Nothing technical here, not even talking about whole house here....


but how is it that surge protectors are acceptable to use 24/7, but an extension cord is not meant for permanent application?

Also, I have a wall wart for my att dsl modem which would stay on all the time.... do I need surge suppression for a step down transformer like this or would you plug this directly to wall?

 

Assuming you're asking about the plug-in power strips that have surge suppression built in, the answer is that those are not extension cords. They are built and tested to a different, higher, standard, and are rated for continuous use.

Up to you. How frequent and how intense are spikes, brownouts and failures where you live?

The power supply for our modem is plugged into a standard outlet which is fed from a standard breaker in a panel that has a whole-house surge suppressor mounted in it.

 

They are acceptable for use 24/7 when properly installed and not just laying on the floor. Properly installed would mean mounted per the manufacturer's instructions. Extension cords and the receptacle end on them typically just lay on the floor because they are for temporary use.

 

With point of use instead of whole house protection,

1. Would you be using surge suppression on a laptop (battery plugged in)? Im thinking no, since the DC battery would fry instead of what is on the output.

2. What about fridge? would you be using a single service surge adapter here? Or other motor driven devices without electronics? Dishwashers WITH electronics... etc.

 

Probably only if one was already installed where I wanted to plug in the laptop.

I don't think that would be a typical use for a surge suppresor strip. Those are the types of appliances that would benefit from a whole house suppressor. There are surge suppressor receptacles available, but I rarely see them used.

 

What about turning off surge protectors with stuff still plugged in.... with it off, would the equipment still be protected from surges? The switch is off, so I guess a surge would never reach the equipment right?

 

Not necessarily. Surges of high voltage have been known to jump the contacts in switches. TVs are a good example, just turning off a TV will not protect it. I'd still go for a whole house suppressor, they aren't as expensive as you may think.