gil*c

can bad electrical wiring do in my components?

I live in an apartment bldg about 30-40yrs old. I've always noticed the electrical fluctuations and am now wondering if it's why I've had problems with my previous tv and now my one-yr old new one.

I lost my picture last night on my RCA 25" F25649. The sound works fine. I've got it in a corner unit with plenty of airspace around it to prevent overheating. It's connected to my RCA receiver, a DVD player, and the VCR. I lost the picture a couple of times and reset it by unplugging the cable conx which I changed for a new one just in case it was a cable problem. I now have it correctly wired for my other components - did cable overkill and had too many plugged in.

We had an ice storm yesterday and had a power failure. The tv was plugged into a good quality surge protector. All other components are fine. My computer monitor sometimes turns green after one of the building power surges and I have to reboot the computer to get the picture back. It occasionally freezes my DSL modem too. I'm wondering if there is any way to deal with this if the power fluctuations are partly the source of the problem.

No tv until it's fixed - eek! I may be forced to clean.

spinky

Bob McElfresh

Yes, power surges can damage your equipment. The real damage is caused when the power comes back on. For a few cycles, the voltage far excedes the 120 v average and each device in your rack can handle different amounts of this problem.

You are a prime canidate for a "Power Conditioner". These units take the AC power and basically re-condition to provide very accurate 118 volts with a clean 60 hz cycle.

These are very different from "Surge Protectors" or even "Filters" like the Monster units. They actually re-rectify the power. This means they cost about $500-$1,000 each. But people who have tested them in a similar environment to yours swear by them for the improved video and sound quality.

No, you cannot simply buy a computer UPS (Uninteruptable Power Supply) for your HT equipment. The AC signal that comes out of these units work well for computers, but not for HT. Their real design is to supply power during an outage, not smooth/rectify dirty power. They are recommended for your computer system.