Surge protector

I have a lot of free time on my hands and I try to stay on top of the weather and when there's any hint of thunderstorms in the area I flip the system circuit breaker (used to be three but I am now all on one) off.  I am thinking maybe I'll start turning it off after every session.  I also think I'll pick up a surge protecter for that circuit.

As Dweller said, unplug everything first sign of thunder.  

I am a ham also, and I unplug my antenna and throw the coax out the window if I see any lightning on the radar.  

Have to cut my listening short sometimes, but I doubt any surge suppressor will protect your gear from a direct strike.

I live in N. Florida and summer afternoons can be miserable.

Be safe.  -Jim

@erik_squires 

Thank you very much for the info.  What would you suggest I use as a surge protector?

@immatthewj 

Hopefully the electric company will pay something. I’m going to fill out a claim form. I’ll also check out the homeowner policy.

@rvpiano  , will your homeowners cover some of the cost?  And were the damaged components all that was plugged straight into the wall?

OP:

That is not a surge protector.  It's a very expensive power strip.  There's zero protection there.   Read the description carefully.  It doesn't even have a breaker or fuse.

Best,

Erik

I ordered this right after the incident.  It’s already been shipped:

Pangea Audio Octet Premier - 8 Outlet Power Center 20 Amp Outlet
 

I have an Isotech unit for my amps and a few other devices.

As I type this we have a strong but narrow thunderstorm moving through the area and yes, I’ve turned off the stereo and HT but I’m still online, allegedly working and studying. 😀 

Besides lightning we've lost 3 transformers nearby over the last two years for non weather related issues.  So, sure tell me all you want  to about how macho it is to run your amps straight into the wall, I don't care.  😀

@immatthewj - I was speaking to how I protect all the different devices in my home that are considered sensitive. Not all have the same needs.

For my stereo and home theater I use Furman. In terms of just surge protection and AC noise filtering I trust Furman more than anything else in my home, that’s why the most expensive gear I own is on Furman protectors. I also trust Tripp Lite for some things and for my PC I trust APC as being reliable enough.  My subwoofer is an exception because it's not located in a place convenient to the Furman. The sub is on a Tripp Lite.

For most other devices I use Tripp Lite except in the case of my Wifi router and PC when I use a UPS and rely on it’s built in surge protection. I use a UPS on my wifi router to keep my internet up even when the power goes out.

The only devices I have on a UPS are those I need to keep working even when the power goes out. I often work remotely, and power does go out here multiple times a year so my PC and my Internet have to last me at least through a video conference call. On the other hand, I really don’t need my stereo to be guaranteed to stay up through a typical blackout.

PS - I also have a whole house surge protector which protects the dozens of directly attached devices like my fire alarms, wifi enabled light switches, and GFCI outlets. They all have a rather high clamping voltage (~ 400 V/leg or higher) so they are no substitute when it comes to PC’s and stereo gear.  Furman clamps around 160V.  See the Wirecutter reviews for more specifics.

@erik_squires  , so to clarify from this quote below:

Hi OP: I meant to say that I use a Trip Lite everywhere except my PC because I have an Uninterruptable Power Supply.

Because Furman makes so many products it’s important to note whether they have SMP (Series Mode Protection) and LiFT (Linear Filtering). These are the two features to look out for surge protection but there are more expensive models with features like switched outlets, voltage regulation and power factor correction.

The PST-8 is around $200 and has both SMP and LiFT.

you suggest the PST-8 for audio if one does NOT have UPS?  (Sorry if I am beating you over the head with this question, but I will just have to defer to my previous comment regarding my diminishing reading comprehension skills.)

Hi OP: I meant to say that I use a Trip Lite everywhere except my PC because I have an Uninterruptable Power Supply.

Because Furman makes so many products it’s important to note whether they have SMP (Series Mode Protection) and LiFT (Linear Filtering). These are the two features to look out for surge protection but there are more expensive models with features like switched outlets, voltage regulation and power factor correction.

The PST-8 is around $200 and has both SMP and LiFT.

According to the latest Wirecutter testing they provide the lowest let-through voltage of any surge protector they tested, which included ZeroSurge.

@dweller ’s approach is good but here in SC I’m not always home when thunder rolls by. I absolutely turn the breaker off when the thunder gets close, but that’s probably only about 30% of the time there have been storms around my home.

@dweller  , I actually turn the dedicated circuit breaker off for my system because it is easier to access than my outlets, but something nasty could always sneak up when one was out of the house or asleep.

Uninterruptable Power Source/Supply (U.P.S.).

I ALWAYS unplug everything as soon as I hear thunder.

@erik_squires  , forgive me if I am missing something really obvious, but I will preface my question with the excuse that I am, at this point in my life, more than half blind, and not only that, my reading comprehension is getting worse as I age; but from your blog:

Tripp Lite Isobar Ultra

 

This is what I use everywhere except the audio/home theater or where I have a UPS. 

 

Best for Audio and Home Theater

Furman makes dozens of models of power strips and surge suppressors but the feature mix that are must haves are LiFT and SMP.  LiFT will reduce noise on the line and SMP is a hybrid series mode surge suppression.   In addition they have models for everything with features like remote triggers, voltage regulation, balanced outputs, coaxial surge suppression, separate filter banks, the list goes on!

 

Furman with LiFT and SMP

 

Furman seems to have discontinued the more affordable LiFT/SMP strips so I can no longer recommend them for general use.  If you don't need any of the advanced features beyond surge and noise suppression you should get a Tripp Lite Isobar Ultra instead for the price. 

What is the "UPS" you mentioned?

And I did go to the Furman link you provided and I saw a PL8C that did say it had SMP and LiFT for $255.  Would that be what I'd be looking for as related to protection for an audio system?

 It knocked out the sub woofer components of my GoldenEar Triton one speakers. In my ignorance I had them plugged into the wall rather than a surge protector. 

OP:  was everything else plugged into a surge protector, or was everything plugged into the wall and the sub components of your speakers were all that got knocked out?

Will your home owners cover any of this?

^^^^^^^^^

This, exactly this.  It isn't just the repair cost, it's the lifting and shipping.  An amp/ speaker that's blown sounds a lot worse than one plugged into a surge protector.

I wrote about this here:

You sure it’s not the fuse that needs to be replaced?