Read manufacturer specifications. Even a UPS manufacturer does not claim surge protection. They do subjectively in advertising. Lying in subjective advertising is legal. If a UPS really does something, then it is stated in spec numbers. Post those numbers here. Where does your UPS claim any surge protection?

Numbers are required for any honest answer. Myths also claim circuit breaker do protection. Numbers say something completely different. First, circuit breakers take tens of milliseconds or longer to trip. Surges are done in microseconds. 300 consecutive surges could pass through a circuit breaker before it even thought about tripping.

Second, how does that millimeter gap inside a circuit breaker stop what three kilometers of sky could not? How does that 2 centimeter part inside a UPS stop what kilometers of sky could not? Damning questions.

No protector does protection. Two types of protectors exist. An effective protector has a connection to what does all protection. Single point earth ground. If that protector does not have the low impedance ('less than 3 meter') connection to earth, then the protector is a profit center; not protection.

Protection is always about where hundreds of thousands of joules dissipate. Some protection systems have no protectors. But every effective protection layer always has an earth ground. Always.

How to quickly identity the ineffective protectors (or UPS)? 1) No dedicated wire for the always required short (ie 'less than 3 meters') connection to earth. 2) Manufacturer will not discuss earthing. Earth ground (not any protector) does protection. Every incoming wire connects short to earth either directly (ie cable TV, satellite dish). Or makes that earth ground connection via a protector (AC electric, telephone). Ineffective protectors do not have that earthing. And claim its hundreds of joules will absorb hundreds of thousands of joules.

Science of protection is simple: protectors. The art of protection is earthing. Best protection means one directs most attention to providing a 'whole house' protector with a shortest connection to a best and single point earth ground.

A protector is only as effective as its earth ground. A protector without earthing does not provide and does not claim to provide protection. A protector that does not have that dedicated earthing wire is only a profit center. Read specification numbers. Protection is always about where those hundreds of thousands of joules dissipate.

Simple rules quickly identify effective and ineffective solutions.

If that inductive kick exists, then it happens 120 times every second. Since AC power turns off (goes to zero) 120 times per second.

That inductive kick only exists in speculation. Include numbers. Any spike is noise - ie at most tens of volts. Protection already inside every appliance makes that noise irrelevant.

Anyone can know this. If motorized appliances are creating surges, then we are all trooping to stores daily to replace destroyed clocks, dimmer switches, smoke detectors, RCDs, recharging phones, etc. No such spike exists except where hearsay is misrepresented as fact.

Also irrelevant is a transient created by magnetic fields. That hearsay also only exists when numbers are ignored. And in direct contradiction to what is routinely observed. Surges are created by direct lightning strikes, linemen errors, stray cars, etc.

All appliances contain robust protection. Concern is a rare transient that can overwhelm that protection. As noted previously, these transients must be earthed BEFORE entering a building. These transients occur maybe once every seven years. Lightning is but one common example.

Effective protection means one can say where hundreds of thousands of joules are harmlessly absorbed. That means a surge connects low impedance (ie less than 3 meters, no sharp wire bends) to earth either directly (ie TV cable). Or a surge protector does what that hardwire does better.

An effective protector does not foolishly try to block or absorb a surge. An effective protector is a connecting device to what actually does protection - to what absorbs hundreds of thousands of joules - single point earth ground. As a connecting device, that protector must be rated at least 50,000 amps. Because a typical lightning strike might be 20,000 amps. Because protection means nobody even knew a surge existed. Because a protector must not fail - must not be damaged by a surge.

Protection is always about where hundreds of thousands of joules dissipate. A protector is only as effective as its earth ground.

This post has been edited by westom: Jan 8 2016, 11:40 PM

Will a millimeters gap inside a switch stop what three kilometers of sky could not?

Surge protectors are not for surges too small to harm appliances. Surge protectors are for rare transients that cause damage - such as lightning.

Switch will only disconnect one wire. Other wires remain connected. Once a surge is all but inviting inside, then it hunts for earth ground destructively via appliances. It blows through that open switch or connects destructively via other 'not disconnected' wires.

Either a surge is earthed BEFORE entering. Or best protection (which is already inside appliances) must do protection. Surges too tiny to overwhelm protection inside appliances may even destroy plug-in (near zero) protectors - if switched off or on.

Only a fool tries to 'block' or 'absorb' a surge that was all but inviting inside - to hunt for earth ground destructively via appliances. Protection is possible only if a destructive current connects to earth BEFORE entering. That has never changed in over 100 years.

Read spec numbers. To have any less joules, it must be zero. Tiniest protection in a UPS does not claim effective protection.

Protection is defined by a simple question. Where do hundreds of thousands of joules harmlessly dissipate?

A Bestek or Belkin (thousand joules) claims more protection. It is extremely expensive and is still near zero protection. No earth ground means no effective protection.

Recommended is an only solution that means no surge current is anywhere inside. A properly earthed 'whole house' protector must be installed in a breaker box.

No circuit breaker or fuse does any such protection. Numbers must always exist. Fuse takes milliseconds or minutes to trip. Surges do damage in microseconds.

Or another number. How does a millimeters gap in a fuse or breaker stop what three kilometers of sky cannot? Numbers say no surge protection.

Effective protection is for all types of surges - including and not limited to lightning. Even a Cal-Lab does not claim such protection. Always demand numbers. Effective protectors make a low impedance (ie less than 3 meter) connection to earth. Over 100 years of well proven science has not changed because hearsay or advertising says so - without numbers.

This post has been edited by westom: Sep 20 2017, 09:38 PM

Lightning strikes only 10 meter from a long wire antenna. That biggest induce surge puts thousands of volts on that antenna and its lead. An NE-2 neon glow lamp is attached to that lead. Then thousands of volts drops to something like 60.

Defined is energy numbers for induced surges. A one milliamp lamp is sufficient to reduce thousands of volts down to ten. Energy content of an induced surge is that tiny. Protection already inside every appliance makes a 'feared' nearby strike irrelevant. That emotion only exists when one has a conclusion but forgets to first learn numbers.

UL1449 says nothing about appliance protection. UL is only about protecting human life - not appliances. A protector can be grossly undersized and still be UL1449 listed as long as its self destruction (catastrophic failure) does not spit sparks and fire during their tests. Tiny joule (plug-in) protectors can fail on UL's last test - be ineffective protection - and still be UL listed. UL is only about protecting humans - not appliances. A UL listed protector can fail catastrophically - in violation of MOV datasheets - and still be UL1449 listed.

The informed spend tens of times less money to properly earth a sufficiently sized 'whole house' protector. These are so robust as to easily earth direct lightning strikes without damage. That and earth ground (not UL1449) defines an effective protector. Some UL1449 listed protectors are so grossly undersized (hundreds or thousand joules) as to fail catastrophically - leave that tiny surge connected directly to an appliance. No problem. A surge too tiny to destroy appliances can easily destroy those near zero joule protectors. That gets the naive to recommend the scam AND then assume nothing can protect from lightning. Wild speculation magically becomes a fact?

When a grossly undersized protector does not threaten human life, then that ineffective protector is UL1449 listed.

A telco's CO will suffer about 100 surges with each thunderstorm. How often is your town without phone service for four days while they replace that switching computer? Never? Exactly. Because direct lightning strikes do no damage when properly earthed BEFORE entering a building. Since educated by science (not hearsay), telcos all over the world use 'whole house' protection. To increase protection, those protectors are up to 50 meters distant from electronics. And mounted directly on earth ground.

Effective protection means nobody even knew a surge existed. Damage from direct lightning strikes are routinely averted when one learns from science and not from hearsay. Even learns what Ben Franklin demonstrated over 250 years ago.

Routine all over the world are direct lightning strikes without damage - even to a protector. Over 100 years of well proven science demonstrates it. Only the most naive foolishly conclude that nothing can protect from lightning. Too many only worship a first myth they are told - do not even have enough respect for themselves as to always demand spec numbers with every recommendation. An NE-2 neon glow lamp makes near zero energy in induced surges irrelevant. Learn facts tempered by numbers - or be scammed. Only the most easily scammed would use near zero (700 or thousand joule) protectors.

APC recently admitted some 15 million protectors are so dangerous as to be removed immediately. APC finally admitted their undersized protectors were creating house fires. Those were 700 and thousand joule type protectors. What did they protect? Profits.

This post has been edited by westom: Sep 21 2017, 09:10 PM

Where is a list of all those other damaged appliances not protected by a Cal-Lab? That junk science concept is called cherry picking. From wikipedia: Other undamaged appliances (due to superior internal protection - that protected themselves) were ignored. Or are they connected to invisible Cal-Lab protectors?

Once cherry picking is exposed, then Cal-Lab did protect ... from nothing. It is recommended using classic junk science reasoning.

This post has been edited by westom: Sep 21 2017, 09:06 PM