OT - surge protectors

[verbs4us]

So the amplifier blew and I brought it to the shop and the repair guy, who is a factory certified tech, diagnosed the problem as one internal fuse blown-- which he had never seen (on this model amp) in 25 years of servicing. So I suspect my surge protector is not protective. Electrician comes out and says that surge protectors have a limited life (who knew?) since Con Ed is allowed some fluctuation on the voltage coming in the house. And there might have been a few thunderstorms, etc. Bottom line is a ten-year-old surge protector needs replacing because they wear out. Anyone have recommendations, other than "the cheapest Amazon has", to protect a tube amp that is worth something?

[Black Dog]

Call an electrician and have whole house surge protection installed at the panel. best solution by far.

[sitzmark]

For valuable electronics best to go with high quality UPS/Surge, but if need something inexpensive and quick-to-deploy with better than average protection ...

TrippLite Isobar (ISOBLOK2-0). Will run $25-$35 depending on where you buy it. Should be available through Amazon.

[pjm]

Unplug it when you’re not using it. Thats what I do with my stuff.

[Ozz]

For valuable electronics best to go with high quality UPS/Surge, but if need something inexpensive and quick-to-deploy with better than average protection ...

TrippLite Isobar (ISOBLOK2-0). Will run $25-$35 depending on where you buy it. Should be available through Amazon.

Just picked up one of these about a month ago...

[cderalow]

Call an electrician and have whole house surge protection installed at the panel. best solution by far.

this, followed with one at the equipment itself as well.

[Bob Ross]

Get one that doesn't use MOVs. They are not only sacrificial when they're hit with a surge, but they're also the component that "wears out" [sic] under normal voltage conditions.

...eventually.

[Ken Robb]

what is an MOV?

[Louis]

There's some good info here:

https://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-surge-protector/

The recommend a Tripp Lite, but if you want to go whole-hog they say a Furman Powerstation 8 ($145) is the way to go.

[kingpin75s]

if you want to go whole-hog they say a Furman Powerstation 8 ($145) is the way to go.

My understanding is these are a good product and a very good value.

A power conditioner with surge suppression which is a good choice when it comes to an amp of any kind. Surge suppression systems alone will generally add noise to your system. A conditioner should filter low level noise and protect the equipment.

I run Shunyata power conditioners so I have clearly bought in to the value of the product type. They have made a difference in my system and the protection is important for all my tubes.

[Tony T]

Also a good idea to use one on you cable, satellite or antenna and telephone/DSL line.

[Bob Ross]

what is an MOV?

Metal-Oxide Varistor (https://www.electroschematics.com/5224/metal-oxide-varistor/)

[Peter P.]

what is an MOV?

Metal Oxide Varistor.

The two specs you should be interested in when purchasing a surge protector are:

Response Time-faster is better.

The number of Joules the unit is rated to handle-more is better.

The fuse in your amp protected your amp, so I wouldn't sweat it. You may want to ask your repair shop technician if they can relocate the fuseholder so the fuse would be user-replaceable.

[Peter P.]

what is an MOV?

Metal Oxide Varistor.

The two specs you should be interested in when purchasing a surge protector are:

Response Time-faster is better.

The number of Joules the unit is rated to handle-more is better.

The fuse in your amp protected your amp, so I wouldn't sweat it. You may want to ask your repair shop technician if they can relocate the fuseholder so the fuse would be user-replaceable.

What kind of amp are you talking about; a stereo or musical instrument amp?

[verbs4us]

Many thanks guys. Great info here, as always. And I learned a new term: metal oxide varistor. Is it made of drillium?;)

[benb]

The Furman products are great.

I have the cheaper one that looks like a 2x3 power brick but has some rudimentary filtering in it.

It makes a noticeable difference with my electric guitar rig. To be fair though if you were talking about a HI-Fi rig those usually seem vastly more resistant to this kind of stuff. Guitar amps are way more finicky.

The fuse you blew.. those also blow more commonly on guitar amps. Particularly tube amps the fuse is there to protect if/when a power tube blows or if you plug into the wrong voltage. Hi-Fi tube amps might have the same scenario, maybe solid state ones do too, but again all those probably blow way less often than tube guitar amps as tube guitar amps are often kind of wonky designs that do stuff like abuse the tubes to get a particular sound.

[blantonator]

Surge protectors are usually just made up with a TVS (transient voltage suppressor). These have a total energy rating in joules and degrade every time a transient voltage is suppressed, or you have a power surge. They will wear out and should be replaced every couple years.

<- Electrical Engineer.

[blantonator]

Call an electrician and have whole house surge protection installed at the panel. best solution by far.

This will wear out too.

[verbs4us]

The TrippLite apparently cuts power once its ability to absorb surges is weakened, so it tells you when its life span is up. Nice feature for a fair price.

[Louis]

Bumping this thread because unfortunately my parents (who live in Haiti) - and some of their neighbors - had a problem with the local utility-supplied power a few nights ago. They lost the TV, the washing machine, all the lights that were on at the time, the internet radio, their inverter, which is connected to a huge bank of batteries that along with a generator can supply power when the notoriously unreliable utility is not, and probably a few other things they didn't mention. This wasn't due to a storm, but a malfunction of the utilty's hardware.

Of course the power company won't pay for any of the damage...

Bottom line, can anyone recommend a very good whole-house surge-protector? I'd buy it here in the US and send it down to them. My quick research so far indicates that they really don't seem to be that expensive, so if a given model needs to be replaced after x years it's still worth it.

TIA
Louis