surge protection

[freebird77]

Having bought two new flat screen tvs, one a 46 inch, should I have something better ten my $12.00 power strip from Lowes, and if so what are the difference between that and a more expensive brand? Thank you.

 

[priester68]

I had a $12 strip that my dell laptop was plugged into and it was fried after a recent thunderstorm. I don't know what size or brand to recommend but I would buy an expensive one. It won't cost as much as replacing your tv's. Maybe contact Best Buy or Radio Shack and see what they recommend.

 

[NutFlush920]

When it comes to surge protectors get one with the high amount of Joules you can afford. The Joules are what count. Also it doesn't hurt purchasing one with insurance. A lot of different brands say right on the box "Covers $25,000 in equipment". I wouldn't personally touch a surge proector under 1000 joules.

As for brand, that is up to you. Mine has a power light on it and a protected light so I know things are good. Once you have a power spike through the surge protector throw it away and get a new one. They aren't good for more then one lightening strike.

 

[RACJ2]

Having bought two new flat screen tvs, one a 46 inch, should I have something better ten my $12.00 power strip from Lowes, and if so what are the difference between that and a more expensive brand? Thank you.

I you are going to invest in a new surge protector, you might want to consider investing in a good UPS/Surge protector from a company like APC. In addition to the surge protection, you can plug you D* equipment in the battery backup outlets. Then if you have power fluctuations or brief outages, it won't cause problem with the D* hardware. Especially if you have the HD DVR's.