Surge Protectors? Any recomendations?

[Joe.G]

Hi all, I did a search but everything is old that I am finding, Any recommendations on a surge protector for the pellet stove? I do have a 8,000 Watt generator that I may need to use that supposedly puts out clean power and is safe for electronics. But I would not mind a little piece of mind. Thanks

 

[Ssyko]

Amazon product ASIN B00006B81D

 

[SidecarFlip]

We were discussing them just a month ago. Sysko and myself and some others on here use the Tripp-Lite outlet surge protector (I think 34 bucks on Amazon. Nice unit, plugs into the outlet and secures to the outlet's plate cover screw so it stays secure. Has 2 LED fault lights on it, both green, good to go, either red means no ground or tripped.

Far as your genny goes, Clean power is a misnomer. To make clean power under varying loads, the genny must be an inverter, solid state unit excitation unit. If it's not, output can vary (as well as the CPS under load). Only an inverter genny produces pure sine wave power, the rest produce modified sine wave and youe elctronics (including your computer) prefer PSW power.

I'm no electrician and not an electronic whiz but the unit will state it's PSW in data sheet if it is.

Maybe Sysko will chime in. I have issues screwing in light bulbs....

We have a large John Deere power diesel standby genset that runs the entire farm and taps into the 1000 gallon diesel storage tank with a 500 amp auto transfer switch so 60 seconds after utility drop out, we are on backup. Necessary here with the farm. Wasn't cheap but a good investment when it's needed. Out here, when the power goes out, it's usually out for days on end. Had it professionally installed, like I said, I'm light bulb challenged.

 

[SidecarFlip]

Amazon product ASIN B00006B81D

Hey bud, cat got tongue...........?

 

[jackman]

I use a UPS instead of just a surge protector. Choose either a pure sine wave or modified sine wave UPS depending on the make and model of stove.

 

[Ssyko]

no not really -14 this morning and stove issues in E-mail. and the phone ringing off the hook. OP asked for recommendation so pretty much covered that lol what brand gen do you have Joe?

 

[SidecarFlip]

-14.... Ohhhhh... It's 20 here with a winter weather advisory. I might have to put the blower on the back of the cab farm tractor today... If we get it, you'll get it in 2 days after it picks up extra moisture from the lakes.... 3-5 here and windy and that means drifting. I love snow drifts in a 100 horse front wheel assist cabbed tractor. Blower out back, 10 foot power angle plow on the front with tire chains on the front drive wheels, I'm an unstoppable snow machine.... 3 closed circuit cams to watch everything happening as well.

Time to go feed stock, put out a round bale and have my oatmeal. Need to get dressed first.

 

[Joe.G]

The Amazon reviews on the unit linked above are pretty bad. I have a Champion unit that is the only one they produced that was not a inverter that tested with very low sine waves and it is rated safe for electronics. This unit is no longer made.

 

[Ssyko]

well that's up to you. if its a psw genny just use a UPS to make sure the wave form stays true and run it.
The root problem is that regular gas generators cannot produce a "clean" sine wave because they change speeds slightly during operation. When the speed changes, the wave changes slightly. This isn't a problem for regular electrical devices like incandescent lights, power tools, "basic" refrigerators, etc. They merely need the flow, not so much the sine wave.
Anything in the "consumer electronics" category, however, is not so lucky. Most of these devices rely on the sine wave for timing, and normal generators won't cut it here. Inverters fix the issue by inverting DC to AC. As the output is consistent, consumer electronics will run relatively well on them. That's the main reason you buy these types of generators. If consumer electronics won't run on them, they're overpriced regular generators.
Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) is the stated measurement related to the quality of electricity.The amount of THD will influence how your equipment may respond or perform. When power quality is discussed, you will hear terms like “clean electricity” and sine wave power. What these refer to is the lower harmonic distortion of the electrical AC wave and the ability to take square wave generated electrical power and smooth the edges to produce a phase that is smoother and less square.

 

[Joe.G]

I don't know much about this stuff, But all the specs for my Unit state it is 5% or less THD and all the indepent tests that I read show it producing Pure sine wave, But I have no clue its just what I have read, they know longer produce this model but I am told that it is perfectly fine for Electronics of all kinds. I wanted the surger protector for general surges .

 

[Ssyko]

the only true pure sine wave is from the power company. Or a dc to ac inverter. You will more than likely be safe to run thhe electronics in your home as long as the load on the generator stays relatively even. Not rising or lowering rpm’s frequently. The surge protector i posted i have 3 in my lab an 1 on my big screen and 1 on my enviro. Had a few lighting storms and power outages and everything still works so I’m happy with them. Amazon ratings i could care less about, 30-40 users i know around the US have and recommend so thats good enough for me.

 

[gfreek]

I don't trust Amazon ratings. IMO... Some still work even after an "event", but not protecting
Also they should be changed every couple of years.. I have them all over and one on my panel box. Last surge I had took out my meter..

The Best Surge Protector

Tripp Lite’s Protect It 12-Outlet Surge Protector TLP1208SAT absorbs thousands of volts so they won’t fry your gear, and it helpfully lets you know when its protection wears out.

www.nytimes.com

 

[SidecarFlip]

Candidly, I don't hold much candle in any review on Amazon, on anything.

 

[Nate R]

What about just doing a full-house surge protector in the electrical panel? They're not that expensive now, and reviews seem decent....

 

[bostonfan49]

Just a reminder on corded surge protectors, make sure they have the Red and Green trip lights and that the green light is ON! Your surge protector ( generally) is good only for one good surge/strike and then it trips to Red. At that point you have no further protection! Toasty, in Vermont!

 

[SidecarFlip]

I look at a surge protector like a condom for electronics. Once you use it, you toss it. You don't rinse it out and reuse it.

 

[zrock]

well that's up to you. if its a psw genny just use a UPS to make sure the wave form stays true and run it.
The root problem is that regular gas generators cannot produce a "clean" sine wave because they change speeds slightly during operation. When the speed changes, the wave changes slightly. This isn't a problem for regular electrical devices like incandescent lights, power tools, "basic" refrigerators, etc. They merely need the flow, not so much the sine wave.
Anything in the "consumer electronics" category, however, is not so lucky. Most of these devices rely on the sine wave for timing, and normal generators won't cut it here. Inverters fix the issue by inverting DC to AC. As the output is consistent, consumer electronics will run relatively well on them. That's the main reason you buy these types of generators. If consumer electronics won't run on them, they're overpriced regular generators.
Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) is the stated measurement related to the quality of electricity.The amount of THD will influence how your equipment may respond or perform. When power quality is discussed, you will hear terms like “clean electricity” and sine wave power. What these refer to is the lower harmonic distortion of the electrical AC wave and the ability to take square wave generated electrical power and smooth the edges to produce a phase that is smoother and less square.

If you put a UPS on a non PSW genny will it clean up the power from the genny?