I have a very inexpensive surge protector with my digital cable box and 19" CRT tv plugged into it. Last night, about 1 min after I turned the tv on, it turned off and would not turn back on. I unplugged it and plugged it back in and the same thing happened again. So I got out a power strip and plugged it into the same wall outlet. I plugged the tv into the power strip and the tv worked normally. What does this mean? Is something wrong with the surge protector or the tv? The cable box works fine plugged into the surge protector.
You have 'Electronics Hell'. The parts pass (rudimentary) tests, but do not work together.
How many outlets are ther in this 'very inexpensive surge protector'? Have you tried another outlet on the surge protector, or swapping the TV and cable box plugs to the other outlets if there are no spare outlets?
If this is an ultra cheap surge protector the most likely cause is a poor contact between the TV plug and the metal strip in the outlet.
Granted, it's only a cable box and a TV that could be replaced by picking up a free one on Craigslist, but using an inexpensive surge protector is a little like buying the cheapest parachute for skydiving. And no, I'm not suggesting buying a $50 Monster AV800.
Some of these cheap surge protector strips have an indicator showing the protection circuit is now dead and they cease to operate. presumably because too many spikes have wiped out the protection device. I had a couple, they lasted less than 6 months, so I ripped them apart and rewired them as standard power strips. JC
Does the cheap surge protector have a circuit breaker, or similar device? These can gradually develop a high series resistance. This will cause the breaker to heat up and open.
I was warned some years ago by a fire marshal that such cheap surge protector often cause fires by overheating.
Its a while back now but I think it had a MOV inside and some crappy little circuit board. I didn't spend much time looking at it, it annoyed me as I needed to use the equipment connected to it and didn't have a spare strip available. So very hasty hatchet job. JC
Any protector damaged by a surge was never doing any protection. In any facility that can never have damage, the protector is always located at the service entrance (ie breaker box) with the always required shot connection to earth.
TV connects directly to AC mains if plugged into that cheap protector. Only thing between the TV and AC mains a 15 amp circuit breaker. CB exists on every power strip - with or without protector circuits. Nothing inside a power strip protector changes electricity.
If the wall receptacle is worn (must be replaced), then a two prong TV plug can be intermittent. A three prong power strip plug would be held firmly. TVs also have internal protector circuits. That safety lockout is reset only by unplugging the TV. Two possible reasons for TV failure.
Not according to APC, et al. Most equipment-replacement warrantees require that the surge protector be damaged. By the manufacturer's reasoning, if the protector wasn't damaged, then it must have absorbed the surge -- and therefore the equipment could not have been damaged.
So what does this mean with regard to surge protection? Well, a typical surge protector (PowerSquid included) utilizes Metal Oxide Varistors (MOVs) to redirect electric currents above a specified voltage (clamping voltage) instead of allowing the surge to enter the connected equipment. The MOV absorbs the excess electrical energy - here is where the joule comes in - and dissipates it as heat energy. MOVs are rated by the number of joules that they can absorb, which is a finite number. Ultimately, after the MOVs absorb all of the joules that they can, the surge protector will activate its Tripwire Circuit and sacrifice itself for the betterment of the connected equipment. In other words: you will have to replace your surge protector,
William, 'westom' AKA 'W_Tom' is a well known troll with a hard-on for people who use surge protectors. No matter what evidence you provide, he will deny it and call you an idiot.
--
Politicians should only get paid if the budget is balanced, and there is
enough left over to pay them.
Quoting from a company promoting a scam makes no sense. You should "Read up on MOVs" and read the spec numbers. Take your own advice. How do hundreds of joules in a Belkin absorb surges that are hundreds of thousands of joules? It doen't. Why do you say otherwise? Because Belkin told you how to think?
All appliances already contain protection. A surge too small to overwhelm appliance protection, instead, destroys the protector. That gets the naive to buy more ineffective protectors and recommend them. Protectors that work by absorbing energy are a scam. And fail to promote excessively profitable sales. Take a $3 power strip. Add some ten cent protector parts. Sell it for a profitable $7 in the grocery store. Or hype myths to sell that same protector for $40 or $150 to the most naive.
Or learn what MOVs do when in properly earthed protectors. How to make a 'whole house' protector even more effective? Increase its joules. Then it will absorb even *less* energy during the same surge. Learn from a company promoting a scam. Or learn from MOV datasheets or even learn from Wikipedia. Effective protectors (and that means a 'less than 10 foot' connection to earth ground) increase joules to absorb less energy. Then the protector dissipates hundreds of thousands of joules harmlessly outside the building.. 'Whole house' protectors are sold by more responsible companies. Belkin is not on that list.
What is necessary to protect the Belkin or Jo's cheap power strip protector? One 'whole house' protector properly earthed to single point ground.
For about $1 per appliance, a homeowner can earth one 'whole house' protector that protects everything - more than just the TV. And that remains functional even after direct lightning strikes. Lightning is typically 20,000 amps. So the minimal 'whole house' protector starts at 50,000 amps. 'Whole house' protectors make trivial surges (hundreds of joules) irrelevant. And earth direct lightning strikes without damage to appliances or the protector. But that means you learn about MOVs and the technology from science sources - not from a company promoting a scam.
Provided for Jo are possible reasons why a TV might cut out and why unplugging resets a lockout function. A cheap protector connected that TV directly to AC mains. Made no electrical changes. Protector remains inert - does nothing - until 120 volts exceeds its let-through voltage: 330 volts. That cheap protector is not modifying electricity. Something else (maybe mechanical) would explain TV power off.
When a power strip surge protector circuit fails, it leaves the load (TV) still connected to AC mains and the surge. It only disconnects protector circuits to protect them; not the appliance.
Why did that TV not work when connected directly to the wall? Why did that TV work when connected via a cheap power strip? Protector circuit does nothing to change that electricity. Mechanical reasons (ie a three prong plug holds firmly while a two prong plug does not) would explain those symptoms. Why are you harping on some irrelevant electrical functions in a protector that does nothing for Jo's problem? A TV connected to a cheap protector connects directly to AC mains. Why would the TV not black out? More likely reason is a mechanical problem - ie a failing wall receptacle.
A defective breaker is another example of a mechanical defect. (Except if Jo was reseting the breaker and did not mention that part.) A power strip protector is no different from any other non- protector power strip when 120 volts remain below that 330 volts. As noted repeatedly, being a protector is irrelevant to TV power off. Either the protector is ripped apart to learn. Or it is binned and replaced by that better non-protector strip..
You're right, Michael. This guy has no idea what's he talking about.
It's worth repeating what the fire marshal told me... Cheap power strips (whether or not they have surge suppression) often have cheap breakers. These can develop sufficiently high resistance to the point where they overheat, even when the current draw is less than the maximum specified. He said they were a relatively common cause of fires.
MOVs normally fail by starting to conduct at "normal" voltages and go into thermal runaway. In the US, UL has required thermal disconnects for failing MOVs since 1998.
Many suppressors have the protected load connected across the MOVs, and the load is disconnected if the MOVs fail. If I remember right, UL listed suppressors are supposed to say if they are not connected that way.
ElectronDepot website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here.
All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.