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11 Myths of Surge Protection

Surge protection is a technology which is obviously difficult to grasp and the sales people do not make it easier.

Wendell H. Laidley wrote a nice paper to explain it in an interesting way: He shows the 11 Myths of Surge Protection:

  1. Any surge protection is better than no surge protection
  2. A UPS will provide dependable surge protection
  3. Transformers are the best surge protectors
  4. Voltage-regulating transformers are helpful with computers
  5. Common mode surges cause computer problems
  6. Computer modem damage is caused by surge on the phone line
  7. Signal ground is isolated from chassis ground
  8. The only risk from the power line is hardware damage
  9. Surge protectors are permanent devices
  10. Nothing can stop lightning
  11. You get what you pay for

All those myths! It makes a very interesting reading, indeed.

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Yves Roumazeilles

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2 responses to “11 Myths of Surge Protection”

  1. John Avatar
    John

    This is an old post but you should take it down. Wendell Laidley is the president of Zero Surge, and he has a history of writing misleading statements to promote his patented product. It’s hard to notice but his paper is completely biased. His paper is designed to criticize all the products that compete against his own. He’s claiming that MOV surge protectors, UPSs, and voltage-regulating transformers will not protect your devices.

    We need to be careful of any information published by companies or any research subsidized by them. This is especially true in the field of surge protection. There is so much misinformation and shady business practices. For example, manufacturers will frequently inflate the specifications of their MOV surge protectors. Warranties are not honored. Claims in ads are misleading.

    The problem is there is very little independent research. And, since the field is so technical, consumers are easily confused and misled.

    For example, Wendell claims that “Surge protection is better than no surge protection.” is a myth. It’s not a myth. A surge protector will be better than nothing, except when you also protect data lines with the same surge protector. You notice that he doesn’t advise against connecting data lines to your MOV surge protectors. He’s hoping you won’t buy them at all, and buy his.

  2. Yves Roumazeilles Avatar
    Yves Roumazeilles

    Thanks for your additional clarification. Unfortunately, the original linked page is no longer available. So, I am uncertain about removing the link.

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