gimmick?

[LonelyGhost]

i bought a new power bar for the computer today and when I plugged it into the wall socket a red light comes on and I'm thinking 'hey, plugs right into perb!' but then check the manual that came with this thing and it says that it is a "site wiring fault indicator" and that the house wiring may not be correctly installed ... well, it took me a few plugs before i found one that didn't give me that warning ...

is this just some gimmick or is this something that i should be worried about?

also ... what's important in surge protection ... is it the joules or the nanosecond response time or the sine waves or the price ... this one was less than $50 but Monster had one for $250 that didn't even include battery back up ...

 

[LordHammer]

I have seen this before. Maybe that plug was not grounded or what should be the +/- wires are inverted (it is supposed to be AC...) . I know of one occasion where switching the +/- fixed this, but most likely the plug you are using is not grounded. The risk? if there is a surge it may not be able to stop it.

The whole deal about the sine waves is mostly if you live in rural areas and the power is not stable. ie power varying between 110-115 volts. That variation can slowly kill the power supply of your computer. Which is 20-50 bucks. I would not worry about that if you live in Vancouver. The plug being grounded is way more important.

 

[LonelyGhost]

I don't live in Van and the power here seems to rise and fall depending on the time of day ... i have a little hepa filter on my desk and it will sometimes run like its going to die and then blast air like a jet taking off ... the place i am in was built in the 50's and the wiring has not been up-dated ... just got a new comp and want to keep it ... so am using this new powerbar and the one plug that seems to be safe.

 

[LordHammer]

Good move, if the power fails so low that it shuts down your computer, think about getting an UPS from APC. There are some cheap ones that will last 5 minutes or so.

 

[LonelyGhost]

thanks

 

[Maury Beniowski]

In layman's terms...

Reverse the polarity on your outlets, and the fault indication should disappear. The only problem that can arise with faulty wiring, is a drop in efficiency with certain appliances, and equipment that contains sensitive DC microcircuits - like computers. Theoretically, overvoltage conditions that arise from reversing the polarity, can void an appliance's warranty.

Simple explanation and fix...

 

[LonelyGhost]

a ha! and thanks!

 

[rickoshadows]

I've also noticed the warranty upsell on everything you buy. Radioshack tried to sell me a $5.00 warranty on a $14.00 fan. Fawk, its only $14.00, I think I'll risk it.

rickoshadows

 

[Maury Beniowski]

Generally speaking, cashiers get a commission for every extended warranty they sell. Stores usually put this money in escrow, and will draw from it using a formula that takes into account their exposure, a warranty time factor, and the amounts held. The kicker for them is most people either forget or neglect to claim after owning the appliance for a year. Consumers often are un-aware that many credit cards today have a warranty extension that either doubles or adds a year to the standard manufacturers' warranties, thereby providing redundant coverage should they choose to accept the stores' useless extended warranty programs.

Let's face it, insurance is the biggest legal racket going on the face of the earth, and it pays handsomely to play along with it. For instance, in the travel industry, agents receive a 40%-plus commission for every policy they sell. That means only 60% is used for administration, settling claims, and still make a tidy profit. And... they are compelled by law in this province to get you to sign off or accept their offer. So basically, they are theoretically "forced" to make a handy sum, just for doing what they are supposed to do. If they neglect to offer you travel insurance, travel agents are financially liable for any damages you incur during your trip. How's that for a business?

 

[WiYd]

Monster stuff is all overpriced crap. I bought a tv at Future Shop and they tried to suck me into buying friggin' Monster this and Monster that, power bar, component video cable, speaker cords, I had to basically say forget and keep your stupid tv. It's just add-on junk they try to sell you while your resistance is down.

It is not while your resistance is down.

The reason for pushing the accessories is that there is HUGE margins on that stuff... I could buy equivalent high end splitters, speaker wire and cables from one of my suppliers, mark them up 25% and my price would still be 1/2 of what Future Shop charges.

The same thing is true on the usb, firewire and networking cables.

 

[Kev]

Monster stuff is all overpriced crap. I bought a tv at Future Shop and they tried to suck me into buying friggin' Monster this and Monster that, power bar, component video cable, speaker cords, I had to basically say forget and keep your stupid tv. It's just add-on junk they try to sell you while your resistance is down.

Monster Cable is not worth the price if your using it on a system thats worth only a $1000 bucks. You won't notice the difference. Cheaper optical cables from XXX brand is going to be better for your system than high end RCA cables from Monster.

However if your system is worth $30,000 or more you would benefit from using Monster Cables. MC would allow your equipment to function at 100% capability. Its the reason you spent $30,000 in the first place. 100% capability --- Kev

 

[LonelyGhost]

but how much difference does all this $$$ make when you are looking for something to protect your computer from getting fried?

so I found a putatively 'safe' plug ... plugged in the power bar and all the componants and the phone and modem cable and wonder if its going to do the job or not ...

the $275 monster power bar promised not only 'surge' protection but 'clean' power ... huh?

 

[WiYd]

For your computer and other electronic equipment ideally you would have primary and secondary surge protection, meaning that you would have a surge suppressor in your breaker panel (protecting the whole house).. these are either a module that hardwires into the panel or the come in the form of a circuit breaker (IE.. Siemens QSA1515) and then you would use a power bar or outlet at your equipment that provides surge protection as well... then you are fully protected.

If it "cleans" power, that could mean a variety of things.. sometimes there are harmonics / noise that can damage equipment (which is called dirty power) and this noise is removed with filters.

More important, it does not say that it conditions your power. YOu do not alway get 120V sometimes it is more and sometimes it is less. A good UPS will automatically adjust your voltage if it is outside of your acceptable limits. IE if you are getting 105V, it would increase it to 110-120V and if it was 135V it would drop it down to around 120V.

I got a good UPS which protects from surges & conditions power as well as giving me battery backup for 1 hour should the power go down. (it cost about $1100)

 

[LonelyGhost]

$1100 ???? yikes ...

 

[Maury Beniowski]

On the other hand...

I don't think you need to spend that much to buy peace of mind LG, unless you are dealing with critical or sensitive corporate data, automated tape back-ups, etc... I have an APC 300VA UPS, which gives me surge and lightning protection, in addition to 14 min. backup battery power if the power should go out. If I'm not at the computer when the outage strikes, a serial feedback to the computer can initiate an automatic system shutdown. They can be had for a reasonably low cost ($100 or less) at Staples and other places, or cheaper if they are clearing them out. The 14 minute backup is also based on a CRT, so a FPD should give you a few more minutes, if that is your configuration.

You can find more useful info here:

APC Website

 

[LonelyGhost]

thanks maury,

I got the APC Surge Arrest 3400 ... has everything but the battery backup ... just wanted to be sure not to have this computer fried was all ...