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Chu Gai · 07-09-2003, 07:51 AM

You sure have been having some bad weather over there. Talk about all that rain compared to the same time last year!

The Monster surge protector, like most of the others, is based upon MOV's. Now MOV's can get a bit of a bad rap. We've all read how they degrade in response to surges. And some of us have seen pictures on the web that show's the death of MOV based devices when hit with a surge. That way of thinking needs to be examined a bit more carefully though. If you undersize an MOV or have a device that wasn't manufactured properly then certainly they can die and pretty spectacularly too. If the MOV is sized well for the job, and that generally means the more joules the better, then its operating lifetime rises exponentially. The ultimate lifetime of an MOV is predicated then by two things: it's size and how many surges (their magnitude is a mitigating factor) it has been exposed to. That's why, if you're hell bent on buying a surge protection device that's an MOV point of use device, your purchasing decision should be weighted strongly towards "more joules the better".
A surge is a pretty nasty electrical event. It is not though a spike, or a glitch, or a nominal elevation in your AC voltage.
Surges can arise from a variety of reasons such as lightning that strikes the earth or from peculiar power grid situations like someone running their car into a pole carrying a transformer or even a squirrel electrocuting itself and shorting out a substation.
As to what happened in your situation Joe, no one really knows but we can take a reasonable guess. Guess mind you! I'll bet you've got other transistorized devices in your home. Clock radio, fridge, garage door opener, microwave, maybe some X-10's, cordless phones, etc. If any of those devices died, then there's a pretty good chance your home was hit by something bordering on the definition of a surge. However, with a very high degree of probability, the Monster device dealt with it. And it'll deal with many many others before it gives up the ghost. Devices which are manufactured today meet the specs of UL1449 2nd edition and may well meet other UL or IEEE specifications. That includes, I believe, sustained overvoltage protection, protection against bursting into flames (an inline fuse), and the proviso that if they fail, they fail open-circuited. Some people object to the last thing. Myself, I look at it as I'm the President and you're the Secret Servic Agent. Your job is to protect my life at the expense of doing your job. Do it then!
I wouldn't worry about what happened Joe. If you've read any of my earlier posts on surges, you'll know that I advocate very strongly for surge protection devices being purchased and installed at the AC mains. If you're a DIY guy who has no issues working around electricity, you can buy a whole house surge protection device and install it yourself. Otherwise you can always check with your power company and see if they'll install one. Usually its a nominal monthly charge and may include some sort of equipment replacement warranty. It goes without saying that a comprehensive homeowners insurance policy, with a rider if need be, that gives you full replacement is a pretty good idea. Besides, your system fries...so what? You're out of sound or TV for a couple of weeks, but you get to go equipment shopping all over again and they're paying for it!

07-09-2003, 07:51 AM	#2 of 6
Chu Gai Join Date: Jun 2001 Local Time: 06:40 PM Local Date: 12-03-2008 Posts: 7,403	You sure have been having some bad weather over there. Talk about all that rain compared to the same time last year! The Monster surge protector, like most of the others, is based upon MOV's. Now MOV's can get a bit of a bad rap. We've all read how they degrade in response to surges. And some of us have seen pictures on the web that show's the death of MOV based devices when hit with a surge. That way of thinking needs to be examined a bit more carefully though. If you undersize an MOV or have a device that wasn't manufactured properly then certainly they can die and pretty spectacularly too. If the MOV is sized well for the job, and that generally means the more joules the better, then its operating lifetime rises exponentially. The ultimate lifetime of an MOV is predicated then by two things: it's size and how many surges (their magnitude is a mitigating factor) it has been exposed to. That's why, if you're hell bent on buying a surge protection device that's an MOV point of use device, your purchasing decision should be weighted strongly towards "more joules the better". A surge is a pretty nasty electrical event. It is not though a spike, or a glitch, or a nominal elevation in your AC voltage. Surges can arise from a variety of reasons such as lightning that strikes the earth or from peculiar power grid situations like someone running their car into a pole carrying a transformer or even a squirrel electrocuting itself and shorting out a substation. As to what happened in your situation Joe, no one really knows but we can take a reasonable guess. Guess mind you! I'll bet you've got other transistorized devices in your home. Clock radio, fridge, garage door opener, microwave, maybe some X-10's, cordless phones, etc. If any of those devices died, then there's a pretty good chance your home was hit by something bordering on the definition of a surge. However, with a very high degree of probability, the Monster device dealt with it. And it'll deal with many many others before it gives up the ghost. Devices which are manufactured today meet the specs of UL1449 2nd edition and may well meet other UL or IEEE specifications. That includes, I believe, sustained overvoltage protection, protection against bursting into flames (an inline fuse), and the proviso that if they fail, they fail open-circuited. Some people object to the last thing. Myself, I look at it as I'm the President and you're the Secret Servic Agent. Your job is to protect my life at the expense of doing your job. Do it then! I wouldn't worry about what happened Joe. If you've read any of my earlier posts on surges, you'll know that I advocate very strongly for surge protection devices being purchased and installed at the AC mains. If you're a DIY guy who has no issues working around electricity, you can buy a whole house surge protection device and install it yourself. Otherwise you can always check with your power company and see if they'll install one. Usually its a nominal monthly charge and may include some sort of equipment replacement warranty. It goes without saying that a comprehensive homeowners insurance policy, with a rider if need be, that gives you full replacement is a pretty good idea. Besides, your system fries...so what? You're out of sound or TV for a couple of weeks, but you get to go equipment shopping all over again and they're paying for it!