Power/Electricity setup - UPS, Surge protector, line conditioner...

[Anonymous4]

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[lordsmurf]

I operate off 3 separate UPS with AVR (line conditioning). Two are dedicated to computer, one to video. All of these are the $200+ units, with minimum 45-60 minutes power on full load.

[Anonymous4]

12

[redwudz]

I do have a surge protector with a MOV (Metal Oxide Varistor) and indicator on each of my power strips for my computers and electronic devices. That's only good for voltage surges. It also has a fuse for current overloads. A line conditioner is nice for a noisy AC supply, but your computer power supply is fairly good at filtering most noise.

A true UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) is more of a high end product. The consumer ones are a bit different, but some can regulate the output voltage and they all should be able to supply emergency power for a orderly shutdown of a PC. A UPS may also have a line conditioner incorporated.

I use a simple UPS with my modem, router and one computer, mostly to keep short power losses from resetting the system.

More important to me is to ensure that you have proper grounds on your outlets and your incoming line to your building has a proper ground to a ground stake at the fusebox/breaker box. I have also seen a few older buildings with three wire grounded type outlets, but no ground hooked up in the wall. Apparently they were changed to enable three wire plugs, but no ground wire was ran. That would make a lot of protector devices fairly useless.

If you have cable TV and incoming telephone lines, also make sure each has a proper grounding block and stake on the outside of the building.

Where I used to live, a power pole crossarm burned in two and the 2KV line fell down against the TV cable. We had about six inches of vaporized cable above our cable TV ground stake. But that ground saved the TV and stereo system and could have prevented a fire. Other houses lost their TVs as their grounds were poorly installed and maintained.

And this is more of a computer question. Moving you to that forum.

EDIT: My UPS is a 500VA APC unit that will run the system plugged into it for about ten minutes.

[Anonymous4]

12

[edDV]

First the problem needs to be stated rather than asking what others use for an unstated problem.

UPS is used to keep going on battery after a power failure.

Line conditioners deal with variable voltage including brownouts.

Surge protectors absorb spikes from power company switches or moderate lightening strikes.

If you connect AV equipment to a computer, you may experience ground loops unless all equipment share a common ground. Often this means all equipment share a common breaker circuit.


RE: redwudz

The cable company coax feed may also have improper grounding and be the source of ground loops or spikes from weather activity. They are responsisble to fix their ground if this is the problem. Disconnect the cable and see if the problem goes away.

[Anonymous4]

12

[edDV]

I'd keep all that equipment on Plugs 1 & 2 with surge protection at each plug for all. If you catch a large spike the surge protectors will need replacement so best to keep them separate from more expensive line conditioners or UPS.

If the UPS is fast switching or always running off batteries, it will keep your computer and recording equipment running when the sump pump or other appliances kick in. Be sure to research the specs to make sure they are fast switching.

You have lots of power draw there for a UPS. If you have a blackout the batteries will only last minutes depending on the number of volt-amps the equipment draws. You either need to limit connected equipment to items that must stay on (e.g. cable box,DVR/VCR + computer) or buy a very large $$$ UPS.

Total up the equipment power load as VA allowing extra as safety margin.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volt-ampere
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surge_protector
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uninterruptible_Power_Supply
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_conditioner

[ahhaa]

hi Dex-
You should also carefully read the UPS's Protection Guarantee.
Many makers (like Belkin & APC) have a lifetime 'equipment-plugged-into-our unit' warranty, but more & more you might find statements like this in the fine print:

Belkin insures your equipment against damage if your surge protector or UPS came with a Connected Equipment Warranty.

Usually there are conditions like initially registering the product that must be followed, but consider it this way-
you are also plugging your gear into an insurance policy. If lightning strikes, the more plugged into these UPS's the better... Also ask your dad about your homeowners insurance.

................

On a surge protector, if you are in the middle of recording a DVD from a one-time TV broadcast (like say the Olympics), and the power even just flickers for a few seconds:

you've lost that DVD, and may even have serious hard drive probs;
you've lost that event, and the time it took recording it.

With a UPS, if your source signal continues, you can continue recording just as if there was nothing wrong, even with a storm overhead. Been there done that!

...............

On the grounding issue, you can create your own direct ground source. If there is a metal water pipe nearby, or metal shielding on your supply cables, they may provide what you need. Worst case, you can run a ground wire down to a bronze stake in the ground, and then connect that to any circuits you are using right in the receptacles.

There are cheap little gizmos that plugs into any receptacle & tell you if your AC socket is up to snuff. You should tell your dad that the sump pump may also be not-so-slowly destroying his refrigerator, stereo, etc with those surges- they sound like that pump needs some maintenance asap.

[gadgetguy]

On the grounding issue, you can create your own direct ground source. If there is a metal water pipe nearby, or metal shielding on your supply cables, they may provide what you need. Worst case, you can run a ground wire down to a bronze stake in the ground, and then connect that to any circuits you are using right in the receptacles.

This is not a good idea. Many water pipes are now wholly or partially plastic and do not necessarily provide any connection to ground. Driving a ground rod and connecting your equipment to it may create a problem if that ground rod is not properly bonded to the source ground for the rest of electrical system.

[lordsmurf]

APC

[ahhaa]

Many water pipes are now wholly or partially plastic and do not necessarily provide any connection to ground.

which is why I said metal pipe & use a test instrument...

that ground rod is not properly bonded to the source ground for the rest of electrical system.

& how does the typical house get its reference ground? ...from a ground rod. If there is no ground at all arriving with the AC, there is no problem. If there is a reference ground arriving, and it is connected via the receptacle ground wiring to the secondary ground rod, again there is no problem. Which can be confirmed by the test instrument.

[gadgetguy]

A metal pipe does not mean it is a ground source. There could be plastic inside walls that the metal pipe is connected to, that you can't see. It may even be plastic or encased in plastic just outside of the house, making it a poor ground source. I don't see the part where you said "use a test instrument" unless you're referring to the "cheap little gizmos" which will not show you if you have a difference in ground potential. If there is no ground at the outlet is where you will most likely have a problem as the neutral will have a ground reference with the main. Your secondary ground rod could be at a different potential if it is not properly bonded. That difference in potential can manifest as video or audio noise.

[ahhaa]

gg- you still aren't getting it, and its really not worth the fuss.
THERE IS NO LOAD ON THE GROUND WIRING; you are confusing it with the neutral. If properly connected, the ground wiring itself will have the same potential at the ground rod(s), the service boxes, and every receptacle- that is its purpose. As far as the 'gizmo', you can get say, a Woods LED circuit tester for about $3 that will confirm a ground is present and the receptacle is wired up properly.

[gadgetguy]

You apparently still hold to the old adage, "ground is ground, the world around", but that has been proven to be wrong when it comes to electronic interference. Code requires all ground sources in a given structure to be bonded, in part because of the effects that have been discovered in electronics. Code has even gone so far as to require the rebar set in concrete to be bonded.

There are direct connections and there are induced connections and not having all of your grounds bonded can create differences in potential that create induced current flow. What you're advising would be OK from a safety standpoint, in that it would provide a fault with a direct path to ground, but stereos, televisions, cable boxes, etc. are highly susceptible to the kind of interference that the small differences in potential and induced currents that multiple, non-bonded grounds can cause. My electricians license and 30 years experience servicing alarm, electrical, telecommunications, and computer equipment has convinced me of the troubles caused by not properly bonding your ground sources, because I've seen it over and over.

[Anonymous4]

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[Anonymous4]

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[Anonymous4]

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[Bagheera]

I use a APC battery backup. Mine is a 650 unit. It has never failed me. I use one on my entertainment center, and one on my computer stuff. It has a built in spike/voltage protector as well as a phone line spike protector. If my power goes out, I can easily shut down my stuff properly without fear of problems. I highly recommend the APC units. Excellent stuff.