Power Conditioners

[bigwillz24]

What do they do?

Whats the differance between a 50 dollar one and a 250 dollar one.

Is it the same thing as a surge protecter?

[Kevin Deschwazi]

A power conditioner will provide protection against surges but additional to that it will provide a constant voltage during temporary dips in the supply as well. They also sheild against any electro magnetic interference which comes from a power source.

I guess the cheaper ones don't do this as well or are missing features found in the pricier ones. Or perhaps the build quality isn't as good.

Never squirt the old ladies' shampoo into you electrical points, it's not the same thing.

[mikeh]

Kevin pretty much summed it up.

A surge protector allows protection from surges caused by sudden demands of electricity (as an example, a motor kicks on for a fridge). Better surge protectors provide more protection and often have better warrenties (say $30,000 worth of warrenty vs. $3,000). You pay more for that. Most power surge protection will allow some "spikes" through, but hopefully not enough to damage sensitive equipment (computers, etc)

In addition to protection from surge, a power conditioner keeps the power at an even level - again a good thing for sensitive equipment. There is normally an led reading so you can see the level of power being provided before you commit to powering up your gear. Power conditioners are a must have for outdoor gigs where generators provide power - however, in most residential properties with decent electrical service the value of a conditioner could be debated.

There are also UPS devices (uninterupted power supply) which actually store power. In the event of a power interupt, you have a little time to power everything done (and unplug) before the power returns (likely causing a surge).

I would think in most homes a couple of decent (say $50 or so) surge protectors should be enough). I actually had my electrican install a surge protector in my electical service box (yeah, I'm that anal!!!!)

[Rstiltskin]

mikeh is right, i think.

hey, i am twice as anal, as i have 2 200hundred amp services and have surge protectors on both. they have nice little green leds in them!

house got hit by lightning, only lost my 32 inch sony and the battery charger and battery of my 18 volt driver/drill. what this means is that if the fire god wants it, the fire god gets it. little or nothing can protect you from a direct lightning strike.

true line conditioners are very expensive, (more than 250). Sola is a good and old name in that field. They MUST be sized correctly however. cause if they say they provide 10 amps of 120 volts, usually THATS IT! if you need 11 amps you are fucked.

i have found grounding to be the most common problems in homes, if your surge protector is not able to dump to ground, hmmmmm.

also, current dc power supplies can withstand a fair amount of voltage/current fluctuation built in (maybe 10 to (perhaps) 20 percent) without any problems. electric motors can be very sensitive, or not.

i have personally put in more than 100 tripp-lite battery backup units with separate batteries and NEVER lost one (the computer, monitors and printers they were protecting) to power (well, at least in 5 years, then I sold my company).

IMO, YMMV

[Rstiltskin]

oh, yeah, true line conditioners will also condition the frequency of the ac to 60 cycles (in the usa). line conditioners require MORE power than their rated output. for 10 amps, 120, 60 cycle, you may need 15 amps, 120, for instance....a 20 amp 120v, 60hz output line conditioner should not be put on a 20 amp circuit.

imo, ymmv