rack pdu surge protector

[westom]

Devices should provide either double insulation protection or be entirely earthed. I don't think the op expects the device to protect from a direct lightening strike to his computer so should really not be comparing these kinds of power levels.

Lightning and other equivalent sources are surges that overwhelm internal appliance protection. Nothing adjacent to an appliance even claims to protect from destructive surges. Quoted professional provide one reason. Excessive impedance. Your citations say same. You still confuse a wall receptacle safety ground with something completely different - earth ground. Still you confuse resistance with impedance. And now claim double insulation protects appliances. Please learn basic electrical concepts before recommending anything. Only a troll does what you have done.

Human safety is mostly defined by wire 'resistance'. Wire 'impedance' is relevant to a completely different electrical current. Due to impedance, informed consumers earth a proven protector at the service entrance connected to a completely different ground - earth ground.

Low impedance to earth (ie 'less than 3 meters') defines effective earthing. High impedance (a large separation between protector and appliance) further increases protection.

Sharp bends, splices, wire inside metallic conduit, and length too long (all found in household wiring) create excessive impedance. That should be obvious before recommending anything.

Same wire that may have 0.1 ohms resistance may also have 120 ohms impedance. A trivial 100 amp surge down that safety ground wire might create (120 times 100) something less than 12,000 volts. Where is protection? Compromised. Irresponsible is to recommend protectors by denying significance of and relevant numbers for impedance.

Fire, near zero spec numbers and a long list of other reasons are why facilities that cannot have damage do not waste money on strip protectors. Always properly earth a 'whole house' protector. This superior solution has a low impedance connection to earth. Not to a safety ground - to earth ground.

Ignore recommendations made by many who never did this stuff. If educated by advertising, they will even deny impedance as defined critical by professionals. Less than 12,000 volts can be ignored? Only a troll would ignorantly recommend a £55 scam while posting insults. Impedance is but one of so many reasons why informed consumers install the other, less expensive, and well proven solution.

Fire is another concern since adjacent protectors are undersized. Numerous professionals cite a fire threat especially when a 'whole house' protector is missing.

 

[Caged]

And again I ask you, name a product (not a selection of manufacturers) suitable for the UK market which provides whole-house surge protection.

They aren't necessary here because we don't have issues with power surges to the extent that the US does, our electricity is distributed in a fundamentally different way. We don't have transformers up poles serving 10 houses at a time.

 

[westom]

They aren't necessary here because we don't have issues with power surges to the extent that the US does,

BS6651 that defines surge protection in the UK is mostly word for word all but plagiarized from American and Canadian standards. Australian and New Zealand standards also use same wording. Same protection techniques are necessary and implemented all over the world - despite those denials unsupported by knowledge.

UK simply has surges less often. If one does not need a properly earthed 'whole house' solution, then nobody need waste so much quid (ie £55) on plug-in and undersized protectors. Then superior protection already inside every appliance is more than sufficient and not compromised by an adjacent power strip.

 

[Armageus]

then nobody need waste so much quid (ie £55) on plug-in and undersized protectors.

Did you even read my last posts - no power strips cost £55

£22 for a decent one, or £8 for a single socket protector.

My post has plenty of figures for you to criticise - go and read it and keep on trolling.

Why this thread hasn't been locked and you haven't been banned yet I have no idea.

 

[Caged]

And again I ask you, name a product (not a selection of manufacturers) suitable for the UK market which provides whole-house surge protection.

You can't do it.

 

[westom]

Did you even read my last posts - no power strips cost £55

Power strips recommended at the start of this thread were £55. But then you also did not read earlier posts that define £22 as not only excessive, but can also compromise superior protection already inside appliances. Please stop recommending protectors that do not even claim to protect from destructive surges. Please stop recommending items when even the manufacturer spec numbers do not say what you believe.

Originally recommended power strip protector, using hearsay (no technical facts) was £55. It could also sell for £10 at a healthy profit.

A simple question that you must and continue to avoid. Where do hundreds of thousands of joules harmlessly dissipate? I do not intend to convince you of anything. Demonstrated is how advertising so easily manipulates and entrenches urban myths. Why do you constantly attack rather than learn? Why spend excessively on products that, in rare cases, even create house fires. To do protection that the manufacturer does not even claim to provide.

How do hundreds of joules in that protector absorb a surge that is hundreds of thousands of joules? Why do you always ignore that question? Persional attacks prove some kind of technical superiority? Numbers such as less than 5 nanoseconds mean nothing had you first learned this stuff. How does it absorb hundreds of thousands of joules? It doesn't. Read its spec numbers. It claims to protect from a type of surge made irrelevant by what is already inside all appliances.

Another, superior, and less expensive solution has been provided repeatedly. Why do you even deny something proven by over 100 years of science and experience? Advertising works.

 

[Caged]

The problem is that you've come into the thread saying how surge protectors and UPSes are somehow a waste of money and useless, but haven't managed to present an alternative other than far too many words and a hastily-Googled list of fires caused by faulty power strips and some quotes which you haven't attributed to anything, which aren't relevant to the argument in any way.

What are you trying to protect against? If it's a power surge down the mains then you're in the UK so you don't have to worry about it. If it's a lightning strike then you can't really do anything about that anyway - nothing attached to your incoming supply is going to stop a direct hit blowing a chunk of roof out and frying electrical items.

 

[Fr0dders]

Another, superior, and less expensive solution has been provided repeatedly. Why do you even deny something proven by over 100 years of science and experience? Advertising works.

why is every link you post to a US website ?

How long do we have to go on with this BS parade before you back down and admit that all of your posting in here are based upon no real knowledge of how the UK electricity distribution networks work and you're basing all of your posts on your non relevant experience of US electricity supply.

The products you are advocating aren't for sale in this county because we don't need them in this county.

 

[Armageus]

Power strips recommended at the start of this thread were £55. ...
Originally recommended power strip protector, using hearsay (no technical facts) was £55. It could also sell for £10 at a healthy profit.

The original lindy one @ £55 was in reference to the OP wanting a rack mount surge protector - thus answering his question. Yes it costs £55, but that is largely rack mount premium and a not as popular brand - nothing more. It is not representative of the cost of Surge Protectors on the whole.

Numbers such as less than 5 nanoseconds mean nothing had you first learned this stuff. How does it absorb hundreds of thousands of joules? It doesn't. Read its spec numbers.

So Specs are pointless without knowledge or being able to prove it myself? Do I need a degree in Engineering to verify that my car has 200 Horsepower, because clearly I can't trust the manufacturer? Or maybe I need to buy a £200 lux meter to prove that my 99p lightbulb really is 40 Watts?
Maybe I should weigh every item of food I buy, to make sure the manufacturer isn't "lying" about the spec of weight?

How far do you take this? Maybe in the US or wherever you are companies can get away with making up facts, but not in the UK - or not to the degree you are suggesting.

Another, superior, and less expensive solution has been provided repeatedly. Why do you even deny something proven by over 100 years of science and experience? Advertising works.

Because as stated in the UK you need an electrician to fit a "whole house" solution. Whereas everyone else can buy a surge protector, plug it in and have some degree of piece of mind.

 

[iraiguana]

Sadly your understanding of impedance is again simplistic in view. Obviously two wires of the same metal can produce different values of impedance, depending on the wire gauge and length impacting on any installation (or product as usually these are self contained). The tight bends must be breaking/disconnecting the internally braided/wrapped wires - this falls under the category of exceeding the curvature limitations of the wires as defined by the manufacturer (Also known as breaking the wire).

You have ignored the difference of the two in how they play important roles in understanding the effect of current flow in a circuit.

You're concept of a 3 meter space being 'low' impedance is quite frankly insane.

Double insulated devices are still deemed safe to use in the UK, our PAT testing rules allow such devices and I am surprised you are not aware of this.

To transport to earth the energies you are talking about you would require three-phase power (not typically available to homes) or an incredibly fast burst of energy through the breakers in the house (fuse box fire would surely ensue in such circumstances). A typical UK breaker is limited up to 100 A ish, at 240 V (recently reduced to 230V?), limiting the spike to approximately 24KJ. A lot of power, but then each plug is fused to 13 A, further limiting this. The mains cables all can handle substantially more than this.

I am at a loss of what possible catastrophic level of power is surging into peoples homes that you could possible suggest 3 meter air gaps, to earth grounding devices provides a real world and necessary safety precaution.

These devices are not for absorbing the power and dissipating it. They are fused to kill the circuit, the gap provides the protection from further current ingress into your devices, whilst the excess power is drained to earth by the UK earth pin in the plug.

As already stated above the cost is for a rack mounted unit, not unreasonable in cost (Otherwise please post a cheaper alternative). Your solution appears to coincide more with industrial construction, whereby lightning protection is more commonly employe as usually the structure is larger than a home, and also situated with few surrounding trees and thus is the tallest structure in the area, increasing its risk of lightening strike. However, the mains power inside of these structures (general wiring beyond the mains power connection) is the same standard reversible connection.