**strmrdr** re: UPS and surge protectors

[CJ2008]

Hi strmrdr, I know you know a great deal about this, so I'm hoping you can help me.

I am looking to purchase a good UPS/surge protector for my PC, scanner, phone equipment, external HD, etc. Here's my dilemma, and then a question. It seems that all of the UPS units out there do not offer sufficient surge protection (joules rating ranged from 300-1000, I was hoping more around the 4000 range) On the other hand, the surge protectors that combine all of the better specs offer no UPS capabilities.

So - how does one choose? Is it better to get a UPS with less surge protection? (I live in South Florida - storms are common, and in my area, power surges/outages are common for no reason as well). I was considering getting both a UPS and a good surge protector, and plugging the UPS into the surge protector. Is that OK though? It would seem that if the only disadvantage is that the UPS might go into battery mode more often, but I am in turn providing higher surge protection, it might be worth it. Am I missing something? I am finding conflicting information on this.

Based on a previous post I know you really like the APC units...what do you think of Belkin? In some cases they seem to offer much better protection for the $...

 

[strmrdr]

Go with APC and sleep soundly.
The ratings are bunk, The time it takes them to react is more important than the joules, they only have to conduct enough and long enough to blow the breaker or fuse in the UPS.
There are also several different ways to rate them.
Peak, RMS, one phase 2 phase etc.
Even the time can be measured as when they start to react or when they are totally clamped.

One thing you can not put on any of them is a laser printer or copier it will fry them.

The APC smart-ups while pricey are the best of the best.
The next model down is almost as good but works in different way.

Both have both input and output spike filtering and protection instead of just input like most.
I have seen a APC smart UPS that took a lightning hit that hit just outside the building.
It never turned on again but the server it was protecting was not damaged in any way.
The lighting hit was so bad it even melted the windings of a sump pump together.
Several computers protected by other brands of surge strips did not survive.

In areas with really bad power the APC smart-ups is the way to go.
You will be replacing the batteries in it or any other one every 2 years under those conditions.

I recommend the 1000VA as future proof for most people..
http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=10324471&listingid=3921666&dcaid=17902

The 750 is a bit less:
http://www.buy.com/prod/apc-smart-ups-750va-750va-500w-4-6-minute-full-load-6-x-nema-5-15r-apc/q/loc/101/10374054.html

To save money the backups 800 is almost as good but if it is a common problem the smart-ups is a better bet:
http://www.buy.com/prod/apc-back-ups-rs-800va-800va-540w-5-3-minute-full-load-3-x-nema-5-15r/q/loc/101/10378734.html

 

[strmrdr]

Belkin products are almost universally overpriced and over rated by Belkin for what you actually get.

 

[strmrdr]

ganging surge strips can be a bad idea.
The second starts to blow then the first blows and it leaves the second damaged and weakened.
The actual part that does the protection destroys itself doing its job when a large hit is encountered.
With a lesser hit it may only be partially blown.
APC UPS''s checks for this which is another thing many don''t do.
The actual part that does the protection can range in cost from .005 cents to $35 wholesale and in volume depending on quality.
The supporting filters can run from 10 cents to $25 depending on quality and the circuitry to check them can run $10 or so in production costs.
Use the cheap stuff and you can sell them a lot cheaper but you only have 50% of the protection.

 

[CJ2008]

Yes, the Smart-UPS are definitely more than I was hoping to spend but I would feel better spending more and getting what I want than less and feel like it was a waste of money. I'll give it some further thought, but I'll probably end up purchasing it.

Buy.com has the best price for that unit (SUA1000), even with the shipping. I've never purchased from them before, but I would imagine they're reliable, plus none of the retail stores like Office Depot, Staples, etc. seem to carry UPSs in this range. CompUSA carries it, but it's still more expensive than Buy.com.

What makes it all more difficult is that, as you say, different manufacturers rate/call the specs a different name - and some don't even have relevant info. like response time.

One more question for you if you don't mind - the best one @ OfficeMax, the BackUPS XS (1500 VA, BX1500LCD) is $209 - is that "the model down", the BackUPS? Any initial thought as to whether this unit is worth anything? I tried to do a comparison to the Back-UPS 800 but APC doesn't seem to be a page on their site for any BX models. ETA - actually, they do have a page...I don't know why it didn't come up in my earlier search - probably from me going a little crazy with all the research

 

[girlie-girl]

I have to second the advice given by strm in this thread. APC is the way to go and yes 1000VA typically will suffice for most users. I recently purchased the Back UPS-NS 1250VA for home use and it's perfect for me but we don't have the power spike issues etc. where I'm at.

Just wanted to add that you always want to plug your UPS directly into the wall.

Good luck.

 

[CJ2008]

hey gg - yes, it makes sense that the UPS should get its power directly from the wall. But I did find several forums, etc., with people recommending plugging in to a surge protector. That's why I always triple-check everything I read...

where did you buy your UPS, if you don't mind me asking?

 

[strmrdr]

I have bought from buy.com they drop ship from Ingram Micro who is the largest computer part supplier in the US.
When I was var I often found parts cheaper on sites like buy.com than my wholesale price direct from Ingram.

 

[girlie-girl]

I bought mine from one of the pricegrabber.com storefronts. I can''t seem to find a link for their store in my email invoice, but the name was Brand New Items.

Basically if you search for an item on pricegrabber.com it presents you with results from several different vendors. You can enter your zip code to calculate shipping and it''ll find you the lowest price.

 

[CJ2008]

thanks storm and girlie...

I''ll probably end up buying it from buy.com...