Power Cords/ Conditioner/Surge Protectors

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/seeking-a-power-conditioner

+1 to all that have responded. Good information. Thanks.

Just realize no surge protector will protect your equipment from a direct, or near, lightning strike.  However, it’s smart to utilize one for lessor surge events. 

Nearly all surge suppressors use MOV’s.

MOV’s fail silently with no warning. They go bad from repeated micro-surges. It is recommended by many that you replace your surge suppressors every year or 2 depending on where you live.

 

I lost $14,000.00 worth of AVR, BD player, and projector to a failed surge suppressor. The worst part is that I knew that they can fail silently, and did nothing about it.

Any idea what created the surge?

Direct lightning strike?

A utility power overvoltage surge?

Other?

An MOV will not protect from a direct lightning strike or from a utility overvoltage event. They are designed to protect from a high overvoltage transient event that only lasts for a micro to a few milliseconds. In less than a blink of an eye. An MOV will clamp the transient in one nano second or less.  You are wasting your money on cheap SPD power strips. 

FYI, a plug-in type 3 SPD will not protect from a high voltage transient surge or spike, if the branch circuit wiring the SPD is plugged into, is less than 30ft from the main electrical service panel. In this instance the length of the branch circuit wiring matters.

The first line of defense to divert a nearby lightning strike or a Utility power company high voltage transient surge to mother earth ground, is a low resistance System Ground, Grounding Electrode System, connection to mother earth for the main electrical service ground. IEEE recommends 5 ohms or less. Simple Ohms Law is at play. The lower the ground Electrode to soil resistance the better.

Next line of defense is a good Type 1 (at service meter) or Type 2 (at main electrical service equipment disconnecting means) at the electrical service panel.

If the above conditions are not met, the ability of the plug-in Type 3 SPD to protect the connected loads, is greatly diminished.

The best protection for audio equipment during thunderstorms is to unplug the equipment from the AC mains outlet(s).

I lost $14,000.00 worth of AVR, BD player, and projector to a failed surge suppressor.

Internet connection? Wire Coax Cable to your house or Fiber Optics. If wire Coax Cable, was it, is it, properly grounded to the Electrical Service System Ground before it enters your house?

If Fiber optics it needs to enter the house.

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@mikhailark  Virtually none do which doesn't prove anything one way or the other