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Replacing electrical wall outlets... chicagofan 10-09-2007
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Posted by John Gilmer on October 16, 2007, 2:57 am


> I've lost 2 motherboards, 2 surge protectors and 2 VCRS, not at the same
> time.

We had two severe thunderstorms about 2 weeks apart. We lost a total of 3
motherboards. In the second incident, a new motherboard was taken out.
That's convinced me to: 1) just buy a new computer than screw about with MB
replacement; and 2) get UPS for each computer. The main risk to our
machines is now just the network cable. If we go wireless, we should be
safe from just about anything.




Posted by Mark Lloyd on October 16, 2007, 11:35 am
wrote:

>
>
>> I've lost 2 motherboards, 2 surge protectors and 2 VCRS, not at the same
>> time.
>
>We had two severe thunderstorms about 2 weeks apart. We lost a total of 3
>motherboards. In the second incident, a new motherboard was taken out.

How many of those systems had internal modems (some internal device
connected to a phoneline)?

>That's convinced me to: 1) just buy a new computer than screw about with MB
>replacement; and 2) get UPS for each computer.

And don't use internal modems.

> The main risk to our
>machines is now just the network cable. If we go wireless, we should be
>safe from just about anything.
>

Yes, although wireless does have other significant disadvantages
(slower, less reliable, less secure... etc...).

>
--
70 days until the winter solstice celebration

Mark Lloyd
http://notstupid.laughingsquid.com

"God was invented by man for a reason, that
reason is no longer applicable."

Posted by w_tom on October 19, 2007, 1:51 pm
> We had two severe thunderstorms about 2 weeks apart. We lost a total of 3
> motherboards. In the second incident, a new motherboard was taken out.
> That's convinced me to: 1) just buy a new computer than screw about with MB
> replacement; and 2) get UPS for each computer. The main risk to our
> machines is now just the network cable. If we go wireless, we should be
> safe from just about anything.

Now review that NIST discussion. What does a protector do? Page 8
of 24:
http://www.nist.gov/public_affairs/practiceguides/surgesfnl.pdf
> You cannot really suppress a surge altogether, nor
> "arrest" it. What these protective devices do is
> neither suppress nor arrest a surge, but simply
> divert it to ground, where it can do no harm. So
> a name that makes sense would be "surge diverter"
> but it was not picked.

Where does that UPS 'divert' a surge to. Effective protectors are
located where wires enter the building. Your computer already has
significant internal protection. Anything a plug-in protector might do
is already inside that computer. Internal protection was overwhelmed
because you let a surge enter the building. Now that UPS will somehow
stop or absorb what three miles of sky could not? Of course not.
That also is not what the NIST says effective protectors do.

Your phone line must already have a 'whole house' protector
installed free by the telco. Your cable needs no protector because it
can be earthed without any protector. Inspect both. Do they make the
also required 'less than 10 foot' connection to a common earthing
electrode?

Your cable company will even recommend removing plug-in protectors
or a UPS on their cable. Cable for protection is earthed where it
enters the building. That protector will only degrade cable signals -
provide no effective protection. In each case, what defines
protection? The NIST document says an effective protector *diverts*
to earth ground.

Well that UPS has maybe a paltry 300 joules. That is near zero.
But near zero protection is enough to claim "IT CONTAINS PROTECTION
FROM DIRECT LIGHTNING STRIKES". Myths like this are widespread and
encouraged routinely by Bud.

Meanwhile, what is the most common source of surge damage? Incoming
on AC mains. Wires that are most exposed at the street. Just like
lightning striking antennas atop the Empire State Building, your AC
wires carry a direct lightning strike into the motherboard. This
because the surge was not earth where it entered the building - at the
circuit breaker box.

That box already should contain a 'less than 10 foot' earthing
connection. If not, then a new earthing electrode must be installed
to meet post 1990 National Electrical Code requirements. No earth
ground means ... well what does the NIST say? It *diverts* a surge to
earth ground. And you have no (insufficient) earthing? What defines
an effective protector? Its earthing. Where is the surge energy
dissipated? In earth. Will a protector or UPS absorb that energy
that 3 miles of sky could not stop? Of course not. Only place that
surge energy gets harmlessly dissipated is in earth.

Install only one 'whole house' protector on AC mains with that
short connection to earth. Massively less money and protection that
actually can earth surges. Things even more important than a
computer (furnace controls, bathroom and kitchen GFCIs, smoke
detectors) are also protected. Protected by a device that far exceeds
what the UPS even claims to accomplish. Did you notice the UPS does
not even make surge protector claims in numeric specifications? If it
provides numbers, you might see 'near zero' protection.

A protector that has no earthing is massively profitable AND does
not even claim to protect from the type of surge that typically
damages computer motherboards. Don't take my word for it. Where is
each type of surge defined AND numbers for that protection? A UPS
makes no such claims. Somehow a relay that takes tens of
milliseconds to open will stop a surge that does damage in
microseconds? That is how UPS protection works?

Install one 'whole house' protector. Verify earthing for telephone
and cable TV protection exists and is properly installed. If
necessary, get building earthing upgraded to meet and exceed post 1990
code requirements. What does the NIST says protector does? It
*diverts* a surge to earth ground. How does it do that if you
earthing is missing or insufficient?

Why do cable companies recommend removing a protector from their
cable? Protector has no earthing - does ineffective protection - and
degrades TV signal. Every protector as noted in that NIST citation is
only as good as its earth ground. No earth ground means no place for
surge energy to be diverted - no effective protection.

One 'whole house' protector does far more than any protector
adjacent to electronics - at tens of times less money. Get your
earthing inspected or upgraded. Get one 'whole house' protector for
everything. Verify your cable and telephone protector are properly
installed. Or waste money on devices that will not even claim to
provide that protection - in numeric specs?

Any wire that is not earthed (by direct connection or protector)
where it enters the building means no effective protection. There is
no 'magic box' protector. Protection even in the early 20th Century
has always been defined by earthing. The effective protector makes a
'less than 10 foot' connection to earth ground ... to *divert* the
surge.


Posted by bud-- on October 21, 2007, 1:50 am
w_tom wrote:
>> We had two severe thunderstorms about 2 weeks apart. We lost a total of 3
>> motherboards. In the second incident, a new motherboard was taken out.
>> That's convinced me to: 1) just buy a new computer than screw about with MB
>> replacement; and 2) get UPS for each computer. The main risk to our
>> machines is now just the network cable. If we go wireless, we should be
>> safe from just about anything.
>
> Now review that NIST discussion. What does a protector do? Page 8
> of 24:

What does the NIST guide really say about plug-in suppressors?
They are "the easiest solution".

A second excellent guide on surges and surge protection from the IEEE is at:
http://omegaps.com/Lightning%20Guide_FINALpublishedversion_May051.pdf
The IEEE guide also says plug-in suppressors are effective.


> Your cable needs no protector because it
> can be earthed without any protector.

Needs no protector? The IEEE guide notes that the voltage between cable
center conductor and sheath is limited by the breakdown of F-connectors
which is typically 2-4,000V. The guide notes that connected equipment
can be damaged at those voltages. Plug-in suppressors will likely clamp
the voltage to a reasonable level.

> Do they make the
> also required 'less than 10 foot' connection to a common earthing
> electrode?

The concern is not distance to common electrode but distance from phone,
cable entry protector to the earthing wire at the power service.
Francois Martzloff, who was the NIST guru on surges and wrote the NIST
guide, has written "the impedance of the grounding system to `true
earth' is far less important than the integrity of the bonding of the
various parts of the grounding system."

The IEEE guide says:
"If the cable, satellite, or phone cables do not enter the building near
the service entrance, the only effective way of protecting the equipment
is to use a multiport protector."

> Will a protector or UPS absorb that energy
> that 3 miles of sky could not stop? Of course not. Only place that
> surge energy gets harmlessly dissipated is in earth.

w_ has a religious belief (immune from challenge) that surge protection
must use earthing. Thus in his view plug-in suppressors (which are not
well earthed) can not possibly work. The IEEE guide explains plug-in
suppressors work by CLAMPING the voltage on all wires (signal and power)
to the common ground at the suppressor. Plug-in suppressors do not work
primarily by earthing (or stopping or absorbing). The guide explains
earthing occurs elsewhere. (Read the guide starting pdf page 40).

>
> Install only one 'whole house' protector on AC mains with that
> short connection to earth.

Service panel suppressors are a good idea. What does the NIST guide say?
"Q - Will a surge protector installed at the service entrance be
sufficient for the whole house?
A - There are two answers to than question: Yes for one-link appliances,
No for two-link appliances [equipment connected to power AND phone or
cable or....]. Since most homes today have some kind of two-link
appliances, the prudent answer to the question would be NO - but that
does not mean that a surge protector installed at the service entrance
is useless."

> Where is
> each type of surge defined AND numbers for that protection?

Complete nonsense. Plug-in suppressors have MOVs from H-G, N-G, H-N.
That is all possible combinations and all possible surge modes.

>
> Any wire that is not earthed (by direct connection or protector)
> where it enters the building means no effective protection.

The required statement of religious belief in earthing.
Everyone is in favor of earthing. The only question is whether plug-in
suppressors work. Both the IEEE and NIST guides say plug-in suppressors
are effective. Read the sources.

There are 98,615,938 other web sites, including 13,843,032 by lunatics,
and w_ can't find another lunatic that says plug-in suppressors are NOT
effective. All you have is w_'s opinions based on his religious belief
in earthing.

w_ has never answered:
- Why do the only 2 examples of protection in the IEEE guide use plug-in
suppressors?
- Why does the NIST guide says plug-in suppressors are "the easiest
solution"?


bud--


Posted by w_tom on October 21, 2007, 1:17 pm
Bud's citations show how a plug-in protector works and why it will
even contribute to damage of the motherboard. In facilities that
require protection (ie your telephone Central Office with a computer
connected to overhead wires all over town), Bud's solution is not
used. They need protection; not enriching a manufacturer. Where
failure is not acceptable, plug-in protectors are not used. Bud's
plug-in protectors do not even claim, with numbers, to provide
protection. The NIST defines how it might work and then warns why
plug-in protectors are not effective:
> You cannot really suppress a surge altogether, nor
> "arrest" it. What these protective devices do is
> neither suppress nor arrest a surge, but simply
> divert it to ground, where it can do no harm.

Bud recommends protectors that don't have effective earthing. That
was even explained in that Electrical Engineering Times article
entitled "Protecting Electrical Devices from Lightning Transients".
Wire has impedance. The 'whole house' protector with a 'less than 10
foot' connection to earth can divert a surge to earth. Where is
lightning energy dissipated? In a protector? Yes, if fire is an
acceptable option. Energy must be dissipated in earth which is why
effective protectors have that short and dedicated earthing
connection.

Bud will avoid ALL discussion about earthing. His protectors have
no effective earthing. A $3 power strip with some $0.10 parts sells
for $25 or $150. With such massive profits, then truth becomes a
victim.

Undersizing makes it even more profitable. Another problem with
protectors that are missing that earthing connection - these 'scary
pictures':
http://www.hanford.gov/rl/?page=556&parent=554
http://www.westwhitelandfire.com/Articles/Surge%20Protectors.pdf
http://www.ddxg.net/old/surge_protectors.htm
http://www.zerosurge.com/HTML/movs.html
http://tinyurl.com/3x73ol or
http://www.esdjournal.com/techpapr/Pharr/INVESTIGATING%20SURGE%20SUPPRESSOR%20FIRES.doc

Same reason explains a Boston fire on 28 Sept :
http://www3.cw56.com/news/articles/local/BO63312/
"Fire rips through apartment home to college students"
> The two alarm fire engulfed an apartment building on Louis Prang Street.
>The fire was sparked by a surge protector on the second floor.

Ask Bud for specifications that list each type of surge AND numbers
for protection from each surge? Numbers do not exist. When
challenged to provide those numbers, Bud resorted to mockery and
insults. But then profits are at risk.

Bud's two citations both define why plug-in protectors cannot
accomplish what one 'whole house' protector does. So where does the
surge energy get dissipated? In those scary pictures? Effective
protectors dissipate lightning energy harmlessly in earth - without
those scary pictures. Effective protectors make surges irrelevant so
that a protector remains functional and the human never even knew a
surge existed. Just another reason why responsible homeowners instead
earth one 'whole house' protector. Spend less money for superior
protection.

Bud's second citation shows a plug-in protector too far from earth
ground and too close to appliances. Therefore it earths 8000 volts
destructively through an adjacent TV - Page 42 Figure 8. What kind of
protector is that? Ungrounded. That is what Bud promotes. Why does
the article from Electrical Engineering Times entitled "Protecting
Electrical Devices from Lightning Transients" not discuss plug-in
protectors? It is about surge protection - not scams. Protection is
completely about earthing.

Plug-in protectors don't have that earthing connection. Plug-in
protectors may be so grossly undersized (to increase profits) as to
even create those 'scary pictures'. Responsible engineering always
require earthing for protection. Your own telco does not use what Bud
recommends for the same reasons. Profits are at risk if you learn why
one 'whole house' protector does so much and costs less money. The
effective solution is a protector with a 'less than 10 foot'
connection to earth ground. That's one 'whole house' protector
without risk in those 'scary pictures'.

Distance to the earthing electrode is critical - which is why
Electrical Engineering Times provides a formula for wire impedance.
You need not perform that calculation. One 'whole house' protector
with a 'less than 10 foot' earthing connection means ignoring the
$3000 of plug-in protectors that Bud recommends.

> What does the NIST guide really say about plug-in suppressors?
> They are "the easiest solution".
>
> A second excellent guide on surges and surge protection from the IEEE is
at:http://omegaps.com/Lightning%20Guide_FINALpublishedversion_May051.pdf
> The IEEE guide also says plug-in suppressors are effective.
> ...
>
> Needs no protector? The IEEE guide notes that the voltage between cable
> center conductor and sheath is limited by the breakdown of F-connectors
> which is typically 2-4,000V. The guide notes that connected equipment
> can be damaged at those voltages. Plug-in suppressors will likely clamp
> the voltage to a reasonable level.
> ...
>
> The concern is not distance to common electrode but distance from phone,
> cable entry protector to the earthing wire at the power service.
> Francois Martzloff, who was the NIST guru on surges and wrote the NIST
> guide, has written "the impedance of the grounding system to `true
> earth' is far less important than the integrity of the bonding of the
> various parts of the grounding system."
>
> The IEEE guide says:
> "If the cable, satellite, or phone cables do not enter the building near
> the service entrance, the only effective way of protecting the equipment
> is to use a multiport protector."
> ...
>
> w_ has a religious belief (immune from challenge) that surge protection
> must use earthing. Thus in his view plug-in suppressors (which are not
> well earthed) can not possibly work. The IEEE guide explains plug-in
> suppressors work by CLAMPING the voltage on all wires (signal and power)
> to the common ground at the suppressor. Plug-in suppressors do not work
> primarily by earthing (or stopping or absorbing). The guide explains
> earthing occurs elsewhere. (Read the guide starting pdf page 40).
> ...
>
> Service panel suppressors are a good idea. What does the NIST guide say?
> "Q - Will a surge protector installed at the service entrance be
> sufficient for the whole house?
> A - There are two answers to than question: Yes for one-link appliances,
> No for two-link appliances [equipment connected to power AND phone or
> cable or....]. Since most homes today have some kind of two-link
> appliances, the prudent answer to the question would be NO - but that
> does not mean that a surge protector installed at the service entrance
> is useless."
> ...
>
> Complete nonsense. Plug-in suppressors have MOVs from H-G, N-G, H-N.
> That is all possible combinations and all possible surge modes.
> ...
>
> The required statement of religious belief in earthing.
> Everyone is in favor of earthing. The only question is whether plug-in
> suppressors work. Both the IEEE and NIST guides say plug-in suppressors
> are effective. Read the sources.
>
> There are 98,615,938 other web sites, including 13,843,032 by lunatics,
> and w_ can't find another lunatic that says plug-in suppressors are NOT
> effective. All you have is w_'s opinions based on his religious belief
> in earthing.
>
> w_ has never answered:
> - Why do the only 2 examples of protection in the IEEE guide use plug-in
> suppressors?
> - Why does the NIST guide says plug-in suppressors are "the easiest
> solution"?


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