Due to superior protection already inside all appliances, a surge too tiny to damage appliances can still destroy a grossly undersized protector. Remember - the honest answers always include numbers. How does that protector rated at hundreds of joules somehow absorb a destructive surge that is hundred of thousands of joules? That is what myths claim.
Often, a smaller surge (too tiny to damage any appliance) instead destroys a grossly undersized protector. That gets the most naive to ‘assume’, “My protector sacrificed itself to save my computer.” Nonsense. That is an example of why knowledge from observation is called junk science.
Junk science routinely avoids numbers. Read its spec numbers How does a protector rated at hundreds or a thousand joules stop or absorb a surge that is hundreds of thousands of joules? How does its 2 centimeter part stop what three miles of sky could not? Obviously it cannot and does not.
These concepts were understood over 100 years ago. But so many consumers, instead, believe advertising and urban myths. Advertising that subjectively claims a 300 joule protector (three MOVs) is somehow 100% protection. Legal is to make any claim without numbers. The so many who ignore numbers then automatically believe advertising.
How does that protector work? Grossly undersized MOVs are connected via a thermal fuse. That fuse must disconnect as fast as possible so that MOVs do not create a house fire. Thermal fuse (completely different from the 15 amp breaker) blows to protect MOVs. And leaves a surge connected to appliances.
No problem. Appliances already contain superior protection.
Sometimes that fuse does not blow fast enough. A fire marshal (see previous post) described a resulting fire. In Australia, melbourne architect in “Safety Switches / Surge Protection” at described a protector that created a fire in an Australian fire house:
In West Whiteland PA, a fire company showed pictures of protectors that almost caused a fire. And issued this warning:
Examples of house fires are many. Because an adjacent protector is often grossly undersized - a profit center. Take a $4 power strip. Add some 10 cent protector parts. Sell it at extreme profit for $25 or $40. Or sell the same strip with fancier paint for $80 or $120 (ie Monster Cable). Then the naive consumer knows it is better only because it cost more. Nonsense. It is electrically equivalent to one selling in Walmart for less than $10.
Was it recommended by first learning facts and numbers? Or did someone see it fail - then speculate only from observation? Knowledge from observation is classic junk science reasoning. The previously cited fire marshall summarized facts.
Every consumer can immediately separate ineffective protectors that do not claim protection from a completely different device also called a protector. The effective ‘whole house’ protector has a wire to earth. A connection that must be as short as possible (ie ‘less than 10 feet’). So that a consumer says where hundreds of thousands of joules harmlessly dissipate. Only then does the minimally sized ‘whole house’ protector (at least 50,000 amps) earth all surges (including direct lightning strikes) and not fail. Only then does nobody know a surge even existed.
No protector does protection. Protection is performed by earth ground. The effective protector connects surges harmlessly to earth. Ineffective protectors will not even discuss where hundreds of thousands of joules dissipate. Honesty (ie numbers) can harm sales.
A ‘whole house’ protector is how protection was done even 100 years ago. A grossly undersized protector (a potential house fire) fails to promote sales and increase profits. Unfortunately, most recommend only what hearsay and advertising has told them. Any recommendation with spec numbers is bogus (ie junk science).
The informed learn that a failed protector did not protection. And then read numbers to know why. How did its hundreds of joules stop a surge that is hundreds of thousands of joules? It didn’t.
Fortunately, best protection at the appliance is already inside that appliance. Be concerned about a rare surge (maybe once every seven years) that can overwhelm internal appliance protection. Only a properly earthed ‘whole house’ protector (50,000 amps or higher) connects a typically destructive surge to what does all protection - single point earth ground.
Effective protection is always about connecting and dissipating energy harmlessly in earth. Always. A protector is only as effective as its earth ground. An informed consumer knows where energy is absorbed so that nothing - not even the protector - is damaged.
