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30 Years, 5 Cities, Many Storms - Not One Failure

As I am tempted by offerings for the newest crop of expensive, high end surge suppressors and power conditioners, I thought I might share with the Audiogon community a particuarly inexpensive one which I have been using since 1978.

Through the years, I have moved at least 8 times, lived in 5 different cities through all seasons including stormy Northeastern winters, Summer "brownouts", total blackouts and countless late Summer, high humidity thunderstorms.

I have owned tube gear, solid state gear, televisions, video devices, LCD projectors - the works - typically leaving all my components on 24/7.

In my latest house, I reported in another thread that the village infrastructure is not so robust; my wall voltage fluctuates from 114 - 124 volts, and we reguarly see brownouts in the summer and power outages in both winter and summer when storms knock branches into the above ground power lines.

Would you like to know my low cost secret for protecting all these components?

NOTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That right, I have NEVER used a surge suppressor or power conditioner of any kind. I have never unplugged any equipment during a storm - in fact I usually didnt even turn it off.

So as much as I am always seeking new ways to throw money at this lifelong hobby of mine, I am little confused about all the fuss on power conditioners and in particular, surge suppressors.

Does this thread surprise any of you?
cwlondon
eldartford
4,262 posts
 
I am also skeptical of all the hype about "conditioning" the AC power. Maybe I am just lucky to live in a rural area, and have audio equipment with good power supplies, but I have been unable to hear any degradation as a result of noise on the ac power. I have cell phones, cordless phones, fluorescent lights, dimmers, and even a device designed to repel mice by deliberately putting HF on the power line, and nothing seems to affect the audio system. Or the TV for that matter.

A surge arrester is quite a different matter. During thunder storms we do get spikes, and I have had unprotected electronic equipment damaged, although the audio system was not affected. By the way, turning things off does little good, as the voltage spike will jump right over the switch contacts. Unplug to be safe.
calbrs03
184 posts
 
I'm skeptical of power conditioning as well. And yet, I own a power conditioner/surge suppressor. I also unplug the damn thing at the first crack of thunder. I live under alternating sieges of superstition and hokum.
jwmazur
190 posts
 
It doesn't necessarily have to fail during a storm or event. If the power supply isn't up to all the surges, sags, and spikes that come through over the course of time, the cummulative affect can cause failure on a bright sunny day.
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ncarv
983 posts
 
I have had equipment destroyed by lightning strike, though it was many years ago. I have since added surge protection and power conditioning. Power conditioning is a matter of choice. I suppose surge protection is, too, but the difference is that no harm will come from not having power conditioning.
Unfortunately, the only thing that makes a believer is to experience the unfortunate event. I put a burglar alarm in my house after it was robbed. I got hurricane shutters after being hit by hurricanes. I'm guilty of the same attitude.
Sometimes you can learn from other people's experiences. Sometimes you don't want to learn.
jeff_jones
418 posts
 
I've got a pc and ss, but I love to ride motorcycles and sometimes I run with scissors.
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