Surge protector rating question - No Joule rating

[antony209494]

I have this cheap surge protector (about 10 euros) which I cannot understand how much protection it is rated for. I am looking for a Joule rating but can't find any. From what I gather these don't offer much protection at all and I already have a cyberpower UPS on the way for my setup and I am looking to transfer this surge protector to a TV/Home Theater setup (for which again it is propably not adequate but that's not the point of this post). I guess this is the manufacturer website which only lists a general "Surge protection data: Up1.8KV(L-N,L/N-PE);Uc250V~;Uoc3KV(L-N,L/N);TYP3" for a bulk of surge protection units. I have no idea what all these mean.

NINGBO AOBOER ELECTRIC APPLIANCE CO.,LTD

I attached a photo of the back. Can anyone help me understand how this translates to Joules if it does at all?

 

[Bill_Bright]

I suspect most of those letters represent various certifications - depending on the country they are from.

The 1.8KV (1,800 volts) rating suggests how much of a surge it can handle. Beyond that, I see no way to determine the Joules value because no time values are included in the specs. Since Energy (in Joules) = Power x Time, without a Time value specified, no way to determine the Joules.

IMO, surge and spike protectors (S&SP) are little more than fancy extension cords. They do absolutely nothing for low voltage power events (sags - opposite of surges, dips - opposite of spikes, or brownouts - long duration sags). And for extreme high voltage power events (excessive surges and spikes), a S&SP will [if lucky] simply kill power to the connected equipment, which is hardly helpful to your equipment. So kudos to you for getting a UPS for your computer. I recommend one for your TV/HT setup too.

And BTW, not many realize this but S&SPs wear out. The MOV devices inside can only absorb so many "hits" before they breakdown and become ineffective. Just another reason to get rid of them and go with a good UPS with AVR.

Also, never plug a UPS into a S&SP and never plug a S&SP into a UPS. If the UPS is plugged into a S&SP, the UPS may see the voltage as dirty and kick over to battery way more often than needed. This puts strain on the UPS monitoring circuits and increases wear (shortens lifespans) of the batteries. If a S&SP is connect to the output side of the UPS, the UPS monitoring may see the load as unstable and shut down.

So if you need extra length, use a heavy duty extension cord to plug the UPS into. And if you need more outlets on the UPS output side, use a 18 inch spider extension cord.

 

[antony209494]

I suspect most of those letters represent various certifications - depending on the country they are from.

The 1.8KV (1,800 volts) rating suggests how much of a surge it can handle. Beyond that, I see no way to determine the Joules value because no time values are included in the specs. Since Energy (in Joules) = Power x Time, without a Time value specified, no way to determine the Joules.

IMO, surge and spike protectors (S&SP) are little more than fancy extension cords. They do absolutely nothing for low voltage power events (sags - opposite of surges, dips - opposite of spikes, or brownouts - long duration sags). And for extreme high voltage power events (excessive surges and spikes), a S&SP will [if lucky] simply kill power to the connected equipment, which is hardly helpful to your equipment. So kudos to you for getting a UPS for your computer. I recommend one for your TV/HT setup too.

And BTW, not many realize this but S&SPs wear out. The MOV devices inside can only absorb so many "hits" before they breakdown and become ineffective. Just another reason to get rid of them and go with a good UPS with AVR.

Also, never plug a UPS into a S&SP and never plug a S&SP into a UPS. If the UPS is plugged into a S&SP, the UPS may see the voltage as dirty and kick over to battery way more often than needed. This puts strain on the UPS monitoring circuits and increases wear (shortens lifespans) of the batteries. If a S&SP is connect to the output side of the UPS, the UPS monitoring may see the load as unstable and shut down.

So if you need extra length, use a heavy duty extension cord to plug the UPS into. And if you need more outlets on the UPS output side, use a 18 inch spider extension cord.

Thank you. I guess I will keep treating it as little more than a power strip until I can get a PSU for the TV/HTS.

I found this on the letters but again I don't understand much:

What is surge protection device protection mode? - Electrical Equipment

surge protection device (SPD) can be connected to between the L (phase), N (neutral), PE (protection line), such as L-L, L-N, L-PE, N-PE, these connections is called protection mode, which has relation of power supply system grounding type. According to IEC61643-11:2005, the grounding type of...

engineering.electrical-equipment.org

 

[Bill_Bright]

I found this on the letters but again I don't understand much:

That's because it really doesn't tell normal consumers any information they need or can use. And still does not help you with your Joules question.

Oh well. One thing else to remember about your new UPS. The batteries normally need to be replaced about every 3 - 5 years. That is just part of normal maintenance. I never, as in NEVER EVER buy replacements from the UPS maker as they tend to cost twice as much as you can get from battery supply sources on line. Shop around. Make sure the voltage is the same. And you can buy a battery with a higher Amp-hour capacity. That is, if the current cells are 12V 7Ah, you can replace them 12V 9Ah no problem - as long as they are physically the same size (most are) and have the same terminal connector - F1 or F2.

Going with a higher Ah rating does not hurt anything but will give you a longer battery run time - a good thing.