[Chris Hansen]

I have discovered that I am having voltage regulation issues in my area and in my home. It mostly hovers in the mid 120s but every so often spikes, for a second, into the 130s. Of course, the local electric utility is not being helpful even though I suspect this problem stems from the utility company's transformer. In any event, does anyone have any recommendations for voltage line regulation? I'm not looking to spend a fortune but would like to eliminate this issue to protect our HT equipment properly.



Thanks

 

[Elemental1]

Pick up a Tripp-Lite Omni1000LCD UPS. Costco sells this thing dirt cheap and it works very well.

 

[pablo16]

From what I'm reading on the Tripplite site, it seems that the LCD UPS systems are not only VR, but surge, and power conditioning...am I understanding this correctly? Do they have isolated inputs for EMI like the APC H, J, and S series?

 

[Elemental1]

I have a few of these in use and really like them.

Seems to have everything a HT needs.

http://www.tripplite.com/products/pr...productID=3071

 

[EJRothman]

I have a Tripp Lite VR2400 and it's great. Tripp Lite makes the best value in the power products market, IMO.

 

[Chris Hansen]

Thanks. I'll take a look at these. With regard to UPS, I thought I read somewhere that use of a UPS with HT equipment can cause some weird issues. Something to do with the AC output wave??

 

[Elemental1]

This unit (Omni1000LCD) is a 'HT Series' so it's made for it.

Might want to read the link again.

 

[r5d4]

I want to piggy-back on your question. I'm using a Monster HTS 1600. I've had my system up since last May. Never a problem. Voltage in the 120's. Tonight, for the first time, the voltage is at 130-131 and the unit reads 'abnormal voltage' and it shut off everything. I switched the cord to another outlet and it read 129 and worked for a bit, now back up and all off. Is 130+ dangerous? I'm not sure how this thing works, I thought the idea was that it was supposed to level it all out. How do I get the voltage down to get everything to work?

 

[p3Orion]



Quote:
Originally Posted by r5d4 /forum/post/0


I want to piggy-back on your question. I'm using a Monster HTS 1600. I've had my system up since last May. Never a problem. Voltage in the 120's. Tonight, for the first time, the voltage is at 130-131 and the unit reads 'abnormal voltage' and it shut off everything. I switched the cord to another outlet and it read 129 and worked for a bit, now back up and all off. Is 130+ dangerous? I'm not sure how this thing works, I thought the idea was that it was supposed to level it all out. How do I get the voltage down to get everything to work?

If your voltage level is 130+ you need a device with Automatic Voltage Regulation (AVR), which corrects brownouts (low AC voltage) and over-voltages to keep the RMS voltage within proper operating ranges for your components' power supplies. The Monster HTS 1600 does not have AVR. It only recognizes over-voltages and shuts down. I would contact your power company or an electrician to see what the issue is. Solve that problem first before deciding if you want another device. If you are able to get stable voltage levels once again the 1600 should be adequate.

 

[dssturbo1]

 http://www.shop.com/op/~PureAV_226_132_162_Home_Theater_Power_Console_(PF60)-prod-17087366-23997306?sourceid=3


shop.com or ecost.com have the top end belkin PF60 on sale for a great price about $170 should work well for you.

 

[Chris Hansen]



Quote:
Originally Posted by dssturbo1 /forum/post/0

http://www.shop.com/op/~PureAV_226_132_162_Home_Theater_Power_Console_(PF60)-prod-17087366-23997306?sourceid=3


shop.com or ecost.com have the top end belkin PF60 on sale for a great price about $170 should work well for you.

That is a nice unit for the price, but my read of the specifications is that it does not do automatic voltage regulation. Rather, it provides under/over voltage protection that cuts power once the thresholds are exceeded. (Same as the Monster units).

 

[Chris Hansen]



Quote:
Originally Posted by r5d4 /forum/post/0


I want to piggy-back on your question. I'm using a Monster HTS 1600. I've had my system up since last May. Never a problem. Voltage in the 120's. Tonight, for the first time, the voltage is at 130-131 and the unit reads 'abnormal voltage' and it shut off everything. I switched the cord to another outlet and it read 129 and worked for a bit, now back up and all off. Is 130+ dangerous? I'm not sure how this thing works, I thought the idea was that it was supposed to level it all out. How do I get the voltage down to get everything to work?

This is very similar to my issue. I have actually reached the point where I have asked my local electric provider to put a voltage recorder on the incoming lines to determine whether the utility provider is the cause of the over-voltage problem versus it being caused by incorrect wiring or an appliance inside the house.

 

[r5d4]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris Hansen /forum/post/0


This is very similar to my issue. I have actually reached the point where I have asked my local electric provider to put a voltage recorder on the incoming lines to determine whether the utility provider is the cause of the over-voltage problem versus it being caused by incorrect wiring or an appliance inside the house.

I followed up with ComEd. They came out next day, "Checked voltage 127/127 259. Voltage high but not over limit. GE gets plus or minus 10% of of 120. 110-130." Not sure what my next step is. It only went over 130 that once; but if it is an issue, I might 86 the $300 Monster. I don't want it shutting down, say, on superbowl sunday and having to crawl back and re-connect everything to a cheaper power strip that likely protects as well without the shut down. Advice on another thread indicates running at 130 over a long period might be hot but still should not a problem for most components. Any further thoughts? Is it worth having an electrician come out? What could he do?

 

[1bigredviper]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris Hansen /forum/post/0


That is a nice unit for the price, but my read of the specifications is that it does not do automatic voltage regulation. Rather, it provides under/over voltage protection that cuts power once the thresholds are exceeded. (Same as the Monster units).

What is a good suppressor that does automatically regulate the voltage in or around the same price as the Belkin PF60? Ideally with noise filtration for video.

 

[1bigredviper]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Elemental1 /forum/post/0


I have a few of these in use and really like them.

Seems to have everything a HT needs.

http://www.tripplite.com/products/pr...productID=3071

I just called Tripplite to inquire a little more on this unit for my plasma tv. The woman confirmed it has AVR and brownout to 89V, but no surge protection. It does have coax though. The models that have avr, surge and brown/ blackout do not have coax. It also does very little for noise filtration.

 

[p3Orion]

Another quality unit that does AVR is the APC H10. It's priced similar to the Belkin PureAV PF60, provided either is purchased from a quality reseller. APC provides way more specs on their website than Belkin. I called Belkin and they could not even tell me what the let through voltage was on the PF60.


Be cautious about purchasing from eCOST. Although they tend to have the lowest prices and members here suggest them, their Reseller Rating score is horrendous. One guy purchased the PF60 from them in late December 2006 and didn't receive it until well into January 2007, despite the fact that he called to make sure the unit was actually in stock. The PF60 was DOA and he then got the runaround from customer service. Check out the horror stories for yourself: http://www.resellerratings.com/store/eCost

 

[tommyy2]

From Tripps website: "A line-interactive or standby UPS passes utility power to connected equipment, filtering out surges, spikes, and line noise as it does so."


If you want real isolation from the utility look into an "on line UPS"


It may be costly, or noisey but it works.

 

[Elemental1]



Quote:
Originally Posted by 1bigredviper /forum/post/0


I just called Tripplite to inquire a little more on this unit for my plasma tv. The woman confirmed it has AVR and brownout to 89V, but no surge protection. It does have coax though. The models that have avr, surge and brown/ blackout do not have coax. It also does very little for noise filtration.

Um....all 8 sockets have surge protection.

 

[dssturbo1]

office depot has a good price on the APC BX1500 at $99 this week.

 

[dsmith901]

This is an excellent solution if it fits your budget:

http://www.exactpower.com/ep15a.html


List is $2,500 but I believe dealers will discount them.