I just bought a Panny TH-50PX60U plasma, and am wondering about the need for a surge protector/line conditioner/UPS. I read in this forum that since I have no bulb that needs to cool, maybe I don't need a UPS so much. I am a novice with this stuff, and while I want to protect my new display, I want to spend as little as possible. Its not that I'm cheap, but I did just fork over a good chunk of change for the Panny, so there is not that much left in the coffers! I have the unit plugged directly into a wall receptacle. Where I live (Boston, MA), our power is fairly consistent (very few brownouts, although we do usually lose power once a year during a big weather event). Can you much more informed folks give me some feedback, and perhaps some specific brands to look at, assuming I need to get something? I appreciate the responses!

Find yourself a nice whole house surge suppressor for the main electrical panel in the house and have it installed. A UPS unit will do nothing for your situation but add cost and additional harmonic content to the power system.

I am not a believer in the absolute need for surge protection, but there is something to be said for whole house versions.

If you are thinking about getting a plug-in protector do a little research. This article on Extreme Tech is aimed at computers but contains some good info. http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1697,68941,00.asp This pdf is a bit more detailed, http://www.cci-msc.com/SurgeControl/pdf/fundamentals.pdf

Ideally you should consider only a UL listed device with a high capacity in Joules (400 or so) a fast clamping time, fused design, and a fail safe or fail to open design. Some surge protectors fail and still allow current to flow. A red LED that lights to indicate failure is off little use if your plasma display keeps working and the light is out of sight somewhere.

Thanks for the feedback! I live in a condo, so am not sure of the feasibility of a whole-house supressor, but you have definitely given me a place to start my research.

Panamax

I am not a believer in the absolute need for surge protection, but there is something to be said for whole house versions.


:eek:

Surge suppression is a MUST!

Surge suppression not only stops a surge (from lightning or power company maintenance etc) from completely blowing the device, it also extends the life. The device has a built in power supply which is designed to take in the 120 and convert it to its operating voltage. A big part of its job is to condition the power so the output voltages remain steady. The more spikes and dips the internal power supply has to take, the shorter its life.

A (good) UPS is a good idea as well, as it will not only block over voltage, but cushion undervoltages. A good UPS runs right off the batteries, that is the UPS charges the batterys and pulls power from the batteries to invert and power your device all the time. Cheaper ones have a "switch" that when it detects a drop in voltage, flips over to battery power. This is not as smooth or clean. Since the good ones never break source power from the batteries, it always has a clean good signal regardless. You have to keep in mind, anytime you turn anything on in the house, there is a dip in voltage. This is miniscule with lights, put devices like a refrigerator can noticablly dim the lights the instant it turns on, which is a signifigant voltage drop.

A UPS is not a must, but surge suppression is an absolute. A $20 surge suppressor is a small cost to protect a $2000 tv.

I'd plug a UPS into a decent surge protector anyway. I'd rather have my $20 Panamax sacrifice itself than my $1000 (MSRP) Liebert GXT2.

:eek:

The more spikes and dips the internal power supply has to take, the shorter its life.



That not true. Home electronics were designed with power supplies to run off regular old line voltage. Their job is to rectify, filter and convert line voltage to whatever is required by the various circuits within your device. Spikes dips and glitches do not shorten the life of power supply components.

Can a large lightning strike take out a power supply? Yes it can, but (3) MOV's can protect you from that for less than $5.00. All this jib jab about surge suppressors and line conditioners are a carry over from high priced cable alchemy. As for UPS, the only place a UPS is really needed is as follows;

1. Your computer so you don't lose important stuff due to a power failure.
2. DLP projections systems that require the fan to run for several minutes after shut down to cool the lamp.

Jon

That not true. Home electronics were designed with power supplies to run off regular old line voltage. Their job is to rectify, filter and convert line voltage to whatever is required by the various circuits within your device. Spikes dips and glitches do not shorten the life of power supply components.

Can a large lightning strike take out a power supply? Yes it can, but (3) MOV's can protect you from that for less than $5.00. All this jib jab about surge suppressors and line conditioners are a carry over from high priced cable alchemy. As for UPS, the only place a UPS is really needed is as follows;

1. Your computer so you don't lose important stuff due to a power failure.
2. DLP projections systems that require the fan to run for several minutes after shut down to cool the lamp.

Jon

Your information is misleading.... Electronic power supplies have become cheaper as each year passes. Manufacturers have been able to 'engineer' excess materials and therefore excess tolerances out of the power supplies which feed the sensitive electronics (the electronics are more sensitive too due to the higher speeds and lower data operating voltages). We used to have full-wave rectified power supplies, now most supplies are 'switching' power supplies. Spikes most certainly do shorten the life of electronics. They tend to damage the circuit pathways in small increments....leading to eventual failure. In low voltage applications, voltage spikes or surges cause a breakdown in insulation, with similar effects after long term exposure.

You are gonna need a lot more than three MOVs to protect a device if a spike of any magnitude strikes them. Single MOVs will not handle a great deal of current during an overvoltage event. Contrary to popular belief, most surge suppressors have what is called a let through voltage during a overvoltage event. The let through voltage can vary greatly depending upon the Surge suppressors' lead length, the type of suppression used and the suppression network.

I do agree with you as far as UPS units go....they are used far too often without realizing the detrimental effects within a power system. Most folks don't realize that you will have to spend a great deal of $$ to get a UPS with decent filtering, dual conversion (always using batteries ) and correctly sized. Otherwise, you are pumping unneeded harmonics into the power system and creating additional voltage spikes when the UPS switches from outlet power to batteries.

Actualy, while you are correct, you dont always have to spend a lot of money.

I got my APC SmartUPSXL1000NET for free. Its a $550 unit and outputs a true sine wave, on top of all its other frills.

Just watch ebay or local computer sales or busniesses. I got mine for free from work because the guy before me didnt know you could replace the batteries :wtf: ... anyway it was sitting in the trash, so I took it home. I know a friend who says he's passed on dozens of these units cheap or free because he already has too many. Most companys will throw away or sell for next to nothing thier old equipment when they upgrade.

Just FYI.

The more spikes and dips the internal power supply has to take, the shorter its life.

Do you realise that the input to the power supply, "dips and spikes" ( up to 180V), 120 times every second?

A good UPS runs right off the batteries, that is the UPS charges the batterys and pulls power from the batteries to invert and power your device all the time.

Also, with a basic understanding of electronics, you'd realise that this is impossible.
An online UPS, draws current from the "charging" circuit, during normal operation. The "charger" supplie sthe invertor and charges (or keeps charged) the batteries. It's not possible to draw current from a battery, while charging it at the same time.

Do you realise that the input to the power supply, "dips and spikes" ( up to 180V), 120 times every second?

.

Now, you know that you're nitpicking and your definition is not correct.

I know EE wasn't my strongest suit in college (I attempted to us P-Spice or whatever that program was but I have chosen to forget that experience as much as possible), so could you please break things down a bit? What is an entry level surge protector that comes widely recommended for a newbie like myself?...something to just get me started and protect my new plasma since I am not running an entire home theater quite yet. P.S. To throw a wrench in the mix, I'm in a situation where I have to have a transformer converting 220 to 120V.

Thanks!

Well, after continuing my homework, I found some very useful information here.
INFO EXPOUNDING ON SURGE PROTECTORS (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=2421176#post2421176)

But don't follow the white rabbit on that search thread or you will end up with a bunch of confusing electrical knowledge about MOVs and Series that you will feel like you're back to square 1.

This website is so awesome but so time consuming!! I HATE YOU SEARCH TOOL!!

Well, after continuing my homework, I found some very useful information here.
INFO EXPOUNDING ON SURGE PROTECTORS (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=2421176#post2421176)


:rolleyes: :rolleyes: It is obvious Doug Deacon's "research" was limited to SMP surge suppression propaganda and serves only to propagate the SMP=Good MOV=BAD myths.

Well, I'll have to say that after my limited research, which has been growing by leaps and bounds (a good article on ExtremeTech's website), it does seem that MOVs offer a more affordable solution to the issue, but do have their own inherent drawbacks. ExtremeTech seemed to put their vote in for Hybrid type suppressors which use both types of technology to limit the weaknesses of the other. After checking out SurgeX's website, they touted that their product had no MOV's yet was better than a hybrid suppressor. I know you have to take that with a grain of salt, but I haven't found many companies producing hybrid's (or maybe I haven't been looking hard enough). Can you shed any light on the issue? What do you prefer and why?

Although you're somewhere in Mexico, is there a reason you can't first implement a whole house approach as your primary means of defence?

Not at the present since I am renting. I move more than most so I am thinking that a whole house suppressor wouldn't suit my needs; I'd have to pay to have it installed and then uninstalled if I chose to take it with me. If I were to buy one, what is an affordable choice that you could recommend (no more than 200)? Any experience with point suppressors?

Siemens and others make units that install directly into a circuit breaker box taking up 2 spaces. That is something that can be installed by a homeowner provided they first cut the power to the box. Estimated costs are in the vicinity of $50. That takes care of your incoming AC. Phone and cable protection are easily installed also and combined easily run well under $100. If you know where your external ground rod is, it's a piece of cake. There are also 'boxes' that provide all three in one, somewhat more convenient package. Leviton and others make such units.

Looks like Siemens makes two...one is referred to as a surge arrester (this is the cheaper one you mentioned) and the other a TVSS (which is about 4 times that). I know there are some differences between the two, but I'm not sure what a "surge arrester" is vs a TVSS. I'm assuming it has to do with definitions outlined by UL. Siemens also recommends a point protection device (which they don't offer) in addition to whole house protection. I've seen support for two popular types, those using MOVs and SMP devices. Most companies, if not all, has been trying to use scientific data to back their claims, but I have yet to see a neutral party do some testing between the two. That being said, I have come across several (seemingly) independent articles documenting the weakness of devices relying on MOVs due to their tendency to degenerate over time with exposure to higher voltages. But then, of course, djoseph52 from www.ep2000.com took his shot at the series devices in another post here: Surge Suppressors/Clean Power Thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=5338531&&#post5338531) , so now we're back to square one. By the way, check out that thread and you will see what I mean. There doesn't seem to be a solid course of action from the masses out there, just a lot of educated guesses (which is better than nothing!) I'm definitely interested in others' thoughts on this issue!

Now, you know that you're nitpicking and your definition is not correct.


Sorry dude, your "understanding " of DC power supplies, is lacking, to say the least.

Differences between the two are probably best addressed by calling Siemens directly and pricing varies so let Google or the phone book be your friend. Should be a toll free number. Regarding the use of point protection, I take that to mean the use of plug-in units to supplement the whole-house. Sure. That's the smart way to do it. That's how businesses protect what's valuable to them.

The degradation of MOV's is a problem if you buy undersized MOV's for the job at hand. Series mode based devices act on the principle of first damming the surge and then bleeding off the stored charge while MOV's and things like SAD's (silicon avalanche diodes) act as shunts to divert the surge to ground. A soft underbelly for series mode devices is the ground wire which is unprotected, however if you first implement a whole house approach, this is a moot point since the perimeter defence takes care of the worst. Further, series mode devices may be somewhat over-rated IMO. Consider that I think it's Surge-X that makes or made a panel based device. However, it was only intended to to protect one circuit and not an entire home. To my mind this suggests some limitations on the technology.

For the home user, properly sized and installed MOV based devices, even hybrids, do the job and do it well in a cost effective manner. One chooses an approach based on what it is they're trying to protect. For example, contracts for telcos will frequently mandate the use of Silicon Avalanche Diodes. Equipment that's susceptible to things like ring waves would consider approaches based upon Isolation Transformers or perhaps hybrid units incorporating sine wave tracking.

Nothing lasts forever with the exception of taxes, so base your purchasing on things like the frequency of cloud-to-ground lightning activity. If it's modest, units that are around 1000 joule per pole are quite adequate. Live in Florida or certain areas of the midwest, then 2000 joules per pole will provide you long protection. Most of these devices have 'lights' that indicate when they need replacement.

One of these days I'll write more about 'choices' and options in this area. Right now, I just don't have it in me.

Sorry dude, your "understanding " of DC power supplies, is lacking, to say the least.

My understanding is just fine. You on the other hand are either;
1) suffering from Napoleon syndrome
2) must make up for your lack of knowledge by belittling others

either way find some help please.

No rebuttal, just a personal attack....typical of the undereducated. ;)

Here is something else to think about...

How may surges do you think your equipment really gets everyday, week, month, or year?

I am in my 40's and as far as I know nothing I have owned has ever been damaged by a surge. I worked in TV shops during my 20's and I don't think I ever saw a TV or stereo come in that you could conclusively say had been damaged by a surge.

I grew up in the midwest where thunderstorms are almost a daily event during the spring and summer. My parrents house was never struck by lightning until many years after I left home. It did clobber their phone, TV and blew every lightbulb right out of the socket, but their homeowners insurance replaced everything.

Now I like my current TV and HTS system, but I would not shead any tears if my house got struk by lightning and my insurance bought me all shinny new components.

Your equipment recieves quite a few overvoltage events 'regularly'. Depending upon where you live, what kind of customers you share your electrical service with and how the service enters your facility, you may encounter many per day-week or ??

Some time ago (20 years or more) electronic equipment was not the norm. Power supplies and motors were beefier, overbuilt and were not as likely subject to breakdown of insulation or conductive pathways due to overvoltage conditions.

I would not hope for a lightning strike to see if insurance pays for all losses. I work with many businesses who have been through a catastrophic event due to lightning.... it can take years to collect in some cases.

Chu Gai, thanks for your latest post. It does seem that after all my research and hearing from others that the best approach is whole house and point protection devices. For now I'm going to have to focus on solid point protection until I get to my next location to implement whole house coverage. I wish I knew how to better distinguish between quality and fluff/good advertising when it comes to point surge suppressors. I've been focusing on three: Cyberpower's 1030HT Here (http://www.cyberpowersystems.com/1030HT.asp) TrippLite's HTPOWERBAR10 Here (http://www.tripplite.com/products/product.cfm?productID=2812) and Panamax's M8HC-PRO Here (http://www.panamax.com/products.cfm?group=1&sec=detail&id=236&ly=h)

It seems there are some significant differences, for example CyberPower claims a much higher amp protection vs the other two, along with slightly better noise filtering, but costs less than the others. Panamax references their undervoltage protection which the others don't have, along with decent noise filtering. TrippLite just mentions their noise filtering (doesn't even give dBs and a freq range) but boasts several more certifications from uL and even the FCC (if that counts for anything) than the others. Using TrippLite as the reference, Panamax is about $10 more and Cyberpower is about $20 less. In addition, is it worth it to spend around $100 on this or should I be cutting that in half? And are these suppressors' coax and telco connections worth it or should I be looking for those separately? Does anyone have good or bad experience with any of these? Definitely open to all comments, and thanks in advance!!

Panamax is good for coax, not sure about the other 2.

Good, robust surge protection is always tied to the nature of your earth ground. Dangerous surges, the ones that come from lightning and the like are high voltage, high current, high frequency events. Brief, but piercing. In such an event, the distance of the surge protection device from earth ground bears consideration. This is because a surge doesn't see the wire from your breaker to your outlets as simple resistance but impedance which rises substantially during a surge. That in itself is a very big reason why a whole house approach is so effective. The impedance is just plain smaller.

However, you've indicated that at this time you'd prefer to simply get a point of use device. First of all, I'd like you to understand that the various connected equipment warranties need to be read very, very carefully in order for you to understand just how the company makes good. Find their warranty and read it. Use the toll free numbers to ask questions like how claims are handled, how is compensation made, does homeowner's insurance first need to kick in, and so forth. Generally, the first step is for you to send the unit back to the manufacturer who'll examine it. If he finds there's no problem, your claim in all likelihood will be denied.

Regarding the noise attenuation, I wouldn't get overly obsessed over this. The amount of attenuation is not linear over the frequency ranges listed and without an actual graph of attenuation vs. frequency, it's simply not possible to make any sort of meaningful comparison. Also, realise that attenuation is typically listed in dB which is a logarithmic representation of matters and is often used to inflate things in the consumer's mind. After all, if one device reduces noise by 99.99% and the other by 99.97% is this such a big deal?

Regarding things like let through voltages, I don't know what that is for the cable and/or satellite connections. For that matter I don't know what the insertion loss is (typically it's like a dB or less) or the frequency range. You might want to get that information from all three brands you're considering to make a more informed decision. Similar questions regarding the telco aspect of it also apply regarding the clamping level, that is if you run a phone line as part of your HT system (PPV?).

I'm sorry if I'm making more work for you but unfortunately, manufacturers don't have a standard way of reporting things.

And are these suppressors' coax and telco connections worth it or should I be looking for those separately?

For coax I would recomend this surge protector as my company sells this exact one to cable companies worldwide, but with our company logo on it TII's Lightning Surge Protector (http://www.homenetworkingdepot.com/html/file03/satellite/dss/dssproduct03/sub_passive/tii_protector/tii_frame.html?=212FF75F.html)

.

I'm sorry if I'm making more work for you but unfortunately, manufacturers don't have a standard way of reporting things.

It's quite alright. I wish there was an easier way to get through all the advertising and actually evaluate these products. I'll keep digging and see what I come up with...

I just bought a Panny TH-50PX60U plasma, and am wondering about the need for a surge protector/line conditioner/UPS. I read in this forum that since I have no bulb that needs to cool, maybe I don't need a UPS so much. I am a novice with this stuff, and while I want to protect my new display, I want to spend as little as possible. Its not that I'm cheap, but I did just fork over a good chunk of change for the Panny, so there is not that much left in the coffers! I have the unit plugged directly into a wall receptacle. Where I live (Boston, MA), our power is fairly consistent (very few brownouts, although we do usually lose power once a year during a big weather event). Can you much more informed folks give me some feedback, and perhaps some specific brands to look at, assuming I need to get something? I appreciate the responses!

You can pick up decent surge protectors on sale for $100 less that I'm sure will work just fine. APS is a good brand.

(God I hope someone helps me)... Okay I've done a quite a bit of reading, here and other sites, however I don't feel as I am doing "real" research (I have never had a problem doing research) more like electricity currents 101... The problem seems to be that there is too much info and it really comes down to personal need/use and region you live in, soil, etc...

I really am looking for any useful info... so here we go... I just relocated to a small island in the Caribbean where the power goes off quite freqently (maybe 2/3 times a month, if not more)... I rent and can't protect the whole apt (and look to move to a rental house asap)... I am gonna be using my projector for my primary, so I'm gonna be needing UPS, so the bulb can cool properly during power outages...

I'm seriously considering the tripp lite ht1500ups and still haven't narrowed down exactly what I need with apc... and I'm really trying to stay under $200, for now...

I'm dumb, but not stupid... I've used surge suppessors before and know about the joules and bells and whistles, on them and you get what you pay for... but never experinced power outages (like this) in combination w/the high salt content in the air (which is a whole different animal... I've been slowly building my AV treasure chest for some time and left most of my stuff with my mom, but the good stuff was a pretty penny... I'm simple small town South Texas boy who got offered a once in a life time job...

Please help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Panamax or Monster Power as both a surge protector and line conditioner? I was thinking of getting the Monster HTS3600, but wouldn't mind stepping up to the Panamax line if it meant better protection and better line conditioning.

My recommendation texas is to contact the companies directly and ask to speak to someone about your situation. They'll ask you questions that are relevent to your particular situation and suggest products that'll meet your particular needs.

btw, you gonna live there?

Chu Gai... You know I feel like a complete dumb ass... that idea never occured to me!!! Got so involved/overwhelmed, I guess... Go straight to the source...

And yes... I live here now... Pretty Cool Huh... Got lucky and found a job opening and came with my last payck of my last job!!! It's real laid back here and beautiful beaches... however it is a trade off... but I really don't miss the mainland... I love it here!!!
Thanks again...

Coming in to this thread after reading the title, I was hoping that I
could get some more "simple" answers about advice on surge protectors.

I would like one to protect my new LCD purchase etc but see that stores
like Best Buy have what appears to be "quality" units from "$50" to "$350".

Is there a way to determine some standards to look for? The salespeople
(duh) push you towards the $300 units and by-pass the $100 units. Obviously
I would rather spend $100 than $300 but only if the $100 is adequate protection.

I realize that, or hopefully that, a $300 unit should protect better than a $100
unit but if the $100 unit will cover my LCD, HD PVR unit, DVD player and Speakers...

So that said - what should the minimums be for a surge protector in eg
"joules of protection", "EMI/RFI filters", gold connections etc.

I just do not like being hosed....

lamajama-
If you own a house, the best place to start is at the panel. Add a surge protector there and make sure you have a "good" house ground with EVERY utility/line bonded at that point. After that, most point-of-use surge protectors will work just fine.

If you don't like being hosed, take video321's comments to heart. Look at a surge in the same you would a psycopathic child molester. You can either lock the bastard up and not have to worry about him entering your home. Or, you can let him loose on the streets and leave the doors and windows to your home open and rely that the gun you've got will protect you.

make sure you have a "good" house ground with EVERY utility/line bonded at that point

How do you test for this?

How do you test for this?
Well, you won't have the equipment necessary, but there are some things to know.
1. make sure everything is bonded at the main service entrance. This you could do with a simple visual inspection.
2. determine the soil type that you have. Different types will all affect the resistance differently. So will the number of rods that are all bonded, their distances apart, and moisture level. Do a quick search for ground restistance and you'll find links to what I'm talking about that could explain it better for you.

I don't think the homeowner has any means at their disposal to actually test since that requires a specialized device that performs the appropriate conductivity measurements. A proper characterization doesn't involve a run of the mill ohm meter. Instead, like video123 says, a careful visual inspection and knowing your soil conditions can suggest whether replacement of parts or adding an additional rod is a good idea.

How do you test for this?

We use a 'ground resistance' test set which can provide a measurement of the impedance of the ground rod to 'earth'. We generally call this the 'fall-of-potential' or three point test. The same test set can be used to determine the soil 'conductivity' which is a four point test, and a point to point test (two point test) which we use to determine the resistance of connections.

These tests are not typically performed for residential customers since the expense is not warranted.

A residential ground system will generally consist of a driven ground rod near the electrical service entrance along with a bond to the copper water system. The bond to the water system usually provides an excellent connection to ground and generally better than the one driven ground rod.

Inspection of the connections (tightness) to the ground rod and the water system are an excellent idea.

along with a bond to the copper water system. The bond to the water system usually provides an excellent connection to ground and generally better than the one driven ground rod.
Sure...if you have a copper line coming in.

Can someone recommend a modest priced whole house surge protector?

Another precaution we perform in CA is, when bonding hot and cold water together we also add the gas line to this bond.

So in your garage you have a continuous wire that hits your hot, cold and gas.

new to the forum... but it has been a great resource for me.

i don't want to think.

What is a good surge protector for my Vizio LCD 37" and peripherals.

It seems there are many monster comparable devices out there... but with monster... is it pretty much a no brainer... as in... yeah you going to be getting high quality stuff... but you'll be paying a premium for it kind of thing?

If monster is indeed high-quality but just more expensive... i'd like to know.

i'm just a bit confused b/c some of these threads talk like monster is actually junk... and other products are cheaper and better quality.

so which is it?

i get all my cables from monoprice... just FYI.

Sure...if you have a copper line coming in.


Your water service in the house is probably copper, along with the tap from the street. Even if the main trunk is iron, the water system provides an excellent source of grounding. The water service used to be the main source for grounding in any commercial or industrial plant in the US until the last twenty years.

Plastic in my area nowadays (at least from the street). My particular house also uses CPVC for the mains with standard PVC for the drains. The standard $500k+ house in my area of NJ may use copper for the feed lines once inside.

Keep in mind the premium for metals.

Plastic in my area nowadays (at least from the street). My particular house also uses CPVC for the mains with standard PVC for the drains.


With your setup, you have no choice but to install a better driven ground system. I would even go as far as to have a system such as this tested for proper -low impedance.....since you don't have the added connection of the water system. We are seeing this in new commercial/industrial facilities, where the connection to the street is made with a dielectric (polymer) connection. The customer no longer can depend on the incoming water for a bond to ground.

Actually, I have 2 rods currently installed in my recent construction because (obviously) 1 was not good enough to meet NEC regulations.

Ironically....I have a thread here (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=889873) discussing this very issue.


.....O.k. so maybe that was a shameless plug for my thread:p

Nothing wrong with shameless plugs....you don't sell grounding equipment do you:)

Siemens and others make units that install directly into a circuit breaker box taking up 2 spaces. That is something that can be installed by a homeowner provided they first cut the power to the box. Estimated costs are in the vicinity of $50. That takes care of your incoming AC. Phone and cable protection are easily installed also and combined easily run well under $100. If you know where your external ground rod is, it's a piece of cake. There are also 'boxes' that provide all three in one, somewhat more convenient package. Leviton and others make such units.

I live in the midwest, and lightning is certainly a consideration.
But I was wondering, would such a whole-house unit also help address momentary hiccups when high-current devices kick on (e.g. central air conditioner)? Some lights briefly dim when the A/C kicks on, and I'm a bit afraid the bulb in my projector (when I get it and install it) will do the same. Or, would a UPS help with that (since I'm planning on one for the PJ anyway, for the usual "bulb cool-down in the event of a power failure")?

The whole-house protector will NOT work for that purpose. I have the same issue when my A/C (but only A/C) kicks on. Its caused from a quick voltage drop, which can be considered normal. A UPS for the projector will give you what you need.

OK -- sounds like I do indeed need both items, then. Whole-house protector for nearby lightning strikes/etc, UPS to PJ for battery backup/power conditioning. Thanks!

The whole-house protector will NOT work for that purpose. I have the same issue when my A/C (but only A/C) kicks on. Its caused from a quick voltage drop, which can be considered normal. A UPS for the projector will give you what you need.

Unless the UPS is an 'online' unit, the momentary voltage dip will be gone by the time the UPS senses and switches to batteries. Most of these (cheaper) units introduce a nice switching transient into the power system at this point as well. I have even come across UPS units which introduce additional noise on the ground due to poor internal circuitry or connections which produce excessive voltage on the Neutral to Ground output on all of the output outlets.

If you have not had any problems with the power, except the occasional voltage dip from equipment startup, I would not bother with spending money to fix problems which do not exist.

True.
I should have been more specific about the type of UPS.

Unless the UPS is an 'online' unit, the momentary voltage dip will be gone by the time the UPS senses and switches to batteries. Most of these (cheaper) units introduce a nice switching transient into the power system at this point as well. I have even come across UPS units which introduce additional noise on the ground due to poor internal circuitry or connections which produce excessive voltage on the Neutral to Ground output on all of the output outlets.

If you have not had any problems with the power, except the occasional voltage dip from equipment startup, I would not bother with spending money to fix problems which do not exist.
ok....so I would like to understand this as well....

My 8G Pio Kuro will be coming home soon and I too have the momentary voltage dip when my A/C kicks in....what do I do? Do I need just the basic surge supressor stuff or do I need a UPS? I don't want to kill my soon to be new Kuro!!

Thank you.

ok....so I would like to understand this as well....

My 8G Pio Kuro will be coming home soon and I too have the momentary voltage dip when my A/C kicks in....what do I do? Do I need just the basic surge supressor stuff or do I need a UPS? I don't want to kill my soon to be new Kuro!!

Thank you.

A voltage sag is typical of any power system when large loads such as motors/compressors start. These short term voltage dips are not harmful to electronics AFAIK. Over-voltage conditions (spikes and transients) are much more harmful to electronics. Surge suppression at the main panel is highly recommended. A second level of protection at sensitive electronic equipment locations is also a good idea.

Thanks AV Doogie.....These voltage sags tend to occur fairly frequently (at least during the summer months) and I just wanted to make sure that they don't mess up my equipment....Itman