TheWanderer Messages: 58 Registered: December 2018
Baron
In the past six weeks, the power in my home has gone out and then immediately back on again three times. I'm not sure what the heck is going on with the electricity in this city, but I'm worried about my electronics. Anyone have suggestions for the best way to protect them? Do I require anything more than a UPS?
If you are worried about the power surges destroying your electronics your best bet is in purchasing a surge protector. Does a UPS really prevent your electronics from being destroyed? It is also claimed that there are certain brands that have in-built mechanisms that prevent them from being damaged.
TheWanderer Messages: 58 Registered: December 2018
Baron
A UPS would certainly protect a device by maintaining its power at a certain level, would it not? Maybe I'm wrong about that! I was also under the impression that a UPS came with a power surge protector, but I see that's not always the case.
A UPS would certainly protect a device by maintaining its power at a certain level, would it not? Maybe I'm wrong about that! I was also under the impression that a UPS came with a power surge protector, but I see that's not always the case.
That's true because a UPS normally regulates incoming voltage besides providing an internal battery that lets it continue running if the power supply is cut. The surge protector, on the other hand, protects against surges or high voltage electrical spikes. I think it is important to have both.
I guess that your best bet is in having both a UPS and surge protector. A few years back, an electric fault let to a surge in our house and weren't it for the protector, a lot of our electronics would have been damaged.
Get a solar power, so you don't have to rely on the power grid.
Besides that, I think you can buy a power cord that has a power surge protector. You may have to spend quite a bit in order to plug in all your electronics to a power cord with a surge protector, but it beats buying UPS for all your electronics.
I have a UPS, but it is used only for my personal computer because I don't like to lose the data I'm working with when the computer turned off due to electrical issues. I don't know if it is a good idea to place UPS on all the electronics because there is a limit to how much a UPS can handle.
gofar99 Messages: 1957 Registered: May 2010 Location: Southern Arizona
Illuminati (5th Degree)
Hi An interesting issue. I use a power conditioner that will compensate for over and under voltages, spikes and EMI. The problem with many UPS is when the actually activate. The waveform many produce is not a clean sine wave. Often it is a stepped square wave. Some sensitive electronics might not be tolerant of it. Computers are designed to handle it (usually) so it is not an issue. I would personally use at lease a surge protector and prefer a power conditioner. I use an APC H15 series that is good for 15 amps. They show up used from time to time pretty cheap. If you go that way be sure that the seller will take it back if it is defective. They do fail from time to time (esp the H10s) and are too expensive to fix.
You can opt for a circuit breaker that has a power surge protector. You may have to hire an electrician to install this device. This is a good plan, especially when your area has frequent power disruptions.
Very interesting! After reading this, I did some research on what exactly a UPS was. I would honestly think that using a surge protector would be all you would need. You could use both though to be safe.
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