Calling Electronic-Minded Critters

[Tiger]

I badly need some advice.

In the last two weeks, both our dryer motor and our HVAC circuit board have been fried by power surges.

Now - I don't think these are surges - such as an increase from lightening or something - but here on our rural system - the electricty goes on and off - sometimes 5 or 6 times a day.

Just lately we have been in one of those 'on-off' patterns and it's pissing me off.

So - what kind of whole house surge protector do we need? Or is there something else we should do?

[truelies]

.......................... Or is there something else we should do?



i would start with Lynching the Governing Board of your local utility. Is it one of those REA things?


You might try a couple of these-

http://www.boutiquejunction.com/WallSurgeProtector40677.htm


or this one-

http://www.smarthome.com/4860.html

[Tiger]

I DO feel like lynching them - but there are no alternatives here. I think it is the constant off-on that is frying things.

A few years ago - lightening fried one of my monitors - but that was different.

This is not too cool. Our homeowner's insurance charges a deductible per event - so we are replacing the circuit board and buying a new dryer. The repair estimate on the dryer was close to as high and no warranty on the work.

WE need to protect (somehow) our 220 appliances.

I don't use the dishwasher anymore, anyway. I hate dishwashers - and finally got talked into buying a Bosche. Supposed to be great - but I get icked out by the thought of not washing my own dishes - so I dont' care if that blows all to hell - but I NEED my dryer and HVAC.

[BrandonL]

I don't use the dishwasher anymore, anyway. I hate dishwashers - and finally got talked into buying a Bosche. Supposed to be great - but I get icked out by the thought of not washing my own dishes -
Ewy. I guess I won't be eating at your house! :) The thought of dishes washed with just a dirty ol' sponge and not heat blasted and sanitized in a dishwasher makes me cringe.

[Unca Walt]

Tiger:

There is a gadget made, I think, by Leviton. It will run you just short of $200. It is most ricky-tick worth it. Surge suppressor.

What is causing your burnouts is, as you suspect, the 'off-on-off-on" crap. EACH time it goes back "on", your circuits DIVIDE BY ZERO for a few fractions of a second. This causes wires to burn out.

Unca Walt

PS: You might find a bargain price at BizRate.com

[Tiger]

Tiger:

There is a gadget made, I think, by Leviton. It will run you just short of $200. It is most ricky-tick worth it. Surge suppressor.

What is causing your burnouts is, as you suspect, the 'off-on-off-on" crap. EACH time it goes back "on", your circuits DIVIDE BY ZERO for a few fractions of a second. This causes wires to burn out.

Unca Walt

PS: You might find a bargain price at BizRate.com



Thank you, that is exactly what we are looking for.

I called - to gripe about this surge business, but the gal started right away telling me how her hubby, who also farms our land for us, has been in the hospital for two weeks. I couldn't do it. <sigh> Instead, Im making them a pie.

The Levitron will be a small price to pay to keep peace in our rolling, little valley.

:-*

[Tiger]

BTW - Unca Walt, I read your entire post on my other topic about the eletric meter. I understood it - but I am thinking there MUST be something else. Here is why:

There is a little wheel that spins freely in the window of the meter's face. That wheel appears to be spinning at a rate coresponding to the numbers rolling up.

But - I have heard that little wheel is electromagetically engineered. So, if the wheel can be slowed - the numbers will slow - but the current will not.

Doesn't that make sense?

[BrandonL]

BYOPP (Bring your own paper plates?)
Exactly. ;D

[BrandonL]

http://www.walkabouttravelgear.com/surge.htm

Look at the 220 v surge supressor and the 200 v battery backup.

[NorNec]

http://www.walkabouttravelgear.com/surge.htm

Look at the 220 v surge supressor and the 200 v battery backup.



I hate to admit it, but the geek has a point.

[BrandonL]

Also, Tiger-it just occured to me: how much do you want to spend? You could probably covert your whole house to a battery backup for under $5K. I'd love to do that here. I have all my floor lamps, tv's (and tv accessories) and computers on battery. Great stuff.

[BrandonL]

geek
Screw you, pointy head! ;)

[NorNec]

Screw you, pointy head! ;)



Well? if the hat fits,..........geek.

[NorNec]

Also, Tiger-it just occured to me: how much do you want to spend? You could probably covert your whole house to a battery backup for under $5K. I'd love to do that here. I have all my floor lamps, tv's (and tv accessories) and computers on battery. Great stuff.




Sorry about the "geek" thing....if you can forgive me, how did you do it? I have a maountain house I'd like to put on Strean powered Electricity.....any I deas?

[BrandonL]

Nope, NorNec. All I did was buy a battery backup for each of the rooms in the house, and plugged in the electrical devices into that. Some rooms have more than one depending on the amount of electrical devices.

[Unca Walt]

BTW - Unca Walt, I read your entire post on my other topic about the eletric meter. I understood it - but I am thinking there MUST be something else. Here is why:

There is a little wheel that spins freely in the window of the meter's face. That wheel appears to be spinning at a rate coresponding to the numbers rolling up.

But - I have heard that little wheel is electromagetically engineered. So, if the wheel can be slowed - the numbers will slow - but the current will not.

Doesn't that make sense?


God love yer bones. I guess it would make sense if'n ya din' hafta spend alla them fargin hours in them boring (UTTERLY BORING) hot classrooms studyin' fargin electronics. ;D ;D ;D ;) ;)

The analogy sounds kewl. But they is a little adjustment.

Picture a clock. It has a second hand that goes around. If you put yer fingie onna second hand to slow it down... what happens to alla them li'l gears inside... do they ignore it?

Wait... afore you say, "well... I'm talking about a magnetic - driven thingy..." let me hasten to put in that your flat wheel magnetic thingy has an impact bofe ways. You slow it down, and it creates sumpin' called "backEMF" (back ElectroMotiveForce). Now the onliest way to slow that little flat wheelie thing down would be to bust the glass and GRAB it. This would cause a coupla obvious problems.

But EVEN IF YOU DID THAT... wouldn't work. The shit would hit the fan becuz the juice going through the motor HAS TO DO SUMPIN'. HAS TO. So it will either burn up the fargin little motor (likeliest thing), or it would trip an overcurrent gizmo like a thing we call a pennycap.

It is NOT unbeatable atall, atall. Yer Unca could beat it easy. BUT!!! It IS beatable ONLY if you beat it in such a fashion that would be IMMEDIATELY OBVIOUS even to a meter reader going by on a fast horse on a dark night.

There's the rub. You kin beat it... just not indetectably. Not to put too fine a point on it, if you beat it... it will be as obvious as KerryALott's insanity.

One more analogy: IF you could git yore fingies on that little wheel... it would sorta be like letting the clutch outa yer car about halfway, and driving it to the store. Burn the piss outa yer clutch in five miles, nicht wahr?

Same-o, same-o, only five miles would be measured in seconds.

Unca Walt