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Q:
Does my power protection component have to be turned on to
work?
A: That depends on what you want it to do.
Your gear will be protected from damaging surges and spikes
if it's connected to a properly installed power protection
component, even if the component isn't turned on. However,
in order for any power conditioning features to work, the
power protection component must be turned on.
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Q:
What is a ground loop?
A: Contemporary electrical codes in the US
and Canada require that all wires entering a structure (electric,
telephone, cable, satellite, etc.) be common grounded to the
same electrode. A ground loop occurs when any piece of equipment
or any incoming wire is connected to a different ground or
grounds.
When AC, telephone, or coaxial lines
are connected to different grounds, there may be a differential
in voltage between them when they enter your gear, causing
small amounts of AC current to travel in a "loop"
through your equipment.
A ground loop appears in your system
as interference, often heard as a low hum in your audio system,
or seen as faint horizontal black lines on your TV screen.
More importantly, a ground loop can indicate a potentially
dangerous wiring problem that needs to be addressed by an
electrician.
All of the power protection components
we sell provide ground fault detection. If one is detected,
we strongly recommend consulting a licensed electrician as
soon as possible.
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Q:
I only have a 2-prong outlet — can I use a power protection
unit with a 3-prong plug?
A: You can use a power protection unit with
a 2-prong adapter to prevent surge and spike damage. However,
doing so will invalidate the power protection unit's connected
equipment insurance policy. It's best to use a 3-prong outlet
whenever possible.
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Q:
Why should I buy one of your power protection components when
I can get one at my local discount store for less than $15.00?
A: It's true that you can find multi-outlet
power strips for as little as $15. But these models aren't
equipped to fully protect your gear from spikes and surges.
Also, they typically don't feature any kind of power conditioning,
and in many cases can actually introduce noise into your system.
And don't forget the warranty — the power protection components
we carry have lifetime warranties and most include substantial
connected equipment insurance coverage.
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Q:
I'm not in a high lightning-strike area — why should I worry
about power protection?
A: Even if you think a direct lightning strike
is unlikely, don't rule out the need for power protection.
There are other types of damaging surges that have nothing
to do with lightning, like the voltage spikes that can occur
when the power is restored after any type of outage. Even
the less catastrophic, and more common, types of power anomalies,
including over-voltage and under-voltage, can cause damage
over time. And electromagnetic and radio frequency interference
can hinder your system's performance without the help of a
power protection component with line conditioning.
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Q:
Will a power protection component protect me against a direct
lightning strike?
A: The power protection components we offer
have extremely fast reaction times (less than one nanosecond
in some models). In most cases, they will protect your connected
equipment from damage in the event of a direct lightning strike.
The strike may damage or destroy your power protection unit,
but it will covered by its warranty if it was properly installed.
In the rare cases where the power protection component fails,
any connected equipment is covered under the applicable connected
equipment insurance coverage.
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Q:
What's an uninterruptible power supply (UPS)?
A: An uninterruptible power supply (UPS)
component contains built-in batteries that provide a few minutes
of power allowing sensitive electronic gear to shut down properly
during a sudden outage. This helps prevent the loss of personalized
settings in your audio/video components, such as channel programming
in your satellite receiver. A UPScan also eliminate the need
to reset components with internal clocks, such as DVRs, every
time the power goes out.
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Q:
Can I plug one surge protector into another to expand the
number of outlets at my entertainment center?
A: Possibly, though since some power protection
components offer up to 12 AC outlets, "daisy chaining"
multiple units together shouldn't be necessary. When daisy
chaining, it's possible to add too great a current demand
on the first power protection component, exceeding the load
it was designed to carry. If that happens, the unit may go
into "protect" mode, not allowing any power to pass
through to your components. We recommend selecting a model
that will accommodate all of your components in any given
location.
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Q:
Can I use extension cords with my power protection component?
A: Yes, but for the warranty and connected
equipment insurance to be valid, you'll have to use an extension
cord approved by the power protector's manufacturer. This
applies whether you want to use an extension cord between
the wall outlet and the power protection unit, or between
the power protection component and your gear.
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Q:
Do I need a special type of power protection component to
handle my digital satellite TV system?
A: Yes. Although many power protection units
have coaxial cable jacks, you'll need coaxial inputs specifically
designed to handle a satellite signal. The voltage that normally
occurs between your dish and satellite receiver can be much
greater than the voltage found in a typical cable TV signal.
In fact, the difference in voltage might be great enough to
cause a cable-only power protector to break the connection.
Only a power protection model designed to accommodate digital
satellite signals will be compatible with these higher voltage
levels. A model designed for satellite TV also needs a phone
jack input to protect your satellite receiver from surges
that can enter through the phone line.
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Q:
Should I use a separate power protection component for any
additional satellite receivers I have in other rooms in my
house?
A: Absolutely. If, for example, you have
a dual-LNB satellite dish with two signal cables coming into
your home, each cable will need to pass through a power protection
component. If you're splitting your satellite signal to feed
a second TV, the length of the cable will be susceptible to
the introduction of electronic noise on the way to the second
room. Your second satellite receiver will also need its own
protection from spikes, surges, and interference. The best
solution is to also use a power protector with a line conditioner
to protect your second receiver and filter out the noise from
the extension cable.
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Q:
What's power conditioning?
A: Power conditioning (also known as line
conditioning) filters out interference that can negatively
affect the performance of your system. Electromagnetic interference
(EMI) is caused by strong nearby electic fields generated
by other devices that draw a lot of power, such as vacuum
cleaners and blenders. EMI can add a buzzing or a hum to your
system's sound, and appear as "snow" on your TV.
Radio frequency interference (RFI) comes from radio stations,
microwave towers, cell phones and other such devices. RFI
can be heard as pops and clicks through your speakers, and
can also cause "snow" on your TV's picture.
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Q:
What's power regeneration, and how is it different than power
conditioning?
A: Think of it this way. If we were talking
about purifying water, then power conditioning would be the
equivalent of pouring dirty water through one or more filters.
Power regeneration would be the equivalent of heating the
water to turn it into steam, leaving all the impurities behind,
then cooling the steam in a separate chamber to yield pure
distilled water.
For high-end audio/video components,
even a small amount of interference can impact performance
to a noticeable degree so it's important to get power that's
as clean as possible. A power regenerator takes the AC power
that comes through the line and uses it to create its own
power to send to your equipment. Incoming AC (alternating
current) is converted to DC (direct current) to strip off
electronic noise. The DC is then regenerated as AC through
circuitry that tightly controls the power flow, eliminating
as much variation as possible. This regenerated power has
virtually none of the noise or fluctuation of the original
current.
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Q:
What's connected equipment insurance?
A: In addition to providing a warranty for
the power protection unit itself, reputable manufacturers
will also include connected equipment insurance at no additional
charge. This insurance covers damage to your system resulting
from the power protector's failure. The value insured can
be quite high, but it's usually stipulated that all connections
to and from the protector were properly made and that only
the type of components the protector is designed for are covered.
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