"CL (dnoyeB) Gilbert" wrote in message
...
Calvin Henry-Cotnam wrote:
Pop ) said...

By the time a spike makes it through the transformer on the pole, and all
the inductance in that xfmr, there isn't much of it left for the house
wiring, which in turn has a substantial sinking ability due to the things
plugged into it.


So why is so much money spent on surge suppressors?
Without getting into the whole-house versus power bar argument,
there is electrical noise that can effect electronic equipment
in varying degrees.


Good marketing. I dont have any 'intentional' surge surpressors in my
house. Not to mention that 99% of surge supressors can absorb a max surge
the size of a static shock from a rug...

Maybe where you live -- but in Florida, power surges resulting from
electrical storms are a major source of TV repairs and a specific profit
center for our family TV repair business. I have everything in the house
protected by surge suppressors and even at that a nearby lightning strike
was strong enough to smoke the surge protector on my stereo power amplifier
and the amplifier itself, although the plasma TV (on a different supressor)
escaped unharmed. The manufacturer of the surge supressor pai me for a new
power amplifier.
Devices themselves are more robust these days and small surges wont do
much. Especially to electronic equipment.

These aren't small surges, and electronics are, IMHO, getting MORE sensitive
and more expensive, not less.

Neither of my two comments are related to GFCIs, but to the earlier poster's
overall comments on power surges.


There is also the question of where the spike originated. Inductive loads
like refrigerators and vacuum cleaners, A/C units (especially when faulty)
can throw spikes on the line which originate inside the house/transformer.
i have still not seen any trippage of my GFCI. But in my old house the
voltage drop would induce my battery backup to kick in briefly.


GFCIs are among the effected, often enough that you should not
use them on outlets powering refrigerators.


I'd be willing to bet money that no transient was at work in this
picture; it just doesn't fit the anecdotal evidence.


It does, moreso since the original poster mentioned that there were
other loads downstream from the GFCI (the lights).

It would be a pretty rare occurance for a GFCI to trip off due to
transients flowing strictly due to the inductive and capacitive load
of the power line. I wouldn't say impossible, but think it is fair game
to say I have a better chance of winning a lottery.


Isint this contrary to your statement about refrigerators which are an
inductive load?

But with a load of a few lights, there is a somewhat greater possibility
that noise might be "seen" by the GFCI as an imbalance.


If that's the case, then there was an obvious reason for it tripping that
anyone worth their salt could have asked about, instead of just that
"they do that".


True. Unfortunately, there seems to be a common attitude of many
professionals to give such a terse answer to people outside their
profession.



--
Respectfully,


CL Gilbert