SOLVED Power surges bad for PSU ?

[RubyBeats]

Sometimes i got power surges at home when my lights go on and off for like 1 second, is that bad for my PSU ?

Also if i got more power surges in the future is it advisable to buy a voltage protection like Belkin SurgeMaster ?

 

[Mandrake4565]

Yes and yes!

 

[caddi daddi]

very yes.
but what you really need in something like this to help smooth it out. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...rruptible_power_supply-_-42-101-311-_-Product

 

[Bobnova]

Power on/off stuff like that is definitely bad.
A "surge" is an incoming voltage higher than normal. Here in the US with 120vAC mains it has to be a pretty solid surge before it goes over the ~280VAC maximum PSUs can deal with. In Europe and other 240vAC areas you're closer to the cap.
The PSU should have surge suppression bits in it, but it's best to not stress them too much.

A basic APC to smooth things out is not a bad idea at all. A surge protecting power strip is a must. Do be aware that surge protectors die in the process of protecting from surges. They still deliver power, but won't block future surges.

 

[BobbyBubblehead]

Whole topic had me off reading this earlier http://www.portlandgeneral.com/safety_outages/surge_protection/understanding_surges_spikes.aspx

Grounding issues, capacitors switching at the sub station, general advice on how to separate appliances.

It was a pretty informative starting point on a bunch of topics.

 

[NiHaoMike]

Get a used rackmount APC and swap the batteries. It's the cheapest way I know of to get a top end UPS for cheap.

In addition to a good surge protector as the first line of defense, it helps to improve the ground by connecting the metal case of the UPS to a (metal) water pipe or the outside of a cable TV connector. (Or just get a surge protector that has coax surge protection, which ties the coax shield to mains ground.) Another trick (only for those good with electrical work) is to connect a few tens of uF of motor run caps from hot to neutral. The caps will absorb surges and EMI, but unlike MOVs, do not wear out stopping the small surges like the ones generated from switching inductive loads on and off.

 

[RubyBeats]

Okay thanks for the helpfull info i guess i'll go for the SurgeMaster because it's a little bit more efficient on the electricity bill.

Also i am curious what you guys think what the estimated life time of a PSU or PC in general will be if you got 2 surges a day....

--Edit, I'm not sure where those surges are comming from but i do know that we have a high energy consumption of almost ten thousand kWh a year, so maybe high power electrical devices can also cause surges ? And will it help to unplug some small power consumers like a phone charger or a desk lamp to reduce the voltage of the surges in general or is that nonsense ?

 

[BobbyBubblehead]

Look at the link I posted for you. That electric board have made a comprehensive a to z of possibilities.

 

[NiHaoMike]

That link gets a lot right but it lists an electric razor as power hungry. I don't actually own one but the ones I have seen only used a few watts. And no mention at all about plasma and CRT TVs, which are pretty power hungry. (LCDs, however, are quite efficient.) Incandescent and halogen lighting are also very inefficient, except when they're used for spot heating.

Assuming it's a residential building, most likely it's HVAC and/or hot water that are the main users.

 

[BobbyBubblehead]

Can't say I studied it all intensely.
Did it not say an electric razor is a known pollutant.
Context of power hungry is ridiculous as you say.
Not like it's electric hedge clippers with enough power to take your head off. Lol

Well I was pleasantly surprised of its content but I suppose some of its information may have missed it's mark from electrical engineers to Web site development.

Imagine a power hungry electric shave... For real man hair! funny mistake

 

[RubyBeats]

Can't say I studied it all intensely.
Did it not say an electric razor is a known pollutant.
Context of power hungry is ridiculous as you say.
Not like it's electric hedge clippers with enough power to take your head off. Lol

Well I was pleasantly surprised of its content but I suppose some of its information may have missed it's mark from electrical engineers to Web site development.

Imagine a power hungry electric shave... For real man hair! funny mistake

I laughed

 

[BobbyBubblehead]

Shaves as close as a blade or your head back

 

[RubyBeats]

View attachment 144934 View attachment 144935

Shaves as close as a blade or your head back

Real man don't use shaving foam