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1350va 810 watts
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[Craig Alan] “What type of protector would that be?”
Established was what a UPS does. Adjacent protectors (power strip or UPS) do not provide effective protection from typically destructive surges. Effective protection is about where hundreds of thousands of joules dissipate. Each protection layer is defined by ‘protection’ – earth ground.
Incoming TV cable needs no protector. A hardwire connects a cable direct to earthing electrodes. Hardwire connects via this ground block.
https://files.cablewholesale.com/hires/200-278.jpg
Protection is defined by quality of and connection to earth ground. Which means a low impedance (ie less than 10 foot, no sharp bends) connection to electrodes. No protector required.A surge current connects low impedance to earth; need not enter a building; does not threaten household appliances.
Telephone cannot make a direct connection. So a telco installs (for free) a ‘whole house’ protector. Also only as effective as its earth ground. Protector in this NID ( https://www.citynet.net/page.cfm?mypage=HowtobackfeedtheDigitalPhoneService ) also must connect low impedance (ie no splices) to that same electrode. Telco protector is only doing what an above hardwire would do better. That is what an effective protector does. It is a connecting device – does not actually do protection.
Most common source of destructive surges is AC mains. These wires are not required to have protection. Only a homeowner decides to earth each incoming AC wire. Like telephone, the AC hot wires cannot connect directly to earth. So a ‘whole house’ protector (installed in a breaker box or behind an electric meter) makes that connection.
‘Whole house’ protectors are provided by companies known for integrity. These include Leviton, General Electric, Syscom, Polyphaser (an industry benchmark), Intermatic, Delta, Square D, ABB, Ditek, and Siemens. A Cutler-Hammer protector sells in both Lowes and Home Depot for about $50.
Connecting is what a protector must do during each surge. Numbers such as hundreds of thousands of joules and impedance apply. ‘Art’ of protection is single point earth ground. Every incoming wire must make a low impedance (ie less than 10 foot) connection to earth ground. Earthing – an ‘art’ – determines protection during each surge.
Further discussion may be needed. But in many cases, multiple 10 foot electrodes, found in most homes and selling in Lowes and Home Depot for $11, may be sufficient. Those electrodes do protection. This is about protection during each surge.
A typical lightning strike may be 20,000 amps. A protector must not fail after many lightning strikes. So a minimal ‘whole house’ protector is 50,000 amps. This number defines a protector’s life expectancy over many surges.
A lightning rod means a direct lightning strike need not connect to earth destructively via a structure. A ‘whole house’ protection system means a direct lightning strike need not connect to earth destructively via any interior household appliances. Both solutions are only as effective as the key component – earth ground.
BTW, above is only your ‘secondary’ protection layer. Each layer of protection is only defined by what absorbs energy – earth ground. A picture demonstrates what to inspect in your ‘primary’ protection layer:
https://www.tvtower.com/fpl.html -
[Craig Alan] “Is there any disadvantage to plugging the UPS into a surge protector multi-outlet?”
‘Whole house’ protector does 99.5% to 99.9% of the protection (per an IEEE Standard). That means maybe another 0.2% of protection by a multi-outlet protector. It supplements protection IF a ‘whole house’ solution is implemented. Details are too complex to discuss here.
Downside is using it without that ‘whole house’ solution. For example, that power strip can actually compromise protection inside attached appliances (computer or UPS). In rare cases, it can cause a fire.
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I mostly always use a UPS on any computer that is not a laptop.
Right now I am off grid on a PV system that has probe with the main batteries,
so when I here the refrigerator kick on, I also here the UPS kick on – doing something.
Maybe just activating for a blackout, but mostly likely a temp surge for a brown out.This is a little 500va with a 12volt 7 AH battery
that barely lasts 6 minutes on my mid 2011 iMac 21 inch.Every time I hear that glitch – which is everyday and often,., I am glad I got a replacement battery
at home depot from the automatic gate closer section.FCP X 10.2.2 – user since FCP 1.25
iMac mid 2011, MBA mid 2012
HVX-200, Shure wireless mic -
[Patrick Donegan] “… so when I here the refrigerator kick on, I also here the UPS kick on – doing something.
Maybe just activating for a blackout, but mostly likely a temp surge for a brown out.”First, if that refrigerator creates a brownout, then a home has wiring problems. In most cases, that defect is trivial. In rare cases, it indicates a serious human safety issue.
Second, if a refrigerator creates a brownout, then incandescent bulbs are dimming significantly.
Third, bulbs must dim to less than 40% intensity before causing any problem for any properly designed computer.
Fourth, a UPS is typically made as cheap as possible. Therefore noise (ie a single digit voltage spike) can cause a UPS to switch-over to batteries. That switch-over (and resulting noise) need not only happen during a brownout or blackout. But again, if it was from a brownout, then lights are also dimming significantly. An unacceptable condition often traceable to household wiring problems.
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Like I typed, it is due to a worn out battery bank in an off grid system,
with the major load being a large refrigerator.You are describing a well-working on-grid system, which I am sure most everyone else
here is using besides me.And yes, it might just be a few volts of fluctuation, I will put my KillaWatt meter in front
of the UPS and watch those numbers.FCP X 10.2.2 – user since FCP 1.25
iMac mid 2011, MBA mid 2012
HVX-200, Shure wireless mic
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