We installed the Leviton unit and also use additional surge protection. Also our audio ecosystem is on a dedicated circuit with additional filtration and grounding.
Why whole house surge protectors are not enough
TL;DR:
One measure of a surge protector is the clamping voltage. That is, at what voltage does the surge protector actually start to work. Whole house surge protectors are limited to no less than ~ 600 Volts (instantaneous) between a leg and neutral or ground. That’s up to 1,200V if symmetrical.
The best surge protecting strips and conditioners clamp below 200 Volts.
Please keep this in mind when deciding whether or not to use surge protectors at your PC, stereo, TV, etc. in addition to a whole house unit.
I wrote more about this here:
https://inatinear.blogspot.com/2021/09/time-for-new-surge-suppression.html
No manufacturer of whole house surge protection claims that their devices alone are enough for sensitive electronics when you check the fine print.
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@nagel I don't know of any SPDs in panel that activate below 600V due to reliability/safety issues. That is, they can't use MOV's with lower voltages because they could activate too often. For this reason almost all SPD makers for panels have about the same clamping voltage. I think the Maximum Limited voltage is AFTER the MOV has activated. It goes up with more circuit resistance to ground. In other words, you could see a 600 V or higher at the AC line before the MOV kicks in. This is why downstream strips which can safely clamp ~ 200V can be so helpful. Not to mention, any series filtering will slow the pulse down so the protector can activate. |
So, MOVs are not perfect, or instant. They live in two states, denial and confusion. Hah! I mean, on and off. When off, they conduct no current at all. However when they DO turn on they are not perfect, which is what is meant by Maximum Limited Voltage. Essentially this is Ohms law:
V = A * R In other words, the voltage that remains at the MOV is proportional to the current it's shunting AND the MOV's resistance. In a perfect world, R would be 0 and therefore V would be zero. A perfect switch, and no voltage across it, but since MOVs are not perfect, even when they've fully activated and are conducting they will have some voltage across them. |
Isn't it so that depending on their specs, MOV's can "clip" those occasional transient peaks of current to your amps so your speakers can not express those flash cymbal crashes for example. That's the reason that I pulled my Richard Gray MOV power conditioner out from my system and placed a Seimens Pro 140 at the circuit breakers. I'm in S Florida so it's a risk but I don't want any MOV's by my equipment. I think the Shunyata designer feels the same. I have a tricked out PI Audio UBER Buss power conditioner though. |
- 71 posts total