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What brand name of surge protector comes w/ insurance policy?

Happy Hopping

Happy Hopping

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https://www.apc.com/us/en/product-range/61875-surgearrest-home-office/#overview

https://www.reddit.com/r/hardware/c...ut_of_the_surge_protector_business/?rdt=65225

I have been using APC for decades, just find out today that they are actually ditching their surge protector. I thought when I heard playboy ditching nude on their magazine was shocking, until I hear this today.

They are the only brand that has lifetime warranty and lifetime insurance protection. Now they are gone, what do you people use for replacement?
 
1742348231587.png

ge, belkin, tripp lite, etc
 
I can't believe it. Tripp Lite actually has $150K lifetime insurance. When was this? Who bought out who? Eaton bought out Tripp Lite? or the other way? as Eaton is good. But is Eaton/Tripplite surge protector at least just as good as APC? as Tripplite used to be very poor in quality

Belkin is not a power based co., their root is not power.

google search engine can't find GE surge protector website.

https://www.amazon.com/GE-14095-Advanced-Protector-Protection/dp/B00DOMYK98/ref=sr_1_5?crid=23X7CWJ2JOVU0&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.0HOj6CEi_OaRw1qjrApZhKh-1oxz4zUgNtIoxtFLS5-OYh9Jf_wcJwAMLDrctwOaQB-SL21Cnay9YDwShGvpmNLY0gyEm50mK9nGwUM0fYxH-okbYyKqhP-AorNizUOw1tYYe8JCqKuvy9KGslGCJHP--gWF4ZCHb7IHTmg9UGpc5xLw4k0EaWTS0pkXpqIZ06uvVevMCHhs1xmuEWJAaR6Cr6f6T8rjt79RoN1Ttak.8ZI5tYC-VgvSrT6b0cwjmpvfui8yY7vYRG4NoKPvIHk&dib_tag=se&keywords=ge+surge+protector&qid=1742367918&sprefix=ge+sur,aps,130&sr=8-5&th=1

Amazon didn't say anything about insurance policy
 
As an Amazon Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
I can't even find an official GE website where they sell or provide details about their surge protectors so I wouldn't count on them to do anything if one failed. Look into Furman.
 
I'd be curious how many of these on paper 'guarantees' have actually been fulfilled. I'd imagine that for the type of surges that would destroy equipment it'd be above the spec'd surge rating, while for equal/under it's probably unlikely to fail, though would be curious if anyone has managed to prove failure and be paid.

Ironically Cyberpower have a lifetime $500k connected equipment guarantee for some of their UPSes yet various users have had theirs catch fire and been told by Cyberpower that there's nothing wrong with the known problematic el cheapo paste they use that can cause shorts. This type of thing makes me cynical it's much more than extremely narrow scope marketing.
 
that's an excellent pt. That's why the co. must have the back bone to stand behind their products. That's why I believe in APC since 1990s. Tripp Lite is poor in quality, but now Eaton bought them out, I wonder if people in our IT industry can give new review after their merge.

Cyberpower is well known to be the worst. Their UPS is always cheaper than others, but when you need to buy a replacement battery, you can have a heart attack looking at the battery price
 
Get a non-mov based surge protector. You don't have to worry about the warranty and they have excellent support.
 
Happy Hopping said:
Their UPS is always cheaper than others, but when you need to buy a replacement battery, you can have a heart attack looking at the battery price
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Fwiw the batteries are generic sealed lead acid, like most popular UPSes. I've replaced them with very affordable SLA batteries (~$20 brand new).
 
Go to your local thirft store. picked this up for $5-6 last year. Has a 15' cord on it.

IMG_7864.JPEG
 
Zepher, can ANY manufacturer, including APC willing to give users some space in between those plugs? so that when we insert transformer, we don't need to buy 1 ft. cord in order to use the surge protector. Now I don't bother w/ that on a surge protector, but I have to do that on my 1kVA UPS. All these plugs, including the one you bought above, are too close together
 
Happy Hopping said:
Zepher, can ANY manufacturer, including APC willing to give users some space in between those plugs? so that when we insert transformer, we don't need to buy 1 ft. cord in order to use the surge protector. Now I don't bother w/ that on a surge protector, but I have to do that on my 1kVA UPS. All these plugs, including the one you bought above, are too close together
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you do notice that the lower 3 plugs are spaced apart for power bricks, it even has a little icon
 
Happy Hopping said:
Zepher, can ANY manufacturer, including APC willing to give users some space in between those plugs? so that when we insert transformer, we don't need to buy 1 ft. cord in order to use the surge protector. Now I don't bother w/ that on a surge protector, but I have to do that on my 1kVA UPS. All these plugs, including the one you bought above, are too close together
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I also have a couple of these ones which have spacing for power bricks,
1742586978001.png
 
Happy Hopping said:
Zepher, can ANY manufacturer, including APC willing to give users some space in between those plugs? so that when we insert transformer, we don't need to buy 1 ft. cord in order to use the surge protector. Now I don't bother w/ that on a surge protector, but I have to do that on my 1kVA UPS. All these plugs, including the one you bought above, are too close together
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I know, but not enough. Just looking at my UPS, I have 5, plus my APC Surge station, I have 1 more.

I somewhat like the model you have above, but among all the APC surge bar, the best one is the grey half circle one, I think it's called Pro8, as there is 2 outlet that is constantly ON, and I really like that function
 
I just emailed this question to Project Farm.

I wouldn't expect a video any time soon but this has me curious and it's a great question that has occurred to me, but then I just buy the heavy surge protector from what they got at Target.
 
Happy Hopping said:
I know, but not enough. Just looking at my UPS, I have 5, plus my APC Surge station, I have 1 more.

I somewhat like the model you have above, but among all the APC surge bar, the best one is the grey half circle one, I think it's called Pro8, as there is 2 outlet that is constantly ON, and I really like that function
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I also have this one,
1742630514169.png


I have some 1' extensions that break out to 3 plugs for power bricks, and I like that I can switch off an individual outlet instead of unplugging the item, and there is an always on plug too.
IMG_7866.JPEG
 
the reason I like the big fat Surge Station 8 from APC, is its size. As you should know, if there were a surge, they need a lot of large capacitors in series to absorb the surge. These capacitor circuits needs space to be packed in series. The older Tripplite that you show, is the very reason that people like me is skeptical: How can they fit a large no. of big fat capacitors to absorb surge?

w/ the newly merge co. w/ Eaton, in which the word Eaton is bigger, as Eaton bought out Tripplite, they better fit this problem w/ their $250K insurance policy.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/533916-REG/APC_NET8_NET8_8_Outlet_Surge_Protector.html
 
Happy Hopping said:
the reason I like the big fat Surge Station 8 from APC, is its size. As you should know, if there were a surge, they need a lot of large capacitors in series to absorb the surge. These capacitor circuits needs space to be packed in series. The older Tripplite that you show, is the very reason that people like me is skeptical: How can they fit a large no. of big fat capacitors to absorb surge?

w/ the newly merge co. w/ Eaton, in which the word Eaton is bigger, as Eaton bought out Tripplite, they better fit this problem w/ their $250K insurance policy.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/533916-REG/APC_NET8_NET8_8_Outlet_Surge_Protector.html
Click to expand...
Oh, I am using one of those as well.
I really need to clean up that corner and re-do all the wiring.
IMG_7868.JPEG
 
Zepher said:
Oh, I am using one of those as well.
I really need to clean up that corner and re-do all the wiring.
View attachment 718650
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1 small thing, are you daisy chaining power bars? what your fire dept. tell you not to do? what your insurance broker tell you there is no insurance if you daisy chain power bar? Because it looks like on the far right "Always On" spot on the Surge Arrest 8, that you connect another power bar to it.
 
Happy Hopping said:
1 small thing, are you daisy chaining power bars? what your fire dept. tell you not to do? what your insurance broker tell you there is no insurance if you daisy chain power bar? Because it looks like on the far right "Always On" spot on the Surge Arrest 8, that you connect another power bar to it.
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Everything in here is plugged into one wall plug and powered by 2 UPS's.. (the white PC is just there since I was working on it, it goes up in my room)
I do have a few powerstrips daisy chained but they are low power draw devices like my LED lights, router, switches, etc.
You don't want to daisy chain them if you are using high draw devices as that will be a fire hazard.
IMG_6931.JPG
 
That's good to know. However, you'll have a field day explaining the above to your insurance co. if there is a surge / brown out, etc., and if you talk to your insurance broker, guarantee he'll tell you that you won't be insured in case of fire.

Having said that, some of your power bar does c/w $250K insurance policy. So whenever those insurance co. allows your explanation of daisy chain power bar, I would pay real $ to see. You clearly never dealt w/ the claim dept. of home insurance co. : their job is to nitpick as much as possible to void a claim

P.S. why is the ceiling green?
 
Happy Hopping said:
That's good to know. However, you'll have a field day explaining the above to your insurance co. if there is a surge / brown out, etc., and if you talk to your insurance broker, guarantee he'll tell you that you won't be insured in case of fire.

Having said that, some of your power bar does c/w $250K insurance policy. So whenever those insurance co. allows your explanation of daisy chain power bar, I would pay real $ to see. You clearly never dealt w/ the claim dept. of home insurance co. : their job is to nitpick as much as possible to void a claim

P.S. why is the ceiling green?
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I have a galaxy and star projector pointed at the ceiling,

1742882197252.png


It's sitting on my server
IMG_2223.JPEG
 
The best units will have discrete, hardwired outlets on them. Not that common strip junk behind a plastic shield with cutouts.
And, Spectre's excellent recommendation of non MOV based surge protection as well.
Pure sine wave if you're running the inverter a lot (or double conversion which runs the inverter continuously). Double conversion feature absolutely no change in output when AC power fails and are essential for critically sensitive loads. They are more expensive and typically noisier as the fan runs all the time to keep the inverter cool. Newest designs are very efficient so lower core loss say compared to ferrorresonant based designs (although we love those as they are essentially bulletproof and will laugh off lightning strikes to overhead mains outside the facility that have lesser designs go offline when their transistors short out and blow fuses). Ferros aren't typically for home use as the larger units hum like a bitch and have high core losses (give off lots of heat). But if you have a big computer / audio room they are good mounted in a garage hardwired to a subpanel feeding that room (say 10-20kVA). Out of sight, out of mind. ;-)
 
I had a big surge like 10-15 years ago that destroyed a LOT of electronics in the house. UPS died, PC fried the power supply, blew up my monitor, cordless phone, klipsch promedia's etc, all plugged into an APC 850 UPS. I opened a claim with APC and all they offered was a replacement 850w UPS. They gave zero shits about any of the other stuff that died, bc I couldn't "prove" that something else caused the problem. How in the hell was I supposed to prove anything? Have video footage of the actual event in progress? That was the last APC product I ever bought. Cyberpowers are cheaper and use generic batteries which are easy enough to replace.

Looked into my homeowner's insurance but all the stuff I replaced didn't even get up to the deductible.
 
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that must be quite a deductible. most deductible at most home is only $1K. A lot of case like this, you have to go thru a "code of ethics" phone call if APC is a co. that stands behind its code of ethics. Then there will be an independent agency that takes phone call on behalf of APC, you then complain to that agency. I'll done it recently w/ ebay
 
So if you are really concerned about your equipment I don't know that I'd look at insurance policies, as others have said how easy is it to get them to pay out, I'd look at more protection.

Tripplite is a good suggestion for new surge protectors that are well made and as noted, they are now owned by Eaton. However, there's only so much a basic surge protector can do. They all work the same way which is MOVs that'll shunt excess current to ground if voltage goes above a specified amount. Thing is, there's only so much they can handle and they burn out doing it. They are also run in parallel with the power connection so when the protection fails, they don't fail off, they still provide power just not protection.

What you should do to increase protection first is get a bigger version of the same thing. A number of companies make units you wire in to your electrical panel that do whole-home surge protection. They are the same kind of device, MOVs that will shunt to ground in a surge, but not only do they stop the surge sooner, they generally have much larger MOVs and can take a bigger hit. I like Schneider Electric personally (parent of APC) but there are plenty of good choices. That will then stop any big surge, leaving much less, if anything, for your smaller one by the computer to deal with. Those do come with insurance, $75,000 in connected equipment for the HEPD80 though again, who knows if they actually pay out?

Code actually requires them on new houses now.

Then if you want to go even further, get a series connected surge protector. They are more expensive, larger, and not as many companies make them, but they can suppress surges to a much lower level than MOVs. Zero Surge is the brand I have and one of the few that make consumer ones. Unlike MOVs that shunt to ground, they don't sacrifice themselves during a surge, and they have a much lower let through voltage. They also don't need a safety ground to work. That said, the do have limits as to how long/large a surge they can stop so I wouldn't only use one, I would, and do, use it in tandem with other surge protectors.

Have a whole home unit wired in to your service panel (you can do it yourself if you are comfortable doing that), then have a series connected device like a Zero Surge on the outlet that goes to your computer, then connect a normal Tripplite protector to that and hook your gear in to it. Should protect you from anything short of a direct lightning strike and in the case of that, you are going to have more damage than your computers to worry about.
 
Schneider / APC has shut down its surge protector division , they no longer make any of them

As to Zero Surge, how come their price is so much higher than Tripplite or APC? is it because it's made in USA? the Surge Station 8 from APC is lifetime warranty, and I paid like $60 or so many year ago, Zero Surge is charging $400 for 10 yr. warranty.
 
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Check with your local electrical provider. Some offer a "service" with a monthly maintenance fee. They will come out, remove your meter and install a whole house surge arrestor underneath the meter. These work pretty well. The maintenance fee covers the device (they are consumable) as well as an insurance plan for damage due to surges. Always check the terms and conditions.

Make sure your electrical system is in order per local codes. Grounding is extremely important. A nearby lightning strike to an overhead will bring thousands of volts to your home. The standard is 6.6kV flashover which means the highest voltage your appliances and connected devices will see is around 6,600 volts. Quite a bit higher than 120/240! And well over what's needed to fry sensitive electronics. The whole house device keeps that from happening. Of course internal fluctuations from large induction motors (hermetic AC compressors, for example) can cause temporary swings. A simple surge arrestor does nothing to stop these from reaching sensitive loads. Same with line interactive UPS units. They may switch to battery or engage buck/boost taps if equipped. But sensitive loads will see changes in the AC waveform. The only protection against those aberrations would be double conversion (inverter always on) or ferroresonant transformer based UPS or line conditioners. The latter rarely found in the home due to acoustics and core losses.
 
Happy Hopping said:
Schneider / APC has shut down its surge protector division , they no longer make any of them
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They make the whole house protective devices. You can get them from Lowes, Home Depot, etc. They don't do power strip kind of surge protectors, but the whole home (and commercial/industrial divisions) are very popular.

Happy Hopping said:
As to Zero Surge, how come their price is so much higher than Tripplite or APC? is it because it's made in USA? the Surge Station 8 from APC is lifetime warranty, and I paid like $60 or so many year ago, Zero Surge is charging $400 for 10 yr. warranty.
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It's because it is a different, more expensive, technology. Normal surge protectors use MOVs in parallel with the power connection to protect thing. It's quite cheap to implement. Zero Surge has a big inductor in line with the power connection, and then big capacitors to take the surge, so it ends up costing a lot more as well as being bigger and heavier. It suppresses surges a whole lot better and doesn't break when it does take a surge, but it does cost more to implement.
 
but w/i reasons. We are talking about $589 for a surge protector. I can buy a APC Li Ion UPS rack mount for less.
 
Happy Hopping said:
but w/i reasons. We are talking about $589 for a surge protector. I can buy a APC Li Ion UPS rack mount for less.
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That's fine, you asked about protection, I answered. If the question is "What reasonably cheap surge protector can I get," the answer is "Tripplite, Belkin, whatever, they are all generally ok and use the same tech." However you seem worried about protection, wanting an insurance policy. As others pointed out, those pay not pay out, so what I'm telling you is how to get a greater level of protection, if that matters to you. If not, cool no problem. In that case though, I wouldn't worry all that much about brand.

Just be clear on what you want, and what you are asking for. A protection policy is a company saying "We pinky swear if your stuff gets zapped we'll pay for it." If it actually happens, you have to hope they make good on that. That's fine, and I'd file a claim if anything happens, but I wouldn't count on it to do anything, they very well might do like they did to Burticus where they just say "You can't prove our device was the problem so no money for you." Thus if it is really important want you want to do is prevent the problem from happening, not rely on a guarantee to make it better later. In that cause, you want to buy better/more protection hardware. You stop the problem from happening in the first place.

Also just FYI I show the price of a Zero Surge as $263 (for 2 outlet) to $319 (for a 10 outlet), not $589.

Alsoalso, UPSes are only about as good as a power strip at surge protection for normal line-interactive UPSes. They normally pass the power straight through themselves, not using the inverter or batteries. They then defend against a surge using small MOVs just like a power strip. The only ones that offer ore protection are the much more expensive, and inefficient, online/double conversion UPSes. Those take the AC power, covert it to DC, then go through whatever batteries and filters, then to the inverter and back to AC all the time. That cleans up the power (they are usually used in areas with poor quality power grids) and also inherently provides surge protection since the inverter shouldn't increase its voltage in the event of a surge, but because of the continual conversion they waste power and they cost more to buy.
 
Most all (surge protectors) will have that "guarantee", why? Because it's not the source of most problems. Voltage fluctuations (or bad voltage), frequency mixups and ground not being ground are the bigger issues. There's a reason why you want/need a UPS or at least line conditioning. If you live in an area with power "near brown outs, lights dim", it takes a toll on your PSU, possibly more.
 

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Happy Hopping said:
Syncraft, have a look: $589

https://zerosurge-com.3dcartstores....acles-Surge-Protector--10R-1U-15W-I_p_18.html
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That's for a rackmount unit. Those do tend to cost more.
Happy Hopping said:
a 10 outlet surge protector, now at Tripplite, owned by Eaton, in which Eaton is a good electrical co., is about $60 or so. And it does c/w $250K lifetime insurance policy. Now, every insurance policy, has denial of claim. So you found 1 case, it means nothing.
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Then buy the Tripplite, and be happy. Nobody is telling you that you can't. Doesn't change any of my advice or what I said.
 
I don't like thunderstorms.

Whenever one's too severe and clearly heading for me personally (I have lightningmaps open and track bolts whenever one's close) I just shut my stuff off and disconnect the UPS from the wall.
Without double conversion, everything else just lowers your susceptibility but doesn't remove it.

I had one case at work where a nearby (building next door, church with pointy roof) thunderbolt randomly damaged a long cable that fed signal from the dvr to a far away room. It didn't break the tv or dvr outright, but simply degraded the analog video signal path somewhere. Maybe even just by induction, who knows.
 
michalrz said:
I don't like thunderstorms.

Whenever one's too severe and clearly heading for me personally (I have lightningmaps open and track bolts whenever one's close) I just shut my stuff off and disconnect the UPS from the wall.
Without double conversion, everything else just lowers your susceptibility but doesn't remove it.

I had one case at work where a nearby (building next door, church with pointy roof) thunderbolt randomly damaged a long cable that fed signal from the dvr to a far away room. It didn't break the tv or dvr outright, but simply degraded the analog video signal path somewhere. Maybe even just by induction, who knows.
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Don't forget to unplug other things such as ethernet cables and coax (satellite TV, etc.) as well. Even if you unplug the box these other connections create pathways that can inject destructive spikes to your equipment. And unplugged, your chassis ground is now floating which makes it even more dangerous, only applicable to very close or direct strikes of course.
 
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