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WanMan
Joined: 19 Mar 2006
Posts: 10270
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| Posted: Thu Nov 18, 2010 2:26 pm Post subject: Power Outages |
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Anyone care to recommend a battery backup to ward against utility brown/black-outs?
I've lived from New England to central Florida and never experienced so many instances of utility power outages in perfect weather. Twice in the past two weeks I had power go out for several seconds to over an hour. These are not weather related, occurring in the evening (7PM-8:30PM), and affecting homes not limited to my subdivision.
I am not concerned for when the power comes back on (surge; me being ignorant?), but rather what could happen to electronics when the devices are in use and the power suddenly an event takes place.
For starters, I was wondering if a battery backup for just the projector might lend itself to sustaining brief outages (10-15 minutes). Not sure what the dollar investment might entail but I figured someone might know.
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zaphod
Joined: 16 Jun 2006
Posts: 2002
Location: Cloverdale
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| Posted: Thu Nov 18, 2010 4:18 pm Post subject: |
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before i ditched on setting up the HT, here was the plan
1. whole house surge suppressor from square D or similar - $100-$200
2 Generac 14kW Automatic Home Standby Generator System - $5000
the generator is supplied from nat gas and is enough to handle the furnace and a few key outlets. the definition of "key" is between you and your wife. there is a pause on the kick in for the generator so a tiny UPS to handle 30 seconds or so would be good.
i bought the cableing and the surge surpressor, they're just sitting in the garage, still in the boxes. (good thing i didn't get the generator at the time too ... )
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Curt Palme
CRT Tech
Joined: 08 Mar 2006
Posts: 24396
Location: Langley, BC
TV/Projector: All of them!
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| Posted: Thu Nov 18, 2010 4:24 pm Post subject: |
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Zap, we MUST change your mind... this is not good! 
I personally use nothing whatsoever, and all my audio equipment in the HT stays on 24/7. I have about 4 outages a year here, had one again the other day for no reason at all. Never had any issue.
but... power conditions change, as I heard from people over at avs.
I'd put anything with a CPU in it on a UPS, as projectors like the G90 can spot burn with a power failure as a couple of people have found out.
Mind you, my Denon receiver has a CPU in it, and it just powers back up with no issues.
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WanMan
Joined: 19 Mar 2006
Posts: 10270
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| Posted: Thu Nov 18, 2010 4:40 pm Post subject: |
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I am more concerned with something like the lamp or firmware getting screwed up on the loss of power than I am with the potential surge on power restoration.
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westom
Joined: 14 Dec 2009
Posts: 56
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| Posted: Fri Nov 19, 2010 12:42 am Post subject: |
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| WanMan wrote: | | I am more concerned with something like the lamp or firmware getting screwed up on the loss of power than I am with the potential surge on power restoration. |
There is no surge on power restoration. Power restoration is mostly a problem to motorized appliances because the power is restored too slowly. Does not exceed voltage. Instead voltage rises too slowly.
Blackouts are completely different from surges. Surges result in very high voltages. Blackouts are zero volts. So you earth a surge before it can enter the building. And you obtain the cheapest UPS to provide temporary and dirty power.
Yes, dirty. For example, this 120 volt UPS outputs 200 volt square waves with a spike of up to 270 volts between those square waves. Some of the dirtiest electricity an appliance might see. And perfectly ideal power for electronics. Electronics are so robust as to even make dirtiest power from a UPS irrelevant.
Important number for a UPS is it power or VA rating. Remember, a UPS is made a cheaply as possible. Therefore its battery will quickly degrade in three years. So select a UPS rated at least 150% of your appliance power requirements. Then the UPS will still be sufficient in three years.
Electronics are some of the most robust appliances in the house. Therefore dirtiest electricity from a UPS (in battery backup mode) is ideal power to electronics. But (and especially in FL) be concerned with transients that can overwhelm that internal protection. You should suffer direct lightning strikes to incoming power wires and never have damage. That means one 'whole house' protector (and this is the part so many forget to learn) that is properly earthed short (ie 'less than 10 feet') to single point earth ground. Without such protection, then surges go hunting for earth, destructively, via appliances. And nothing inside the house (not even that UPS) will avert or claims to stop that hunt.
Two different problems that must be addressed in two different locations with two different solutions.
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WanMan
Joined: 19 Mar 2006
Posts: 10270
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| Posted: Fri Nov 19, 2010 10:40 am Post subject: |
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Ok, I already have a Panamax power conditioner that I got from Magnolia on open box. I presume this will clean the voltage/power coming from a UPS, no? Thinking Street<-->UPS<-->Panamax<-->Projector.
Also, isn't there some concern over using a UPS with pure sine wave capability?
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westom
Joined: 14 Dec 2009
Posts: 56
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| Posted: Sat Nov 20, 2010 2:05 am Post subject: |
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| WanMan wrote: | | Ok, I already have a Panamax power conditioner that I got from Magnolia on open box. I presume this will clean the voltage/power coming from a UPS, no? Thinking Street<-->UPS<-->Panamax<-->Projector. |
Why do UPS manufacturers quietly recommend nothing between the UPS and appliance? First, dirty UPS power can be harmful to the Panamax. Or what the Panamax does (much less often) causes damage to the UPS. Second, the projector already has conditioning so superior to the Panamax as to make that 'dirty' UPS power irrelevant.
'Dirty' power is the layman's term for many electrical anomalies including UPS sine waves that are chock full of 'dirty' sine waves.
Better solution is a UPS direct to the projector; no Panamax. Assuming any internal projector motors are not driven directly by incoming AC power.
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