Path: utzoo!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sun-barr!newstop!texsun!letni!rwsys!kf5iw!k5qwb!lrk From: lrk@k5qwb.UUCP (Lyn R. Kennedy) Newsgroups: sci.electronics Subject: Re: Whole house surge suppresser ? Message-ID: Date: 6 Mar 91 01:23:10 GMT References: <17708@milton.u.washington.edu> Organization: Radio Amateur k5qwb Lines: 32 whit@milton.u.washington.edu (John Whitmore) writes: > In article <1991Mar3.132431.22282@dg-rtp.dg.com> miller@dg-rtp.dg.com (Mark M > > > My house is starting to become littered with varistor equipped > > power-strips, and now little individual outlet jobbie$, in an > > attempt to keep some of my equipment from getting fried from > > AC line spikes. > > > Is your area plagued by power surges? I've never had > much trouble in Seattle. Rural wires have longer runs between > transformers (the power transformer is a very good surge > barrier), so get more significant surges. Microsecond excursions > to 700-2000V are not uncommon. > > John Whitmore I was at a friends house once when the air-conditioner came on and the lights went brighter rather than dimmer. He said it always did that, so i went with him to the breaker panel. A short examination and I pulled the main switch. We spent an hour or so repairing the neutral wire which fixed the problem. If your house is wired for 110-220 and some voltages increase when things start up, you may be in big trouble. Problems with the neutral wiring can set the place on fire. Not trying to scare you but play it safe. --------- 73, lrk utacfd.utarl.edu!letni!rwsys!kf5iw!k5qwb!lrk P.O. Box 5133, Ovilla, TX, USA 75154