Surge Protectors

[tw]

Originally Posted by busterb

Anyone try to repair one? I have 2 that the phone line's are bad. I took the smaller one apart, thinking that since I once repaired tv's and other things I might have a clue.
Someone had told me that were only a fuse or 2 and some caps., But ain't so. The fuses are soldered in, I can tell you there's more crap inside than a few caps. Guess a schematic would help, if can remember how to read.
I once work on electronics for a small living and even fixed a few.

Plug-in surge protectors will even contribute to damage of the adjacent electronics. The telephone company has already installed an effective protector on your phone line. To meet code requirements, this protector must connect less than 20 feet to a building's ground rod also used by the electric box. Homes that meet code requirements before 1990 may not have the necessary grounding. Grounding and not the protector is protection. Therefore plug-in protectors are also grossly undersized.

Special low capacitance protectors are required for phone line protection - ie Sidactors. But without proper grounding, the protector does not protect anything. Any protector sold by Best Buy is better called a scam. Effective protectors are sold in Home Depot and Lowes.

[busterb]

TW. I bought Belkin brand. BTW my phone wires were burned from the box down into ground. They ran a cable across the yard and didn't hook the grn. back up. I have called about it twice and made photos showing the grn. hanging loose.

[tw]

Originally Posted by busterb

TW. I bought Belkin brand. BTW my phone wires were burned from the box down into ground. They ran a cable across the yard and didn't hook the grn. back up. I have called about it twice and made photos showing the grn. hanging loose.

Get the specs for that Belkin. Where does it even claim to protect from longitudinal mode transients? Longitudinal are the type that cause hardware damage. Belkin doesn't even claim such protection.

That NID (phone line box) must connect to earth ground as even required by National Electrical Code:
From the National Electrical Code Article 800.30A:
> A listed primary protector shall be provided on each circuit
> run partly or entirely in aerial wire or aerial cable not
> confined within the block containing the building served so
> as to be exposed to accidental contact with electric light or
> power conductor operating at over 300 volts to ground. In
> addition, where there exists a lightning exposure, each
> interbuilding circuit on a premise shall be protected by a
> listed primary protector at each end of the interbuilding
> circuit.

Article 800.30B Location.
> The primary protector shall be located in, on, or immediately
> adjacent to the structure or building served and as close as
> practical to the point of entrance.

Article 800.31
> The primary protector shall consist of an arrester connected
> between each line conductor and ground in an appropriate
> mounting. Primary protector terminals shall be marked to
> indicate line and ground as applicable.

Article 800.40.A.3 Size
> The grounding conducotr shall not be smaller than 14 AWG.

Article 800.40.A.4 Length
> The primary protector grounding conductor shall be as short
> as practicable. In one- and two-family dwellings, the
> primary protector grounding conductor shall be as short as
> practicable, not to exceed 6.0 meters (20 ft) in length.


In short, your effective protector is installed by the telephone company for free, must be earthed, and must make that earthing connection as short as possible.

How do you know the Belkin does nothing effective? It has no earth ground AND does not even discuss earthing in a hope you will believe myths - buy their product. Notice it does not even claim longitudinal mode protection.

A phone call to the PUC may be required. Unfortunately, some jurisdictions that take a 'screw the NEC' attitude.

[busterb]

The phone co. came today and fixed the grnd. As for Belkin, I don't know but I had 2 piggied backed when it hit the fan here. It ripped the service from my house and 120 went to grnd. I was on computer when this happened, tv and I guess all the crap in house was on. I lost an old radio, numbers on microwave, and 2 of the energy saving light bulbs. Nothing else. So I have nothing else to compare them to.
TW. Screw the MBA's! And the insurance adjusters! yeah bb

[tw]

Originally Posted by busterb

The phone co. came today and fixed the grnd. As for Belkin, I don't know but I had 2 piggied backed when it hit the fan here.

I did not realize it was incoming via a fan. Protection from that is a well earthed Ben Franklin lightning rod or air terminal (not to be confused with Early Streamer Emission or ESE devices).

Meanwhile, what appear as 'piggy backed' or 'daisy chained' really are devices that connected as if just another appliance connected directly to AC mains. Don't let them confuse you. The device gets same protection whether it is plugged into the power strip OR shares same AC wall receptacle. They hope you will 'feel' the protector is between receptacle and device. Electrically, protector only connects to wall receptacle as if it was just another device that power strip. Electricity arrives at both device and protector circuit simultaneously - since both are connected in parallel (not in series) to AC mains.