PC Protection During Thunderstorm Season

[HawkMan]

FWIW - If your "surge protector" was less than $30 - its not a surge protector - its a power strip - dont fool yourself.

 

 

Not necessarily, I have a .. I believe it's APC or somethign similar, one that's just a single pass through with a phone/dsl pass through that I use for the dsl modem. Not sure what the price actually was, but if I use the x10 calculation from dollars to NOK, I think it would be around 30(it's technically around x6-7 but, with 25% VAT and generally higher pay and costs here, actual price usually ends up x10). And it's a great surge protector with a pay back warranty up to a fairly high amount of it fails. 

[T3X4S]

Not necessarily, I have a .. I believe it's APC or somethign similar, one that's just a single pass through with a phone/dsl pass through that I use for the dsl modem. Not sure what the price actually was, but if I use the x10 calculation from dollars to NOK, I think it would be around 30(it's technically around x6-7 but, with 25% VAT and generally higher pay and costs here, actual price usually ends up x10). And it's a great surge protector with a pay back warranty up to a fairly high amount of it fails. 

You know what I meant - 

- the post was meant to inform people who dont know that the cheap, crappy power strip is not a surge protector.  It wont protect crap - and its better to not rely on the cheap little plastic crap from wal-mart that cost $11.  This happens all the time since the layman refers to everything that has multiple outlets in a row as a "surge protector" - at best they are surge suppressors -

 

[HawkMan]

hmmm must be an American thing, I've never seen anyone think of an extension thing as a surge protector.

[cork1958]

Used to have an APC but the battery died, which they do.

 

Having said that, I never bought a new battery or another APC and have NEVER had a problem.

 

I simply do no use any electronic equipment during storms and have NEVER lost ANY piece of equipment yet! Do not unplug anything, ever, either!

 

Personally,

Unless you MUST use or leave electronic equipment on during a storm, I feel an APC is over kill and a big waste of money. I do have everything plugged into very good surge protectors though.

 

9 computers here and a couple of high end stereos/entertainment centers and no issues! :)

 

The power seems to flash here every time the 2 dogs (Chihuahua's) go outside and fart also!

 

As far as that saying about waiting 10 minutes and the weather will change, it's slightly different here. Only have to wait 5 minutes here in Michigan!

 

Having said all that, I know OP wants to be extra cautious, so best advice is to unplug everything during storms, obviously.

[xendrome]

The best protection is to unplug everything. A surge protector *may* work, depending on what it's rated at handling (the higher joules number, the better) but even then I would NEVER recommend leaving things plugged in when lightning is striking closeby.

 

And just a note, surge protectors claim like 100-500 joules ratings, with super high end consumer devices going up to 1000-3000 joules. 

 

Problem is... a direct or close lightning strike on average can generate 3 billion joules, so.,... yeah....

 

Proper grounding of your building/electronics and/or unplug the devices from the hard-line when a storm gets close.

[westom]

The one in my fucebox will burn up before letting anything through, and then it really won't

 

 

Any protector that fails did not do proptection.  But that myth is popular among a majority educated by hearsay, advertising myths, and APC.  One need only read specification numbers.  It does not claim to protect from surges that typically do damage (ie lightning).  At hundreds or a thousand joules, it claims to protect from surges made irrelevant by protection already inside appliances.  Even inside CFL bulbs and clocks.

 

How to promote the scam?  A surge too tiny to overwhelm protection inside appliances also destroys a grossly undersized protector.  Then the naive assume "My protector sacrificed itself to save my computer."  Nonsense.  But that means a $3 power strip with ten cent protector parts can sell for $25 or $80.  Many even assume a larger price means better protection.

 

Read numbers for a UPS.  It typically claims even less protection.  And still some foolishly assume that will block or absorb a surge better.  Read the numbers. Most here have ignored them.

 

 Why does a telco not disconnect their $multi-million switching computer during any thunderstorm?  An employee might even be fired for installing an APC.  Because a telephone CO typically suffers about 100 surges with each storm.  And must not be damaged.

 

How often is your town without phone service for four days while they replace that computer?  They use a completely different device (also called a surge protector).  A properly earthed 'whole house' protector means direct lightning strikes without damage even to the protector.  Homeowners can install same for about $1 per protected appliance.  The best protection costs tens of times less money.

 

 How often do you disconnect a dishwasher, furnace, refrigerator, and GFCIs during each storm?  All those contain electronics that also require protection.  Even a grossly undersized power strip protector need protection only provided by properl earthing and a 'whole house' protector.  Since undersized power strips, in rare cases, cause house fires if not protector by a properly earthed 'whole house' protector.

 

 Joules is a number for adjacent protectors that somehow stop or absorb surges.  Effective protectors never do that. Completely different device that, unfortunately, shares a same name.  An effective 'whole house' protector will be at least 50,000 amps.  Because lightning is typically 20,000 amps.  And not billions of joules.  Hundreds of thousands of joules.

 

  Any protector that fails disconnected from a surge as fast as possible.  And left that surge connected to an adjacent computer.  Fortunately, appliances already contain better protection.  Protection that is not overwhelmed if a 'whole house' protector is properly earthed.  Again, no protector does that protectioon.  Protectors are effective only if connected to earth.  The APC has no earthing.  And does not claim to protect from typicallly destructive surges.

[#Michael]

What's interesting is I am going to be buying a new house (yes actually new) that is right next to a man made lake.  Not sure yet how it will handle a lightning strike near water.  Thinking it will have to have a really good system in place.

[Draconian Guppy]

Lighting once hit the post near where I live... Electricity conducted from the coaxial cable (tv and internet) burned TVs and computers for like 19 apartments, made a couple of telephone devices exploded... Electricity will find a away :P

[Dane]

FWIW - If your "surge protector" was less than $30 - its not a surge protector - its a power strip - dont fool yourself.

Really? I need to get a different one then. I bought one for around $10 maybe alittle more I thought it said surge protector. I don't have the box anymore.

[HawkMan]

Any protector that fails did not do proptection.  But that myth is popular among a majority educated by hearsay, advertising myths, and APC.  One need only read specification numbers.  It does not claim to protect from surges that typically do damage (ie lightning).  At hundreds or a thousand joules, it claims to protect from surges made irrelevant by protection already inside appliances.  Even inside CFL bulbs and clocks.

 

 

I think you're confusing the one in my fusebox with a regular surge protector. the one in my fusebox will stop most anything, if it's to powerful to be stopped by the gas separation chamber thing in it. it will burn out and won't let any power through. 

 

GRanted it needs a pretty damn direct strike to burn out. Other than that, this thing should stop most anything. 

[T3X4S]

Really? I need to get a different one then. I bought one for around $10 maybe alittle more I thought it said surge protector. I don't have the box anymore.

Yeah man, you better get something better if you value whats plugged into it.  Just because it says "surge protector" doesnt mean a whole lot - there isnt a requirement for calling it that. 

No need to get a $500 SmartUPS -- just a decent one from APC, or Tripp Lite - something like that -

 

Notice how these say "surge suppressor" ?  they are the el cheapos

 

[Dane]

Yeah man, you better get something better if you value whats plugged into it.  Just because it says "surge protector" doesnt mean a whole lot - there isnt a requirement for calling it that. 

No need to get a $500 SmartUPS -- just a decent one from APC, or Tripp Lite - something like that -

 

Notice how these say "surge suppressor" ?  they are the el cheapos

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Indeed,  there are some nice ones online.  there is a Cyperpower UPS on amazon or walmarts websites that have me wanting one of them.

 

This was the one I am interested in

 

http://www.amazon.com/CyberPower-CP1000AVRLCD-Intelligent-Series-Mini-Tower/dp/B000QZ3UG0/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1398965032&sr=8-3&keywords=cyberpower 

[Obi-Wan Kenobi]

2 things you learn living in Texas:

 

1.)  If you dont like the weather, wait 10 minutes - it will change

2.)  When they say a possibility of a bad storm ...they mean go find shelter and dont mess with mother nature.

I have SmartUPS for PC, and the good consumer APC stuff for TV - if it looks like Noah is going to be floating by soon, I unplug everything - why risk it ?  Not like I HAVE to get out an email before the funnel cloud relocates my roof.

FWIW:

 

2 years ago my rather large BBQ grill was moved over 15 feet...and all 4 wheels were locked in position. - no tornado in the area either.

Amen to that! I'm in Abilene, and lately, although we haven't had an actual storm, this wind has been ridiculous! 40+ MPH gusts, and constant gusts at that! Anyway, back on topic, I haven't gotten around to purchasing a UPS/Battery backup, but now that I'm making semi-good money, I will be!

[bikeman25]

And Gonna be updating Family PC with APC Surge Suppessor or small battery backups soon here, (well as soon as can afford it)  Thank you all for the excellent replies have learned a lot since started this thread.   Storm ended up being pretty light for this area the night I started this topic, a few cloud lightnings, rain, and a few rumbles of thunder.    But never know how strong one Is gonna be.

[snaphat (Myles Landwehr) Member]

I think you're confusing the one in my fusebox with a regular surge protector. the one in my fusebox will stop most anything, if it's to powerful to be stopped by the gas separation chamber thing in it. it will burn out and won't let any power through. 

 

GRanted it needs a pretty damn direct strike to burn out. Other than that, this thing should stop most anything. 

Yes he is and in general he is incorrect about failing surge protectors. There are many parts to a normal surge protector -- two of which are the fuse (like a regular fusebox) and another is a voltage limiter that limits voltage across your load (your equipment). The former will cause the circuit to open if current/voltages are exceeded and limit the amps that hit your load. The latter will cause high voltages to dissipate partially across the limiter circuit instead of your load. Both can mean the difference between damaged equipment and not damaged equipment even if the surge protector dies. Why? For one, the fuse is designed to break and that limits the continual introduction of electricity and overall current that will hit your load. Second, voltage limiters in the form of MOVs (common in surge protectors) are designed to limit the voltage that hits the load until they burn out. When they burn out, that means they won't be providing limits anymore, but they help until that moment.

 

The most important thing here is that there is not a 100% guaranteed solution to surges, but the more (and better rated) mechanisms you put in place before your device the better off you are. Why? very simple, your fusebox acts as a imperfect clamp and part of a surge may get through in the form of an overall reduced current. Your surge protectors may see the hit from the surge and then act as an imperfect clamp in themselves; and finally, the actual device you have may additionally see part of the surge. For example, daisy channeling MOV devices in parallel to your load would increase your overall over-voltage protection (plugging multiple surge protectors in basically) because the voltage would disperse across all of them. Wikipedia mentions this effect in the following article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Varistor

 

In short, the point is that just because your devices have built in protection mechanisms, doesn't mean that applying additional mechanisms are redundant or unnecessary or that just because your surge protector(s) are not rated for direct lightning strikes that you shouldn't bother having one. It could very well save your equipment in the event that clamps prior to the protector have reduced the current seen by the surge protector or simply from indirect lightning causing surges on the line.

 

Note: most of this post isn't directed at Hawkman, but at westom  :)

[westom]

I think you're confusing the one in my fusebox with a regular surge protector. the one in my fusebox will stop most anything, if it's to powerful to be stopped by the gas separation chamber thing in it. it will burn out and won't let any power through. 

 

A protector in your fusebox is the only effective solution discussed here.  But it does not stop or absorb a surge. Nothing does. As in nothing.  It protects because it works like a wire.  A wire to earth is best protection (as detailed in a previous post).  AC electric wires cannot connect directly to earth.  So we do a next best thing.  Make that low impedance (ie 'less than 10 foot') connection to earth via a 'whole house' protector.

 

An engineering concept, critical to protection, is repeated: low impedance.

 

Those APC protectors do not do that and do not even claim protection from typically destructive surges.  Appreciate what so many misunderstand due to ignoring basic electrical concepts (ie low impedance, joules) and numbers.  Not one answers the relevant question.  Where do hundreds of thousands of joules harmlessly dissipate?  Apparently your protector can.

 

For example, APC has a 330 let-through voltage.  Maybe a 5000 volt surge on a hot (black) wire is approaching a computer (due to no properly earthed 'whole house' protector).  That means 5000 volts is on an incoming black wire, and 4670 volts is connected to a neutral (white) and safety ground (green) wire. (This is in completely agreement with that wikipedia article.)  Where is the protection? APC does not claim that protection ... as numbers repeatedly demonstrate.  Others, who claim it limits voltage, must learn what APC really claims.

 

An APC does absorb surges (therefore limit voltage) that are near zero.  Superior protection inside a computer means a tiny surge destroys their protector.  Superior internal protection means that same surge causes no computer or protector damage.  However, by connecting voltage (ie 4670 v) to other wires, that protector may compromise protection inside a computer.

 

  We engineers literally traced a surge path (due to adjacent protectors) that damaged an entire network of powered off computers.  We traced it by literally replacing every damaged semiconductor.  That 4670 volt number demonstrates what we demonstrated.

 

Your 'whole house' protector is effective if connected low impedance (ie wire without sharp bends) to what does protection.  No protector does protection ... except when advertising replaces basic electrical knowledge.  Your 'whole house' protector means direct lightning strikes cause no damage *IF* single point earth ground harmlessly dissipates hundreds of thousands of joules.  IOW most of your attention should focus on what does protection (an art) and not what connects surges to it (simple science).  Why does APC avoid discussing to sell $3 power strips with ten cent protector parts for $30 or $80?  Discussing earth ground would harm obscene profits.

 

  What burns out your 'whole house' protector (ie gas chamber)? Does an inert gas (insulator) connect AC electric to your appliances until burned out by a surge?  Of course not.  View its specification numbers that others ignore.  A minimal 'whole house' protector is 50,000 amps.  Then a typical direct lightning strike (ie 20,000 amps) does not damage that protector.  Nothing new here. But inspect (maybe post here) specifications for your protector.

 

 These concepts were well understood and implemented for over 100 years ago.  Therefore 23 direct lightning strikes to electronics atop the Empire State Building cause no damage.  Routine is to strike broadcast stations and munitions dumps without damage.  By using service entrance protection - and not APC products.

 

Nothing stops a surge.  Why would a gas chamber (centimeters) stop what three miles of sky could not?  It doesn't.    So where does your protector dissipate energy?  Only that says you have protection necessary to even protect APC protectors.

[snaphat (Myles Landwehr) Member]

 What burns out your 'whole house' protector (ie gas chamber)? Does an inert gas (insulator) connect AC electric to your appliances until burned out by a surge?  Of course not.  View its specification numbers that others ignore.  A minimal 'whole house' protector is 50,000 amps.  Then a typical direct lightning strike (ie 20,000 amps) does not damage that protector.  Nothing new here. But inspect (maybe post here) specifications for your protector.

Of course nothing protects perfectly against 20,000 amps, but that is enough to trip or destroy any regular fuse in a normal home and limit the current getting into the wiring (see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breaking_capacity#Breaking_capacities). So maybe his GDT isn't going to burn out maybe, but his breakers will cut the current somehow. And yes, fuses do limit surge damage and throwing in MOVs, etc. in parallel do also, it is the entire reason they exist. There's absolutely no reason to treat surge protection as an all or nothing scenario where you are seeing a theoretical direct hit causing 20,000 amps directly on your line in.

 

 

Nothing stops a surge.  Why would a gas chamber (centimeters) stop what three miles of sky could not?  It doesn't.    So where does your protector dissipate energy?  Only that says you have protection necessary to even protect APC protectors.

Because an electrical system doesn't have the atmospheric conditions to form an Electrical arc. However, there is the possibility that one can form even in a breaker fuse, but you need to consider that the electricity from a hit is being dispersed throughout an electrical system and you probably aren't seeing the instantaneous amperage you mention above.  Realistically, most lightning strikes close to home have far less potential and merely knock the breakers offline without damaging them (most of the time hits aren't going to exceed the breaking capacity (meaning they'll just trip and clamp and work normally)).

[compl3x]

What's interesting is I am going to be buying a new house (yes actually new) that is right next to a man made lake.  Not sure yet how it will handle a lightning strike near water.  Thinking it will have to have a really good system in place.

 

 

How big is the lake? I imagine the strike would be dissipated through the water. I wouldn't want to be in or on the lake at the time, but I don't think you are in any particular danger.

 

The kaboom! of the lightning strike itself may scare the ###### out of you, though.

[HawkMan]

A protector in your fusebox is the only effective solution discussed here.  But it does not stop or absorb a surge. Nothing does. As in nothing.  It protects because it works like a wire.  A wire to earth is best protection (as detailed in a previous post).  AC electric wires cannot connect directly to earth.  So we do a next best thing.  Make that low impedance (ie 'less than 10 foot') connection to earth via a 'whole house' protector.

 

An engineering concept, critical to protection, is repeated: low impedance.

 

Those APC protectors do not do that and do not even claim protection from typically destructive surges.  Appreciate what so many misunderstand due to ignoring basic electrical concepts (ie low impedance, joules) and numbers.  Not one answers the relevant question.  Where do hundreds of thousands of joules harmlessly dissipate?  Apparently your protector can.

 

For example, APC has a 330 let-through voltage.  Maybe a 5000 volt surge on a hot (black) wire is approaching a computer (due to no properly earthed 'whole house' protector).  That means 5000 volts is on an incoming black wire, and 4670 volts is connected to a neutral (white) and safety ground (green) wire. (This is in completely agreement with that wikipedia article.)  Where is the protection? APC does not claim that protection ... as numbers repeatedly demonstrate.  Others, who claim it limits voltage, must learn what APC really claims.

 

An APC does absorb surges (therefore limit voltage) that are near zero.  Superior protection inside a computer means a tiny surge destroys their protector.  Superior internal protection means that same surge causes no computer or protector damage.  However, by connecting voltage (ie 4670 v) to other wires, that protector may compromise protection inside a computer.

 

  We engineers literally traced a surge path (due to adjacent protectors) that damaged an entire network of powered off computers.  We traced it by literally replacing every damaged semiconductor.  That 4670 volt number demonstrates what we demonstrated.

 

Your 'whole house' protector is effective if connected low impedance (ie wire without sharp bends) to what does protection.  No protector does protection ... except when advertising replaces basic electrical knowledge.  Your 'whole house' protector means direct lightning strikes cause no damage *IF* single point earth ground harmlessly dissipates hundreds of thousands of joules.  IOW most of your attention should focus on what does protection (an art) and not what connects surges to it (simple science).  Why does APC avoid discussing to sell $3 power strips with ten cent protector parts for $30 or $80?  Discussing earth ground would harm obscene profits.

 

  What burns out your 'whole house' protector (ie gas chamber)? Does an inert gas (insulator) connect AC electric to your appliances until burned out by a surge?  Of course not.  View its specification numbers that others ignore.  A minimal 'whole house' protector is 50,000 amps.  Then a typical direct lightning strike (ie 20,000 amps) does not damage that protector.  Nothing new here. But inspect (maybe post here) specifications for your protector.

 

 These concepts were well understood and implemented for over 100 years ago.  Therefore 23 direct lightning strikes to electronics atop the Empire State Building cause no damage.  Routine is to strike broadcast stations and munitions dumps without damage.  By using service entrance protection - and not APC products.

 

Nothing stops a surge.  Why would a gas chamber (centimeters) stop what three miles of sky could not?  It doesn't.    So where does your protector dissipate energy?  Only that says you have protection necessary to even protect APC protectors.

 

Your assumption is that it doesn't protect because it won't protect my stuff if the lighting strikes my house or the air wires that take the power from the pole 10 meters or so away to my house. which is a highly unlikely scenario. 

 

in 99.9% of hits that actually get to my house and are strong enough to damage any equipment, it will protect and more than that. If it strikes close enough to blow up my fuse box(which is what it would do to get past that protector) I'm on my insurance payment for a lot more anyway, luckily I have good insurance if such a one in a billion strike should occur. 

 

The tiny APC protector I have on the DSL modem wouldn't do jack against a strike with my old fusebox that had no protection. but that's also not why I have it, I have it for the DSL line. and for the DSL line it will do as most strike there are far away and weak and DSL lines are thin and would burn out from a powerful strike. Either way it protects me a hell of a lot more than not having it, and is enough for me to not bother about taking it out during a thunderstorm, especially since most strikes here hit before you know there is one anyway. to powerful for that one and it would probably blow up the phone plug(which has happened to houses here) and I have bigger things to replace than my modem and router. 

[#Michael]

How big is the lake? I imagine the strike would be dissipated through the water. I wouldn't want to be in or on the lake at the time, but I don't think you are in any particular danger.

 

The kaboom! of the lightning strike itself may scare the #### out of you, though.

 

The lake itself is 128 acres and 55 feet at its deepest point.

[sava700]

my APCs surge protection is horrible, heh.

 

I guess I fail.  Cool.

 

It is not so much about surge protection on the APC but clean power - power in which isn't drawn down by other things in the home such as firing up a microwave or dryer something that causes the lights to dim a little. You have unclean power thru out any home unless it has a battery in the middle of some sorts to maintain a constant flow. A computer is the most likely device to be effected by power issues which is why its very important to have some sort of protection. I have 5 very large server sized APC's in my home one of them for my home entertainment systems along with another APC unit for the TV's and such that connect to it. I have 2 others for all my computers. The APC Smart-UPS 1000's are very good units you should look into investing into some.

[HawkMan]

Why are you using the APC bran name when referring to UPS' ?

 

as for unclean power. any half decent or even bad PC PSU will handle unclean power just fine. my PC's operate perfectly fine even when the lights blink and fade in and out from the wind playing with the power cables. and neighbours with high power farm stuff causing spikes and drops. 

 

So PC's handle unclean power just fine. You certainly don't need huge UPS' for PC's if the problem is unclean power. If you have a lot of power drops and can't lose data then you need them. but then you should also talk to the power company as they're legally obliged to do something. 

[westom]

It is not so much about surge protection on the APC but clean power - power in which isn't drawn down by other things in the home such as firing up a microwave or dryer something that causes the lights to dim a little.

 

Hawkman is correct.  Fear of unclean power is unfounded; how the naive are easily manipulated by lies.  Suspect lies because the claim was made without numbers.

 

View voltage output by this 120 volt UPS in battery backup mode.  It outputs 200 volt square waves with a spike of up to 270 volts.  Whereas that power is hard on motorized appliances, it is also within range of ideal power for electronics.  Because electronics are so robust - already contain serious protection.  UPS manufacturers create 'dirty' power hearsay knowing a majority will recite those urban myths. Where did anyone cite specific numbers in a UPS recommendation?  Some even think it is better surge protection when manufacturer specifications say otherwise. Claims made without perspective (ie numbers) are classic junk science.

 

 A UPS is only temporary and 'dirty' power to protect unsaved data. So that data can be saved.  A typical UPS does not do hardware protection that so many only assume (due to hearsay and advertising).

 

More reasons: anything a UPS might do to 'clean' power is first completely undone inside electronics. One must first learn simple electrical concepts before making recommendations.  First that 120 volts is converted to well over 300 volt radio frequency spikes.  Then superior protection inside electronics converts that *much dirtier* power to rock solid, low voltage DC (ie 3.3, 5 volts).  Best hardware protection is already inside electronics - to even protect from 'dirty' UPS power.

 

Please learn how electronics work.  'Cleanest' or 'dirtiest' power from a UPS is first made even 'dirtier'.  And then superior protection inside electronics makes that 'dirtiest' power into some of the 'cleanest' inside the house.  Many even falsely claim a fuse protects from surges,   Or that the APC (that can create house fires) does near 100% protection when in reality it does maybe 0.2% of the protection.  And only when used in conjunction with service entrance protection.

 

  No numbers is a first indication that junk science is being promoted - often to protect obscene profit margins.  'Cleanest' UPS power is first made 'dirtiest'; well over 300 volt with very sharp spikes.  Spikes that harm nothing inside electronics due to superior internal protection that gets ignored to promoted ineffective power strips or a UPS..

 

BTW, does a major appliance cause lights to dim or brighten?  Then fix the wiring defect; do not cure symptoms with a UPS.  In most cases, the defect is trivial.  In rare cases, dimming indicates a major human safety problem. Why did a UPS manufacturer also forget to mentiont that?  Be concerned about sources that routinely forget to mention important facts and numbers.

[snaphat (Myles Landwehr) Member]

Many even falsely claim a fuse protects from surges

:huh: They provide over-current protection, that is the entire reason fuses and breakers exist: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuse_(electrical)

[westom]

. So maybe his GDT isn't going to burn out maybe, but his breakers will cut the current somehow. And yes, fuses do limit surge damage and throwing in MOVs, etc. in parallel do also, it is the entire reason they exist. There's absolutely no reason to treat surge protection as an all or nothing scenario where you are seeing a theoretical direct hit causing 20,000 amps directly on your line in.

 

Nobody said all or nothing. Protectors adjacent to appliances may even make appliance damage easier.  And are mostly useless if not used in conjunction with properly earthed, service entrance protection.  Industry standards even put numbers to it.  Service entrance protection can do 99.5% to 99.9% of the protection.  That APC might do an additional 0.2%.  Nobody is saying protection is 100%.  Just that a best solution is also less expensive, protects from all types of surges, and is the only solution for a type of surge that typically does damage.

 

Fuses do not do 'that' protection for a long list of reasons.  Surges do damage in microseconds.  Fuses (and circuit breakers) take milliseconds or longer to trip.  Fuses disconnect power from appliances AFTER damage has occurred.  So that damage and a resulting fire does not threaten human life.  Fuse is for human protection.  Service entrance protection (ie a low impedance, less than 10 foot connection) is for transistor protection.

 

Maybe 300 consecutive surges could occur before a breaker even thought about tripping.  Breakers (and fuses) trip long after damage has happened - to avert fire and to protect humans.