Extension Leads - Surge Protect with Circuit Breakers - Opinion

flashcash5 wrote: »

So i might see if i can source one of those Garo PDMR 320 (or similar) surge protectors for the board level.
...
How come on those 'circuit breaker' models online you can't see that little light that you usually see on surge protected leads?

So much to discuss. For example, no circuit breaker protects an appliance. Circuit breakers only protect human life.

Circuit breakers take anywhere from tens of milliseconds to even a hour to trip. Surges that damage appliances are done in microseconds.

How does that millimeter gap in a breaker or fuse block what three kilometers of sky cannot? Consult numbers to discover completely different conclusions.

Surges that do damage can be hundreds of thousands of joules. How many joules does any plug-in protector claim to 'block' or 'absorb'? Always read specification numbers. Hundreds? Thousand? Near zero. Just enough above zero so that consumers, who can be ordered what to believe, will recommend it and buy it.

Lightning (only one type of surge) can be 20,000 amps. So a minimal 'whole house' protector is 50,000 amps. Maybe five of those 10,000 amp Garos are needed.

Furthermore their specs suggest (but are not specific on) what actually does all protection. That other item that harmlessly dissipates hundreds of thousands of joules. Earthing electrodes. To be effective, that Garo (or any other effective protector) must connect low impedance (ie less than 3 meters) to a same earth ground that also provides effective protection for all other incoming wires. Single point earth ground. Those electrodes (not any protector) require most attention.

Its connecting hardwire must be low impedance (ie have no sharp bends or splices). So that hundreds of thousands of joules need not be inside hunting for earth ground destructively via any appliance. Or worse, destructively through minuscule joule plug-in protectors.

Appreciate what so many plug-in protectors really do. Many customer reviews (by Sarah Q, sandra R, Average Joe, etc) demonstrate what happens when a plug-in protector is not protected by a properly earthed 'whole house' protector: Amazon Customer comments .

IEEE Standard puts numbers to this. Properly earthed protection (on every incoming wire for AC, TV cable, OTA antenna, telephone, etc) means 99.5% to 99.9% protection. So 'whole house' protection (to protect every appliance) is not perfect. Then the IEEE says:

Still, a 99.5% protection level will reduce the incidence of direct strokes from one stroke per 30 years ... to one stroke per 6000 years ... Protection at 99.5% is the practical choice.

Appliance protection was always this simple. Protection only exists when a destructive transient is not anywhere inside.

How many appliances have been damaged today by surges generated inside the house? What was protecting a dishwasher, clock radios, furnace, LED & CFL bulbs, refrigerator, door bell, recharging electronics, vacuum cleaner, central air, RCDs, washing machine, and smoke detectors? If surges are generated inside, then how many of those were damaged today? None. Because those surges (invented by avoiding numbers) are maybe ten or twenty volts. Noise. Another myth promoted to the easily deceived to generate sales and increase profits.

Best protection at each appliance is already inside each appliance. What is most robust? 'Sensitive' electronics. Dirty power from a UPS can be harmful to motorized appliances and strip protectors. Since 'sensitive' electronics are so more robust, that same 'dirty UPS power is ideal.

If electronics are so 'sensitive', then why are electronics required to withstand even 1000 volt transients without damage? An international design standard that existed even long before an IBM PC. Again, so many are easily deceived by automatically believing subjective claims, wild speculations, and myths. Educated consumers always ignore every recommendation that does not also discuss specification numbers. Plenty here to learn and confirm.

No protector does protection. Not one. Effective protector is only a connecting device to what does all appliance protection. Connects to the only item that can harmlessly absorb hundreds of thousands of joules. Same device that Ben Franklin demonstrated over 250 years ago. A protector is only as effective as its low impedance connection to and quality of earth ground electrodes. Protection only exists when hundreds of thousands of joules dissipate harmlessly outside. When a surge is not anywhere inside.

Much to learn once so many advertising myths and sales gimmicks are disposed. In every case, protection has always been about where that microseconds transient harmlessly dissipates: single point earth ground.

Are they not earthed securing to a wall,but the sat cables should have protection as they are copper and a good flow of current if hit by lightning.

monseiur wrote: »

...but can I ask - should TV Satellite Dishes be earthed ? If so what's the recommended way to do this ?

OTA antennas and satellite dishes must have their own earth ground. That wire must also route low impedance (ie as short as practicable, no sharp bends, etc) to an earth ground electrode. Then the coax cable must route to the service entrance. So that it also can make a low impedance (ie in this case, less than 3 meter) connection to the building's single point earth ground.

A [Tech Note](https://www.erico.com/catalog/literature/TNCR002.pdf) demonstrates this. Notice both structure and antenna have their own earth grounds. To make both earth grounds better, a buried connection exists between those earth grounds.

Also notice all wires (even underground) are potential incoming surge paths. All must connect to earth ground before entering.

Protectors are only connecting devices to what does protection. Earth ground electrodes do the actual protection.

If that satellite dish or antenna is not earthed, then that surge will use a coax cable to hunt for earth ground destructively inside the structure.

Each layer of protection is never defined by a protector. Each protection layer is defined by the only item that does all protection - earth ground. Discussed above was a 'secondary' protection layer. The 'primary' protection layer also should be inspected.