Christmas Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 This is my first year with LOR I have 1 controller of 16 channels, I was wondering if I should be connecting my Controller to a surge protector. If I do not connect to a surge protector am I safe? I'm not sure if this might pop the fuses, would this be an issue? about half of my lights are LED Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Mitchell Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 I think VERY few of us use surge protectors. It shouldn't be a problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
james campbell Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 make sure your plugged into a gfci outlet and you'll be fine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k6ccc Posted November 12, 2013 Share Posted November 12, 2013 If you in an area that gets lightning, I would recommend it. Personally I don't, but we hardly every get lightning around here. If I lived in central Florida, I would have surge protection on anything electronic (including the stereo, TV, microwave, computer). Around here, that's not the case. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orville Posted November 12, 2013 Share Posted November 12, 2013 I'm in Orlando, FL and I have NEVER used a Surge Protector on any of my controllers, and we do get a heck of a lot of lightning here. Been doing fine for 3 years, but do, as others have suggested use a GFCI outlet, that is your best defense. I've never seen a need for a surge protector on my Halloween or Christmas displays. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobschm Posted November 12, 2013 Share Posted November 12, 2013 I think some may confuse GFCI and surge protector. They're two different things. A GFCI protects you from a lifted ground or other fault that will send current through your body when you touch metal on a faulty piece of gear. A surge protector protects the equipment from spikes of high voltage coming down the power cord. I use both. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
viennaxmas Posted November 12, 2013 Share Posted November 12, 2013 One option would be a whole house surge protector which get's mounted in your main panel. It is supposed to protect the entire house including heating system. Maybe not as good as individual surge protected power strips but at least some defense. Also - has anyone seen outdoor rated surge protectors? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christmas Posted November 13, 2013 Author Share Posted November 13, 2013 Is it possible to blow a fuse using LOR? Or maybe worse? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobschm Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 Any electric circuit is capable of popping a breaker or blowing a fuse. I would hope if a string goes dead shorted that the breaker pops instead of frying my house! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeighty Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 What about using UPS'? Assuming the use of a mid-grade UPS, would the PWM square wave output cause problems with the LOR controllers? I wouldn't mind a high end UPS that has true sine wave output, but doubt I can work it into the budget. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westom Posted November 15, 2013 Share Posted November 15, 2013 One option would be a whole house surge protector which get's mounted in your main panel. It is supposed to protect the entire house including heating system. Maybe not as good as individual surge protected power strips but at least some defense. A 'whole house' protector is superior to an adjacent protector. Adjacent protectors only claim to protect from transients already made irrelevant by protection inside LORs and all other appliances. Transients that cause damage are best earthed far from any appliance. Even separation between an electrical appliance and the protector INCREASES protection. A UPS does nothing for hardware protection. When not in battery backup mode, a UPS connects direct to AC mains. IOW power from a UPS is cleanest when not from battery. 'Dirtiest' power (ie square waves) exists when a UPS is operating from its battery. Due to superior protection standard inside all electronics, then 'dirtiest' power from a UPS is also irrelevant. That same 'dirty' power might be harmful to small electric motors. But existing protection inside electronics (even clocks and dimmer switches) makes 'dirty' UPS power and most surges irrelevant. Installing a 'whole house' protector is not just to protect an LOR. It is even necessary to protect the furnace, dishwasher, and a most important appliance during a surge - smoke detectors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeighty Posted November 15, 2013 Share Posted November 15, 2013 A UPS does nothing for hardware protection. Which make and model of UPS do you use that does not include surge protection?I work with APC mid-sized Units and have seen them take a hit that would have toasted one of my server rooms. I have 19 server rooms for which I am responsible. I hope I don't have some false sense of security. If you can give us makes and/or models to avoid that would be helpful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobschm Posted November 15, 2013 Share Posted November 15, 2013 The model I have (not home so I can't tell you) specifically says battery backup and surge protection. I think it's a Back-UPS ES or something like that. I suppose there may be some that are only battery backup, but how do they protect THEMSELVES? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westom Posted November 20, 2013 Share Posted November 20, 2013 Which make and model of UPS do you use that does not include surge protection? Post specification numbers that claim protection from each type of surge. .Many claim protection ... that is near zero. What are your UPS spec numbers for each type of surge? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjdurrant Posted November 20, 2013 Share Posted November 20, 2013 I just use a GFCI Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westom Posted November 20, 2013 Share Posted November 20, 2013 I just use a GFCI A GFCI obviously does nothing for the OP's concern. It would do about as much good as toothpicks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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