It's surge protector reminder time again.....

As people start getting their Pellets stacked all nice & cozy, and doing that full stove cleaning that was forgotten about after last winter, there are going to be many new "pellet heads" using their stoves for the first time this winter.

One of the MOST important pieces of equipment that should be purchased is a GOOD surge protector. With new control boards running $250 and higher, the surge unit is a CHEAP piece of insurance.

Here's some threads from the past:

www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/52543/

www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/46439/

www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/43337/

www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/41786/


PS The stove should be UNPLUGGED anytime it is not being used (summer).

Good Reminder. I'm sure many people forget such a simple device

Imacman has it right, PROTECT YOUR INVESTMENT!
I did my annual cleaning last eve. and hooked my baby up with a new APC surge arrestor/protector/ups battery backup.

Which APC did you get?

thanks pete, good point and right on time...

pete, this is the one you purchased this year, right?

http://www.amazon.com/Tripp-Lite-TRAVELCUBE-1-Outlet-Protector/dp/B00009K79U

I need to get a couple myself.

I also wonder if it may be wise to instead get a UPS for around $45 at Costco (bulky though and too many not needed outlets), I assume the stove will stay running giving you time to shut it down, can someone confirm if a UPS keps stove running for a small period of time?

..

ES 750

Yes it will, but it must be sized accordingly

only need one for the stove, that's it

I mean you need to size it accordingly for your stove (wattage and desired runtime)

I have a Monster SW200 hanging around collecting dust. I'll use that. Rated at 1100 joules.

oh, correct.

Then again, this will cause me to sell less control boards...

I should probably buy one this year... with my luck the surge protector will short out and fry my stove anyway!

The whole thing about this line of thought is, for me,
When do you lose your power? If you're like me, it's either the middle of the night, or while I'm at work. If you're sleeping, are you gonna wake up because the lights went out? If not, your UPS is gonna run down before you get up in the morning, so you still don't get the orderly, controlled shutdown. If you're at work, same scenario. Mine will continue to burn thru the "flicker on flicker off" stage, if yours won't UPS might help, BUT, will the electronics stand up to the potentially "dirty" power from the UPS?

Better than no luck at all ;-P

Yep, thats the one.

I have an APC 750. it's good for about 20 min.

I wish my stove had a usb port, so it could auto shut down after 5 min of running with no power so all the smoke/etc finish burning and the stove has at least a little bit of a chance to cool down. :D
works great on my computers

That will be the next step for the stove makers. Adding in an interface to the UPS units for auto shutdown. I am surprised they haven't added them already.

I wonder if we could hack the output of the UPS and connect it to the thermostat circuit on the stove? Never looked into how the USP signaled the PC.

it's mostly software. the usb connection is probably very basic. But, there's the "power chute" app from apc that controls the actual shut down of the pc/etc.

so, perhaps you're on to something with the thermostat. It would be very easy for them to make a firmware to support a shutdown request.


instant millionaire to the guy that figures it out first

Inside the UPS there has to be something that is energized or denergized when power is cut. I am thinking an external relay to control the stat. Basically a contact that closes when power is lost. Series with stat wont' work, But parallel may.

Worth looking into?

It's likely some sort of voltage regulator. When it drops below 103 volts or something, it triggers the warning sound and sends the signal to the software to start the countdown if no human is around to shut it/stop is manually.
I'm no electro engineer, so i won't be attempting anything like this. My hair is spikey enough naturally :D

Awh, Sparks can be fun! Just wear thick rubber gloves. :lol:

Just tossing some idea's out there. I will wait for the patended production model!

Both of my stoves are plugged into a UPS in the winter for short blips in the power
when we get storms. During the summer I just keep them unplugged.
Both using APC XS 1300VA with no issues.