Was is wrong with my reciever? (1 Viewer)

[Marty D.]

Yesterday I was watching a movie and my receiver kept quickly turning off and on. It did it threee separate times. It was only on for a total of 45 minutes.

We did just have a big lightning storm but the receiver is on a monster surge and non of my other connected equipment was failing.

It is a Denon 3803. About 1.5 years old.

 

[Chu Gai]

and today it is doing the same? does it happen if the volumes are cranked up?

 

[Marty D.]

I have not checked it today. The volume was not up loud. I will check it tonight.

 

[Chu Gai]

the other thing to just check for briefly would be any touching wires from your speaker cables. if you're running bare wire sometimes all it takes is one little straggler that every now and then touches for a second.

 

[Marty D.]

I checked the plug which is in the recesses of my wire closet. It was pulled out only slightly. After pushing it in I did not notice the problem that evening. I seems odd that this never happened before or how the plug would be loosened but for now it seems to have done the trick.

One would think that a person would check these things first. I guess I was being lazy or assuming the worst.

 

[Chu Gai]

Well anyone who's read Steven King know there are creatures that come out at night and do mischievous things like that

A side note with outlets. Most outlets in homes are the basic types and can vary in their contact pressure. Industrial grade outlets are a bit more secure in their gripping ability and have thicker gauge components. Just a thought. Sure beats having to buy a new receiver though!!

 

[Bob McElfresh]

One would think that a person would check these things first.

Nope. Trust me - when diagnosing problems, checking the power is often far down the list of things you look for. And yes, you do feel foolish when you discover the problem with your new equipment was due to dead-batteries in the remote. :frowning:

 

[Jack Briggs]

As a side note, don't put all your faith into that Monster surge protector/"line conditioner." A lightning strike can cause a spike large enough to fry that thing. People in thunderstorm-prone areas should always consider shutting down and unplugging all delicate electronics when the sky grows dark and the thunder gets loud.

 

[David Preston]

I unplug everything now when weather gets bad. I have a monster surge protector and my sat cable comes from the wall to the surge protector then to the sat box. I sould only have to unplug the monster sp right or should I unplug the sat from the wall also? Should I unplug the telephone wire that goes to the sat box?

 

[Chu Gai]

I can appreciate Jack's and others positions with regards to unplugging stuff during a storm. That works great if you're home. What about those times that you're not home?

First to touch upon your question of the phone line, if it is connected to your system then it is not protected against surges. Truly what is the point of your Monster unit as a surge can certainly come in via the back door. It's like putting prisoners in a jail cell with one inch chrome hardened steel bars but giving them a window that opens to the outside to let in air. Hmmmmm

There are a variety of electrical disturbances that can wreak various degrees of havoc with not only your system, but various other electrical devices in your home: microwaves, oven, dishwashers, garage door openers, assorted TVs and radios, X-10 devices, etc. A surge is but one such disturbance. Transients are other examples. While protecting against the effects of lighting is what people think of, it pays to keep in mind that other phenomena can also result in devastating damage. Grid switching, a transformer that blows, a substation that gets shorted out because a squirrel got in and decided to fry itself, a car running into a pole carrying electrical lines, are but a few examples that can generate severe momentary perturbations.

The effects to your equipment are worse today than say 10-20 years ago. The reason for this is quite simply that chip density has increased enormously and these dense, multifunctional chips are found everywhere today.

The goal should be to properly protect your home in such a way that unplugging need not be done. After all, as I said above, you can't always be there and you can't unplug stuff fast enough when electrical grids are manipulated by the power companies. Further the goal should also be to do so in a cost effective manner. In this case, I strongly urge you to consider the purchase and installation, or rental if your utility company provides it, of a whole house surge suppression unit. The goal is to place this unit either at the breakers or at the meter such that the path to earth ground is

 

[ChrisWiggles]

I use a 50-year old toaster. Damn new ones are pieces of s**T, waaaaay too many buttons and processors and lights and surround sound for just a toaster. Takes about 40 lbs of pressure to push the handle down on my oldie, and the power cord is covered with old cloth insulation, but I'll be dammned if some lameo little surge is gonna prevent me from making toast! Stupid technology.... BAH!

/off soapbox/