Travel Surge Protector

[joelrk35]

Has anyone found a lightweight surge protector (make and model) for travel use? Most that I have found are bulky and weigh a pound or more. For you techies out there, what should the minimum clamp voltage be for adequate protection?
Joel

[dtsm]

http://www.amazon.com/Belkin-Mini-Surge ... 630&sr=1-1

[timbalionguy]

A surge suppressor need not be bulky to be effective. The more sophisticated surge suppressors are probably overkill unless you have particularly bad power quality. The Belkin unit recommended by DTSM is a good choice, there are many others out there.

As far as clamp voltage goes, be careful not to go too low. Personally, I feel 15 or 16 percent is the lowest I would accept, and 20 percent isn't too high. The trick here is you don't want the device clamping during a momentary power surge, and burning up. A real overvoltage condition like this that persists cannot be adequately protected for by a surge suppressor, anyway. Surge suppressors are designed to catch the high voltage spikes that can be double toe line voltage or more. These spikes can be very damaging, even if they are brief. I have seen surges here at our TV station that could easily be measured in kilovolts.

It sounds to me like you travel. So, if your travels take you to places that use 220 or 240 volt AC power, make sure you are carrying a surge suppressor for those line voltages, even if your CPAP unit auto-switches line voltage. A 120 volt unit will burn up on 220 volts, and a 220 volt surge suppressor will not give adequate protection on 120 volt lines.

[plr66]

I also use the Belkin surge protector dtsm lists above. Here's one for places with 220V current.
http://www.magellans.com/store/Adaptor_ ... han=Search

[Uncle_Bob]

If you pack a surge protector and/or power extension cord with your cpap machine will your carry on still qualify as a medical device carry on?

[plr66]

If you pack a surge protector and/or power extension cord with your cpap machine will your carry on still qualify as a medical device carry on?

Bob, I have never had any issue whatever--here or abroad--with carrying all related cpap supplies in my cpap bag, including the surge protector, plug adapters, extension cord, power strip (rarely needed), mask, hose, humidifier, and battery. I should qualify this to say that on one occasion in Egypt on a local hop, the language issue led to my being sent to another person apart from the scanner to ask me if I had a battery. I think they were only asking whether I would use it onboard, and I do not, so it was a non-event.

[westom]

A surge suppressor need not be bulky to be effective. The more sophisticated surge suppressors are probably overkill unless you have particularly bad power quality. The Belkin unit recommended by DTSM is a good choice, there are many others out there.

So how do hundred of joules in that Belkin absorb surges that are hundreds of thousands of joules? If it has any joules above zero, then the sales brochure can tell you it is 100% protection. Did you let then promote that scam?

How to have a lightweight protector. The entire protection circuit in the Belkin can be purchased in Radio Shack for $1.99. That ten cent part has a profit margin that high. And then the Belkin reap how much more profit when selling a $3 power strip with some ten cent protector parts for how much?

To have the same protector circuit - but smaller - buy and install that MOV.

Or ask a damning question. Where does that hundreds of thousands of joules dissipate? The few with honest answers must then discuss the only item in a protection 'system' that dissipates that energy harmlessly. Earth ground. Effective protectors make that 'less than 10 foot' connection to earth. Ineffective protectors claim to make hundreds of thousands of joules just disappear.

Protection is always about where energy dissipates. No earth ground means near zero protection. A protector is only as effective as its earth ground. Ineffective protector just will not discuss earth ground. A $3 power strip with some ten cent protector parts selling for $25 or $150 is a profit margin that must be protected.

[dtsm]

If you pack a surge protector and/or power extension cord with your cpap machine will your carry on still qualify as a medical device carry on?

Took my first overseas trip with cpap in May, with stops in 6 Asian cities, not once hassled and never asked to take the cpap out of my carry bag!

I carried my S8, two sets of hoses, 2 nasal pillow masks, power cord, 10 ft extension cord, surge protector, bunch of meds in ziplock bag, roll of blue painter's tape, extra pair of glasses and another empty eye glass case (stick my eyes glasses in there when I sleep in-flight).

[plr66]

A surge suppressor need not be bulky to be effective. The more sophisticated surge suppressors are probably overkill unless you have particularly bad power quality. The Belkin unit recommended by DTSM is a good choice, there are many others out there.

So how do hundred of joules in that Belkin absorb surges that are hundreds of thousands of joules? If it has any joules above zero, then the sales brochure can tell you it is 100% protection. Did you let then promote that scam?

How to have a lightweight protector. The entire protection circuit in the Belkin can be purchased in Radio Shack for $1.99. That ten cent part has a profit margin that high. And then the Belkin reap how much more profit when selling a $3 power strip with some ten cent protector parts for how much?

To have the same protector circuit - but smaller - buy and install that MOV.

Or ask a damning question. Where does that hundreds of thousands of joules dissipate? The few with honest answers must then discuss the only item in a protection 'system' that dissipates that energy harmlessly. Earth ground. Effective protectors make that 'less than 10 foot' connection to earth. Ineffective protectors claim to make hundreds of thousands of joules just disappear.

Protection is always about where energy dissipates. No earth ground means near zero protection. A protector is only as effective as its earth ground. Ineffective protector just will not discuss earth ground. A $3 power strip with some ten cent protector parts selling for $25 or $150 is a profit margin that must be protected.

So what is your constructive recommendation here, westcom?

[pat200]

I also use the Belkin surge protector dtsm lists above. Here's one for places with 220V current.
http://www.magellans.com/store/Adaptor_ ... han=Search

Looks like a great surge protector for Europe. If used in Asia, make sure you have an adapter to covert the Euro plug to the local variety.

[dtsm]

List of voltages worldwide:
http://www.yung-li.com.tw/en/info/ww_sp ... s.htm#asia

[westom]

So what is your constructive recommendation here, westcom?

One idea: "The entire protection circuit in the Belkin can be purchased in Radio Shack for $1.99."

A better idea: How often are you replacing dimmer switches, clock radios, and GFCIs? Devices that are not as robust. None of those devices have surge protectors - and fail how often? A large surge protector does virtually nothing. Either spend $1.99 for the 10 cent protector. Or - much better - use nothing.

Meanwhile, plug-in protectors create other problems (that does not exist with the effective 'whole house' type protectors):
http://www.hanford.gov/rl/?page=556&parent=554
http://www.ddxg.net/old/surge_protectors.htm
http://www.zerosurge.com/HTML/movs.html
http://tinyurl.com/3x73ol entitled "Surge Protector Fires"
http://www3.cw56.com/news/articles/local/BO63312/
http://www.nmsu.edu/~safety/news/lesson ... orfire.htm
http://www.pennsburgfireco.com/fullstory.php?58339

Massive protection exists inside the appliance. That plug-in protector does not even claim to protect from destructive surges. View its spec sheets. It makes no protection claims. They can lie in sales brochures. That is legal. They cannot lie in spec sheets. Where are numbers that list protection from each type of surge? Do not exist beccause the manufacturer does not claim effective protection. Same thing can be obtains from one MOV in Radio Shack for $1.99. Better is to not haul that large protector all over the world.

[billbolton]

a 220 volt surge suppressor will not give adequate protection on 120 volt lines.

A 220-240V protector should work fine for CPAP purposes in both 100-120V and 220-240V areas, as the switch mode power supplies for all contemporary CPAP kit can automatically handle 240V input power anyway, so spikes on a 110-120V power source that don't go above 280V or so would be covered anyway.

Cheers,

Bill