Thank you surge protectors!!

[Detonate]

Power outage at my house today was accompanied by several high voltage spikes. The spikes were so severe the current actually jumped light switches and caused lights to flash on and off. Four circuit breakers in my electrical panel were tripped. Made loud cracking sounds as the current jumped the switches. I have never seen this before except with a lightning strike. There was no lightning today. Power was out for two hours. All of my computer equipment was plugged into two surge protectors. Two desktops and monitors, two printers, and my DSL modem and router. Both surge protectors worked!! But they valiantly gave their lives in protecting my equipment. Fearing the worst, I went to town and bought a new surge protector, brought it home and plugged everything in and turned it on. I did not think it was safe to try anything without surge protection due to the recent events. Everything is working!!

If you don't have everything protected do so today!!

BTW, I live in a neighborhood where all of the utilities are underground.

[westom]

Re: Thank you surge protectors!!

You have no reason to believe that protector did anything. How many ‘easier to damage’ appliances also failed? Dimmer switches. Digital clocks. Bathroom and kitchen GFCIs. Smoke detectors. Furnace.

All appliances - especially a computer - contain superior protection. A surge too tiny to overwhelm that protection destroys a grossly undersized and obscenely profitable protector. Any protector that fails during a surge provided no protection. It disconnected as fast as possible to avoid a house fire. Left the computer to protect itself. Surge was too tiny to harm anything else - including a computer.

Protection means you never even knew a surge existed. Even a protector must not fail. Informed homeowners earth one 'whole house' protector. Then everything is protected. Then even direct lightning strikes do not cause damage.

Makes no difference whether wires are underground or overhead. Surges enter via both. Protection means all three AC wires must be earthed before entering the building. So that energy is not inside hunting for earth ground destructively via digital clocks, dishwasher, your computer, or that grossly undersized power strip. One 'whole house' protector comes from more responsible companies such as General Electric, ABB, Siemens, Leviton, Intermatic, and Square D - to only name but a few. A Cutler-Hammer solution sells in Lowes and Home Depot for less than $50. Protection from all types of surges. And protection for that grossly undersized power strip protector.

With that power strip, also worry about a house fire. Created by that strip. Another reason why informed homeowners earth only one 'whole house' protector to protect everything.

[Detonate]

Re: Thank you surge protectors!!

Thanks for the education. Amazingly none of the other electronics in the house seemed to be affected. Microwave, DVR, TV, all OK. So I believe this establishes your point. The only thing that failed was those surge protectors. I took them apart and they were badly burned inside with blown capacitors and resistors. I could not believe the power of these surges that could actually jump switches with a loud cracking sound and cause lights to momentarily come on. As I said, I have only seen this before in a lightning storm, and there was no storm yesterday. I am going to look into the whole house protector. As I said, I had four circuit breakers pop during this incident.

[Snowhog]

Re: Thank you surge protectors!!

I would seriously concider replacing the light switches that were affected by the current 'jump'. Far less expensive to replace them than to risk having them 'arc' again later and possibly start a fire.

[westom]

Re: Thank you surge protectors!!

I could not believe the power of these surges that could actually jump switches with a loud cracking sound and cause lights to momentarily come on. As I said, I have only seen this before in a lightning storm, and there was no storm yesterday.

Appreciate other factors. Surges are not voltage sources. A surge is a current source. That means voltage will increase as necessary to blow through to earth. A circuit breaker may be rated to disconnect up to 10,000 volts. That means higher voltages will continue to flow through an open breaker. Surge current may increase voltage to 10,000 volts to flow even through an open breaker.

Nothing stops a surge. Nothing. A surge is near zero volts when connected as short as possible to earth. Is why effective protectors are 'whole house' type. Why a best protector costs about $1 per protected appliance. With an ‘always required’ short (ie 'less than 10 foot') and dedicated connection to single point earth ground.

Surges are not just lightning. Stray cars, falling high voltage wires, and utility switching are other surge generators. Even blue sky lighting exists. Anything that required manual intervention is also ineffective and foolish protection. Meanwhile, destructive surges occur typically once every seven years. Most transients are made completely irrelevant by protection already inside each appliance.

Protection means no energy inside a building. Protection means energy dissipates harmlessly outside the building. Protection is always defined by and is only as good as earth ground. Where energy must dissipate. So that energy is not inside hunting for earth destructively via appliances. Or destroying ineffective power strip protectors.

Above is only your secondary protection system. Also inspect the primary surge protection system. A picture of what to inspect:
http://www.tvtower.com/fpl.html

[westom]

Re: Thank you surge protectors!!

As I said, I had four circuit breakers pop during this incident.

Surges are so quick as to never trip a breaker or fuse. 300 consecutive surges could pass through before the breaker even considered tripping. But another higher energy transient can follow. Utility power.

A surge can constructive plasma paths. Long after the surge ends, utility power can continue conducting on those plasma paths. Breaker would trip due to what is called follow-through current. Follow-through current typically has much greater energy.

Inspect items on those four tripping circuits. Look for any reasons why a plasma path created what could have latter been a destructive short circuit. Something that might cause future failures. Not likely a problem. But you are well advised to inspect anyway.

[Detonate]

Re: Thank you surge protectors!!

Correction to above. My wife's O2 Concentrater failed. It was running during the incident, and would not work afterwards. Luckily we had a backup.