What about thunderstorms?

[dusty0318]

Do y'all use your machine during a thunderstorm??

[Pugsy]

Yep. Till the power goes out.

We had a pretty good lightning and thunder boomers last Sunday night. Started up right when I went to bed. Big lightning and associated boomer woke me up right when I started to doze. Got up, unplugged the computer and TV, went back to bed, hosed up and slept through the rest of it. Didn't lose power though.

[Alsacienne]

Sure. Why not? The only problem might be a power outage, in which case you should already have your back up plan in place and have an alternative power source to tide you over until the power is restored or it's time to get up.

What? No back up plan? No battery? I think you should seriously consider getting one!

[rested gal]

LINKS to Battery operation, camping, power outage
viewtopic.php?t=9682

[BernieRay]

If your concern is lightning, I highly recommend TrippLite Isobar/Isotel Ultra surge supressors.

I use the ISOTEL8ULTRA in the bedroom where I have my S9. I use the ISOBAR8ULTRA in my garage where my backup 12V battery and charger are located. I also have an Isobar UltraFax to use with my S9 on trips. I also have a half dozen others around the house. I've used their products for over 20 years and none of them have ever failed to protect my equipment. I trust these TrippLite products, and I have the backup battery to handle power outages.

In the late 80's, I had one of their early surge suppressors connected to my computer and phone line. I was, in hindsight rather stupidly (20 something talking to his girlfriend, hormones), on the phone during a thunderstorm when the phone/power lines were hit by lightning. It sounded like a shotgun going off in my ear. The computer survived with no damage. I had a pinprick sized burn from where a tiny arc jumped from the phone to my ear. The TrippLite was basically destroyed, but it almost certainly saved my life. Because of that experience, I have little fear of lightning when using my S9 while it's connect to a TrippLite surge surpressor.

Brickwall makes even better equipment, if you're willing to spend the money. I have one of them for my home theater equipment. In my opinion, though, the additional cost for having no sacrificial components isn't justified when protecting equipment such as xPAP machines.

Of course, a battery system that isn't plugged into main power is even better as far as protection from lightning goes, but it also entails more equipment to buy.

[nobody]

Do y'all use your machine during a thunderstorm??

Yes. However, to protect it from surges caused by lightning, I plug it in to a battery.

[NightMonkey]

Do y'all use your machine during a thunderstorm??

Yes, but I bring it inside the house.

[physicsbob]

While I have a Reptile heated hose as, well, I use a whole house surge protector, then my cpap equipment is put through a isolation transformer and then a full circuit surge protector. This then goes to the battery charger and heater. My cpap is then run run off a a 110 Amp/hour battery. While this may seem like a little over kill, as a former power lineman, I have saw, and felt what lightening can do. I am considering getting a good inverter to power everything off the battery.

[TalonNYC]

Most surge suppressors (that are more than about 4 bucks) will stop a power spike - though the cheaper ones do this by self-destructing. Won't hurt you, or the house, but also needs to be replaced after one shot LOL.

Source: plugged a (US)$6 surge protector into a 220 outlet (the British hotel I was in had US style outlets, but not US style power). POP! and that was all. Nothing plugged into the strip was harmed at all.

UPS (Uninterruptable Power Supply) devices also act as surge suppressors both actively and passively. Much like regular surge strips, they have breakers in them which will trip at high voltage. Additionally, power never flows directly to connected devices. Power flows to the UPS battery which then sends power from the battery to the connected devices. This way, smaller surges and drops never get passed to the devices themselves.

Source: I work in Backup/Disaster Recovery tech =)

If you just want to shield the device from spikes, a moderately priced surge strip will work. The $10 dollar range should be where you are looking. If you want to keep the thing running when the power drops, then a UPS that is suitable for home computer equipment should let you keep going for up to 30 minutes AND protect from spikes. They range from $75 to $200.

[Hosehead4ever]

But what about the humidifier. That is essentially hooked up to you. Does that make lightning coming through the machine more likely to zap you? Forgive my naivety here. Hope that isn't a stupid question.

(Two EE parents and I'm clueless about electricity for the most part. You'd think some of would have rubbed off, right?)

[westom]

Most surge suppressors (that are more than about 4 bucks) will stop a power spike - though the cheaper ones do this by self-destructing. Won't hurt you, or the house, but also needs to be replaced after one shot LOL.

Same protector circuit inside a $7 grocery store protector also sells for $80 or $150 under the Monster name. Does money mean better quality? Only if you want to be scammed.

View its spec numbers. In a plug-in protector, how many joules? Hundreds? How does its hundreds of joules absorb surges that are hundreds of thousands of joules? It doesn't. How does a 2 centimeter part stop what 3 miles of sky could not? Silence? Why are protectors with the most obscene profit margins recommended? Why are none of these damning questions asked?

Because most only believe what advertising orders them to believe. Do not ask damning questions. Ignore what is required to know anything - specification numbers.

Posted in How do you protect your machine from electrical spikes? are effective solutions used even 100 years ago. So that direct lightning strikes cause no damage even to a protector. So that nobody knows a surge existed.

Why do protectors fail? CPAP already contains serious protection. A surge too tiny to damage a CPAP can easily destroy that power strip protector. Those who know only from their feelings assume, "My protector sacrificed itself to save my CPAP." Nonsense. CPAP protected itself. Protector fails to promote a scam. A surge too tiny to harm a CPAP easily destroys the protector. The scam works.

Recommended solutions start at 50,000 amps. Have the always required short and dedicated wire to earth ground. Lightning is typically 20,000 amps. That means a protector remains functional. Nobody knows a surge even existed. And lightning energy is not inside the building. A superior solution also costs about $1 per protected appliance. Does not have an obscene profit margin attached to the Isobar. And has what every effective protector must always have. A short (ie ‘less than 10 foot’) connection to earth ground.

[Wulfman...]

But what about the humidifier. That is essentially hooked up to you. Does that make lightning coming through the machine more likely to zap you? Forgive my naivety here. Hope that isn't a stupid question.

(Two EE parents and I'm clueless about electricity for the most part. You'd think some of would have rubbed off, right?)

Get a decent surge protector multiple outlet strip with toggle/rocker switch. They can range from $10 - $30. If the lightning does find the outlet, it'll take out the outlet strip first. Chances are some of the other appliances or electronics in the house are gonna get zapped too. Find out if your homeowners insurance will cover any of that stuff.


Den

[westom]

But what about the humidifier. That is essentially hooked up to you. Does that make lightning coming through the machine more likely to zap you?

Over 100 years ago, telephone operators worked through lightning storms with headsets attached. How many were killed with each lightning storm?

Over 100 years ago, the same solution was implemented so that operators worked harmlessly through every thunderstorm. You are at same risk IF you do not earth one 'whole house' protector where AC wires enter a building.

You remain at risk or are put at greater risk if a protector is adjacent to a CPAP. A protector without the always required short (ie ‘less than 10 foot’) connection to earth simply gives lightning more paths to find earth destructively via you.

It will find earth ground no matter what myths claim. Once permitted inside a building, then nothing can stop a destructive hunt for earth. Which path will it use? You? A computer? The furnace? Once inside, it will find earth destructively. As was true 100+ years ago.

Either earth that energy before it enters a building. Or have no surge protection. It was that simple even 100 years ago with operators. Protection is always about where that energy dissipates – harmlessly.

Surges occur maybe once every seven years. Are you waiting to learn? Or will you learn from someone who has done this stuff even decades ago? Listed were products from Siemens, Intermatic, General Electric, Cutler-Hammer, etc that do what only effective protectors do. Connect all surges including lightning harmlessly to earth. The concepts are simple and well proven. Portection is always about where energy dissipates. A protector is only as effective as its short (ie 'less than 10 foot') connection to single point earth ground. It was that simple 100+ years ago. Ignore advertising propaganda that promoted so many scams both here and the other discussion. A protector is only as effective as its earth ground.

[westom]

They can range from $10 - $30. If the lightning does find the outlet, it'll take out the outlet strip first.

Please remember elementary school science. If electricity is incoming to a power strip, then the exact same current is also outgoing. Simultaneously. Same current is on both sides of that protector. Much later, the protector (and maybe other items in that circuit) fail. Failure that promotes myths especially when protection already inside the CPAP protected the CPAP.

How does that 2 cm part stop what three miles of sky could not? To promote a scam, they need you to not ask such embarrassing questions. If a surge is incoming to the power strip and is not outgoing into the CPAP (as you posted), then no electricity (surge) exists.

Sometimes that power strip may even give a surge even more paths to find earth, destructively, via the CPAP and KatyDidAgain. What kind of protection is that? Obscenely profitable. It did what manufacturer specs said it would do.

Or do you know something different? Please post those manufacturer spec numbers that claim that protection.

[TalonNYC]

To promote a scam, they need you to not ask such embarrassing questions.

It's not a scam, it's a 200 year old fact that Ben Franklin figured out. If electricity cannot find a path to ground through one circuit, it will go through another. Cut the power (with a circuit breaker or fuse) and you FORCE the electricity to find another path. A 3-prong (grounded) surge strip creates the secondary path by using the ground circuit. Electricity won't pass that "2cm gap" when it has a much easier path to ground (the 3rd prong).

Don't take my word for it. http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/su ... ector1.htm

I'm more than happy to agree that some people charge WAY too much money for surge protection, but let's not throw the baby out with the electrified bath water.