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30 Years, 5 Cities, Many Storms - Not One Failure

As I am tempted by offerings for the newest crop of expensive, high end surge suppressors and power conditioners, I thought I might share with the Audiogon community a particuarly inexpensive one which I have been using since 1978.

Through the years, I have moved at least 8 times, lived in 5 different cities through all seasons including stormy Northeastern winters, Summer "brownouts", total blackouts and countless late Summer, high humidity thunderstorms.

I have owned tube gear, solid state gear, televisions, video devices, LCD projectors - the works - typically leaving all my components on 24/7.

In my latest house, I reported in another thread that the village infrastructure is not so robust; my wall voltage fluctuates from 114 - 124 volts, and we reguarly see brownouts in the summer and power outages in both winter and summer when storms knock branches into the above ground power lines.

Would you like to know my low cost secret for protecting all these components?

NOTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That right, I have NEVER used a surge suppressor or power conditioner of any kind. I have never unplugged any equipment during a storm - in fact I usually didnt even turn it off.

So as much as I am always seeking new ways to throw money at this lifelong hobby of mine, I am little confused about all the fuss on power conditioners and in particular, surge suppressors.

Does this thread surprise any of you?
cwlondon

Showing 1 response by herman

herman
2,215 posts
 
I take it you don’t work in the insurance industry. Your reasoning, if you can call it that, is completely flawed. You can't take the data from a very small sample (you) and apply it to the masses when doing a statistical analysis of risk vs. cost. That is completely backwards. You have to look at the percentage of systems that do get hit and then the cost of your system vs. the cost of protecting it.

Your line of reasoning is akin to these pearls of wisdom I’ve heard over the years.

“I drive drunk all the time and I’ve never had a problem.”
“I’ve been smoking for 30 years and it’s never hurt me.”
“Chester married his sister and their kids seem normal.” (I live in TN)
“Seat belts will just trap you in the wreck; I would rather be thrown free.”

OK, that last one doesn’t apply but it’s just as dim-witted.
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