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Tweaks for systems, rooms and Do It Yourself (DIY) help. FAQ.

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Surge protectors and audio.

Posted by Al Sekela on June 14, 2007 at 09:09:38:
There is always a risk of a massive power voltage surge, even in areas with little thunderstorm activity. For example, a drunk driver could crash into a power pole and the resulting electrical mayhem could dump several thousand volts into your house until the power company's automatic protection devices shut it down (this has actually happened in my town).

The small surge protectors sold for home use are just about worthless. They use small devices called Metal Oxide Varistors (MOV) to absorb surge energy. These devices wear out as they absorb small spikes, so they are likely to have much less absorption capacity than when they are new if they have been in service for a while. They are physically too small to absorb much energy in any case.

There are more sophisticated devices available, but these are still physically small and will be overwhelmed by a large spike.

You can get whole-house surge protectors, that are installed by electricians at your power entry point. These are expensive but more likely to protect your equipment and appliances.

My approach is to assume the risk. Equipment with large power transformers is already self-protected by the nature of the transformers' primary windings. The Hammond choke tweak is another good spike protection method. The Brick Wall should work as well, but I don't have experience with it.

Your risk from lack of an AC safety-earth connection is to your safety, not to your equipment. You only have a risk if your equipment has its exposed metal connected to the third pin of the power cord. Some equipment accepts three-wire power cords but does not have this connection.