joule rating ?

[redls1]

Is a joule rating all hype? I was told the higher the joule rating the better. Whar is the minimum rating that is acceptable? How can they rate a surge protector @4250? I use battery back ups for my 3 tv"s but am just asking because someone is trying to sell a monster surgre proctecot rated at 555 joules. I pointed that was kinda low. He response was I have my home theatre,ps2,ps3,xbox,subwoofer connected to it and my house hasnt burned down yet. LOL

[ss~zoso~ss]

surge protectors protect your electronics from electronic power surges that rarely ever happen, could happen during a lightning storm usually.

the bigger the joule rating the more it can withstand, ie a 555 joule surge or 4250 joule surge,

joule is a unit of power,

this is my best explanation of this

hope it helps

[redls1]

Yeah I know the bigger the joule rating the better. I did a google on it and came up with the fact that its not a standard rating and manufacturers set it based on there own standards. Therefore there isnt a minimum or best rating. I guess my question was how can one surge protector be rated say 4250 and one next to it 1000 and yet there is no size difference etc.. Itc because there is no standard for ratings. I guess I answered my own question but wanted to know what everyone else was using or their opinion.

Also read that a surge protector is always being tested and while it may not pop the circuit it will degregate over time.I just found it funny that since his house hasnt burned down yet his monster surge protector rated at 555 joules with all kinds of electronics hooked up it was great.

[bmyers]

get a surge protector but monster is a waste of money.

[94z28l]

get a surge protector but monster is a waste of money.

+1 panamax ftw

[kmassner]

I like the UPS plan better. Most guard against brown outs, which some electronics are kind of sensitive to.

[94z28l]

I like the UPS plan better. Most guard against brown outs, which some electronics are kind of sensitive to.

a lot of the better power conditioners for home theater use have a "protect or disconnect" feature that will shut everything down in the event the power fluctuates more than 5% from 120v where as govt. mandates allow up to 10% fluctuation