[goggled]

My LCD, Sky Box,DVDR, and VCR are connected to the wall power socket via a standard 4 way lead. That lead is npt surge protected.

Firstly, even though my house insurance includes accidental damage to contents, is it worth replacing the lead with one the includes surge protection?

Secondly, I've been viewing the Argos catalogue, (you guys may know better sources of info), and they have surge protected leads supposedly specially for TV.AV equipment. Are such really worth the extra cost or is it just a marketing ploy?

Lastly most of the leads have 1m or more cable that I do not need, so perhaps articles that fit straight in to the wall socket, or that have retractable leads might get my consideration.

All and any advice will be welcome, but please do not say,"you're an idiot!", too harshly.

[stvn758]

Well when a light bulb dies in our home the main fuse trips, I did buy a surge protector multi-plug because there wasn't much difference in the price - I probably wouldn't spend a fortune on one though.

[bobcar]

I have these on all my sockets feeding electronic kit, make sure you get one with EMI suppression.

Several times (at friends houses) I've solved problems with Freeview glitches by installing one of these. Things like central heating, fridges etc can cause spikes down the mains and though these can and should be fixed at source I very much believe in belt and braces.

I think that if more care was taken by people with their Sky+/HD installation by not fitting in cabinets and having EMI suppression mains filters then they may have less problems, these things are cheap and unlike expensive HDMI cables can have an effect (at worst if you have good mains they do nothing).

[goggled]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bobcar

I have these on all my sockets feeding electronic kit, make sure you get one with EMI suppression.

.......
I think that if more care was taken by people with their Sky+/HD installation by not fitting in cabinets and having EMI suppression mains filters then they may have less problems, these things are cheap and unlike expensive HDMI cables can have an effect (at worst if you have good mains they do nothing).

EMI suppression, will that be obvious from the box, or are there makes that are guaranteed to have it? Anyhow parading my ignorance what;s EMI? Out house was fitted with circuit breakers in place of fuses, if thet nakes any odds.

[stvn758]

Electromagnetic Interference, radio waves and so forth. My mum's plasma panel has a large block of plastic on the mains lead, I think that has something do with it.

[_ben]

Quote:

Originally Posted by goggled

Anyhow parading my ignorance what;s EMI?

ElectroMagnetic Interference. Surge protectors work by shorting excess voltage to earth, so any voltage spike in excess of, say, 400V will be shorted. Incidentally, voltage spikes above 6kV don't normally reach your appliances because the air gaps between the conductors inside your plugs and sockets are designed to be small enough that excess voltage will arc across to earth at 6kV. But excess voltage isn't the only problem you can have with your mains supply. The mains frequency is 50Hz, but spikes are transient short-lived events that have much higher frequency components into the kHz and MHz range. These radio frequencies can propagate through circuits in unpredictable ways and cause all sorts of problems, like normal radio interference but conducted through the mains rather than received through your aerial. EMI (also known as RFI - Radio Frequency Interference) filters block these higher frequencies and prevent them entering your appliances via the mains.

[bobcar]

Quote:

Originally Posted by goggled

EMI suppression, will that be obvious from the box, or are there makes that are guaranteed to have it? Anyhow parading my ignorance what;s EMI? Out house was fitted with circuit breakers in place of fuses, if thet nakes any odds.

It will say in the blurb, most of the Belkins have this I think.

The circuit breakers make no difference to this they are just a more convenient fuse though earth leakage trips are an important safety feature.

[Majestyc]

Note that it's well worth getting these from an online PC components retailer as opposed to the high street - I have seven or eight of the mid-level Belkins which I paid on average £5 each for. In a shop they'd be four times that amount.

[Chris Frost]

The other good reason to get surge protectors - Lightening Strike!

I've been to installations hit by lightening. The worst two - a £12K Barco projector fried to death and a PC system killed.

[goggled]

Thanks As an aside, we have a substation next door but one, that used to cut out fairly often. Can such proximity bring problems?

[Nigel Goodwin]

You need to bear in mind that the UK has probably the best electrical system in the world, it's far more reliable than other countries, and less prone to large spikes and faults.

The chances of anything happening that a surge protector will safe your equipment from is extremely low - any close lightning strike is going to kill the protector as well as all your equipment.

If it makes you feel better, by all means buy and fit one - it's cheap, and may do a little something under the right circumstances.

[Chparmar]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nigel Goodwin

The chances of anything happening that a surge protector will safe your equipment from is extremely low - any close lightning strike is going to kill the protector as well as all your equipment.

What about all these warranty guarantees on these protectors, that say they cover your equipment for a large amount of money?

I have, I think a Belkin Pure A/V protector that says it covers equipment worth up to £50,000.

[Nigel Goodwin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chparmar

What about all these warranty guarantees on these protectors, that say they cover your equipment for a large amount of money?

I have, I think a Belkin Pure A/V protector that says it covers equipment worth up to £50,000.

Have you ever heard of anyone claiming successfully on those warranties?.

But in any case you are essentially paying a one off insurance fee, for an event that is really extremely unlikely.

[Chparmar]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nigel Goodwin

Have you ever heard of anyone claiming successfully on those warranties?.

No.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nigel Goodwin

But in any case you are essentially paying a one off insurance fee, for an event that is really extremely unlikely.

Yeah. I can't see lighting damage or any other electrical damage hurting my equipment ever! But I still use one for "precautions" It does however, clean up my picture slightly, I think if you have a lot of stuff connected together, it might prove useful.

[bobcar]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nigel Goodwin

You need to bear in mind that the UK has probably the best electrical system in the world, it's far more reliable than other countries, and less prone to large spikes and faults.

The chances of anything happening that a surge protector will safe your equipment from is extremely low - any close lightning strike is going to kill the protector as well as all your equipment.

If it makes you feel better, by all means buy and fit one - it's cheap, and may do a little something under the right circumstances.

The EMI suppression can be extremely useful and I have "cured" problems with interference on Freeview boxes several times. The mains supply may be okay at source but fridges and central heating etc can often cause spikes that can glitch the box.

[_ben]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chparmar

I can't see lighting damage or any other electrical damage hurting my equipment ever!

My last PC was killed to death when lightning knocked out the mains supply. A few years before that my dad's modem was killed by lightning entering via the phone line (the modem was USB powered from the PC which was fine, so we assume the lightning got in via the phone line). When my PC got fried I thought about getting a surge protector or UPS, but ended up just getting a laptop and hoping that any damage won't get further than the power supply, which can always be replaced.

EDIT: Just found a site I was trying to remember about surge protectors;
http://www.totse.com/en/technology/c...ogy/surge.html

[kassieq]

I am not an electronically minded person, but can give you a story from experience.

A few years ago whilst living in the US a friend recommended surge protectors to me, I duly bought them for computers, TV etc. A few weeks later we had a huge storm that knocked out electricity in our area, the only TVs etc. in our street not trashed were mine and a few others who also had surge protectors, I have used them ever since.

[Nigel Goodwin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kassieq

I am not an electronically minded person, but can give you a story from experience.

A few years ago whilst living in the US a friend recommended surge protectors to me, I duly bought them for computers, TV etc. A few weeks later we had a huge storm that knocked out electricity in our area, the only TVs etc. in our street not trashed were mine and a few others who also had surge protectors, I have used them ever since.

The USA seem to have really poor electricity infrastructure, so it's far more trouble over there than here.

They also have a LOT more lightning trouble than we do in the UK, it's a lot 'gentler' place to live over here

[goggled]

Is it true that when an American sees a .exe file, he shoots the computer?

[Glawster2002]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chparmar

Yeah. I can't see lighting damage or any other electrical damage hurting my equipment ever!

Back in the days of "dial-up" internet access I had an internal modem fried when lightening struck the telephone cable, so it certainly does happen!

[gilo]

I've just bought a belkin one.Is it ok to leave it on 24/7 for my cordless phones, sky box etc.

[goggled]

OT but I thought to pop in to the local Argos: some have half price cable tidy if bought together. Thwarted as they do not have the tidys in stock. I suppose it's a way to make an apparently generous offer.

[bobcar]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gilo

I've just bought a belkin one.Is it ok to leave it on 24/7 for my cordless phones, sky box etc.

Yes..

[frasera]

just get a reasonably priced one.
no, most surge protectors cant protect from lightening. its a myth that they do. along with fancy 2000% markup cables surge protection/filtering is where many electronics stores make their profit during sale of other electronics.