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Why whole house surge protectors are not enough

TL;DR:

One measure of a surge protector is the clamping voltage. That is, at what voltage does the surge protector actually start to work. Whole house surge protectors are limited to no less than ~ 600 Volts (instantaneous) between a leg and neutral or ground. That’s up to 1,200V if symmetrical.

The best surge protecting strips and conditioners clamp below 200 Volts.

Please keep this in mind when deciding whether or not to use surge protectors at your PC, stereo, TV, etc. in addition to a whole house unit.

I wrote more about this here:

 

https://inatinear.blogspot.com/2021/09/time-for-new-surge-suppression.html

No manufacturer of whole house surge protection claims that their devices alone are enough for sensitive electronics when you check the fine print.

erik_squires

Showing 2 responses by zlone

zlone
412 posts
 

@erik_squires 

Furman with LiFT and SMP has never let me down. Also provides excellent noise filtering.

Thanks Erik. Any models from Furman in particular that you recommend? Elite? Reference? Is Power Factor a worthwhile feature?

zlone
412 posts
 

I installed a Siemens whole house surge protector, and my gear is all plugged into n Emotiva CMX-6, which I am not sure provides surge protection. The amp is plugged into the wall which is a direct line to the breaker box. What do people recommend for surge protection that does not affect your audio quality? Also, the common recommendation is to plug your amp directly into the wall, are they better at dealing with surges or just worth the risk for the audio benefits?
 

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