better grounding reduces the resistance from sky to ground.
I'd bet there's some simple chart somewhere that approximates:
A 3 bedroom single story house has the same likelihood of lightning strike, as 3 single bedroom apartments (one building, one floor).
A 3 story building, with 9 single bedroom apartments (3 per floor) is 3 times more likely to be struck. etc.
@LinkMonkey: Commercial buildings tend to have lightning arrestors for external antenna. I don't know if they go to the expense in modern apartments.
Both are grounded via metal rod(s) into the dirt.
If that rod has a pencil-thick green wire attached, that rod is almost certainly the connected to the meter box, and connects to all the ground connections on your power points. It's not for lightning, it's main purpose is to protect you when something goes badly wrong in your electrical equipment, like a loose wire.
Most lightning strikes hit power lines, as they're taller than most houses, and they have wires that provide an easy path to ground, much "easier" than if the lightning strike hits wood (e.g. trees) or tile roofs. Of the four wires you see on the lowest set of power lines on your nearby power poles, one of them is connected to each house's earth rod/stake, the one with the green wire. So that provides a VERY easy path to ground, even though that's not what it is intended for. If it strikes one of the other three lines, then it has to get to ground by going through something else - like electrical equipment in your home. So in that respect, apartments are pretty close to equal vulnerability to houses. Possibly your apartment will have a large surge protection device at the meter box, but AFAIK they're not required in all parts of Australia, you'd have to ask an electrician to check if one is installed.
Apartments are often three storeys tall or taller, so their height makes them more vulnerable to those lightning strikes that don't hit the power lines. Their metal roof provides a moderately easy path for lightning to get to the ground, but the downpipe from the roof is not designed to conduct lightning, so a lightning strike to the roof may actually strike inside the building.
Above a certain height buildings are required to have proper lightning protection, and possibly buildings of any height if they're at the top of a hill. Your local building codes will list where it's required. If your apartment doesn't look like it has lightning rods sticking up from the roof, it probably doesn't have lightning protection.
Nice one OP
Bought one a month or two back.
Only catch is the power switch is a push-button on the top. Only a matter of time before it gets bumped and everything powers off…
There's a different 12-outlet one that includes a surge protector for $25 (for one, not two). Obviously twice+ the price, but may be a better option depending on the use case.
Was thinking that too. Might be worth putting an equivalent of a large "corn bandage" around it.
^^This. I also bought this about two weeks ago. Only complain is this push button. They're not broken but by it's very nature could break easily. However this being Arlec, I'd trust them more than the cheap Heymix ones being peddled here
There's a different 12-outlet one that includes a surge protector for $25 (for one, not two).
I just got a msg from Bunnings saying they sub'd my order for a couple of these ones. Both say they have surge protection; the only difference I can see between the two is that the $25 one has lower joule rating: 175 vs 190.
Is that better??
I don't recall the 2-pack one having any mention of a surge protector, nor any reset button (but it does have the on/off button so maybe that doubles as it?)
I've got the $25 one myself, and bought the 2x pack for a family memory - the $25 one is definitely better, so 2 of them for $20 is a win!
No wall mount :(
Thanks OP - just what I needed!
Ah, I thought this is a master-slave powerboard. Rare find these days
Haven’t seen in years
That sounds racist.
Or kinky.
Lead Length (mtr)
This Powerboard has many sockets, but the cord is very short, making it inconvenient to use.
Can I piggy-back off this or nah
How tall are you?
About tree fiddy
So go all in. For a mere $200 you could have a chain of these things, 30 long. A whole 331 available power points!
Make sure to report back on how it goes.
Bunnings Eastgardens is quick tonight!!
20min from order to ‘Ready to collect’ text.
Pretty spooked about the lack of surge protection as my power seems to go out sorta regularly. Is it very necessary?
Where do you live in AU that power goes out regularly?
Lots of places.
In the middle of the night, when I'm at home but still awake, it's not uncommon to have a blackout, hear "bzzt" a second or two later, then the lights come back on after a few seconds.
What has happened is a possum shorted out two wires on a nearby power pole (probably one phase to neutral). The current imbalance tripped a breaker at the substation, hence the blackout, then the breaker re-tries after ten seconds or so, turning everything back on.
The power wires were just replaced outside my house, going from four separate wires to one "aerial bundled conductor", which is insulated. The electrical worker I chatted to said it reduces possum deaths. He also said it increases the amount of power available, maybe they're upgrading because of the power needed to charge electric cars at home?
SE melbourne. But wouldn't say regularly, just maybe once every 2 weeks or something?
It says “ 190 Joule surge protection” in the product description.
Good deal $10 for one much better than Jackson from woolies
I remember seeing this a few weeks ago in the aisles but had enough various 4 plug power boards already. Couldn't think of a use for a twelver let alone two of them 🤔. The bargain feeling was tempting lol
(And where I do have heaps of plugged in stuff a bunch are on an individually switched board)
I got plenty of devices in my study room so this is a good use.
I feel like I want this but what is it for? 10A over 12 outlets 🤷
Ignore me. My mind goes to mush when I see a potential bargain.
Got a pair, thanks. Best thing for me on this, besides the dozen outlets, is the shoulder plug — Aussie plugs are Hugh Mongous; they don't fit behind anything! They're like a furniture piece of their own!
Just ordered one for delivery on One pass, and got a text to say it's now on clearance for $10 (SA) and I'll be refunded the difference.
Same! Bonus!
SA also?
Yes, store is Edwardstown
Not bad $20 to simplify my cabling issue. Just not sure what to do with the existing 4-6-outlet boards.
Regular price.
Bargain nonetheless.
Bought some Arlec powerboards recently, both white and black, and upon opening found that the surface was very extremely rough and cheap looking. My guess is that the molds are worn out, or the plastic being used is unstable garbage and possibly toxic. I have exact same powerboards bought 10 to 15 years ago and they look fine.
toxic
👀
Thanks OP. Bunnings replaced IN-0608944 with surge-protected ones (IN- 0165704) and covered the difference!
Same here. But both are surge protected, and this one is rated at 190J, and the one they sent us is 175J. Not sure why it's more expensive, and I couldn't be bothered arguing with them.
This will be great for my …indoor tomato farm