Many electronics say they should be plugged into wall outlet and not surge protector. As far as I can tell, this is only to ensure the device is getting enough power to operate. In my view, it would seem the biggest downside to plugging into a surge protector is the device may not have enough power to operate. So, worst case, coffee isn’t hot or space heater doesn’t run. Whereas, wall outlet has no protection against power surge and therefore device is more likely to be broken or have fuse break as on-board safety measure. What am i missing?
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Power does not matter if plugged directly into a wall receptacle or into any power strip. Power strips must provide a full 15 amps that a receptacle can provide.
A safest power strip has a 15 amp circuit breaker, no protector parts, and a UL 1363 listing. Can sell for $6 or $10. They add some five cent protector parts to sell for $25 or $80. Because they know who to market to.
Protector parts too close to appliances and too far from earth ground can compromise (bypass) what is superior protection already inside electronics. Make damage easier.
One can trace a ‘bypassing’ connections. One wire from that protector connects directly to a computer’s motherboard. Bypassing what is superior protection inside its PSU.
An IEEE brochure demonstrates this. A protector in one room earthed a surge 8,000 volts destructively through a TV in an adjacent room. Where is protection? Did not exist. Because a surge was not earthed BEFORE getting inside.
Surge protection only exists when a surge is not anywhere inside a building. Only Type 1 and Type 2 protectors claim effective protection. Effective protection ALWAYS answers this question. Where do *hundreds of thousands of joules* harmlessly dissipate?
Type 3 protectors do not claim effective protection. How many joules can [do this](https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/attachments/1652673072739-jpeg.804872/)? Always read or demand spec numbers.
[Type 3](https://www.nemasurge.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/SPD-Type-Application-Considerations-Rev-Date-01-31-2013.pdf) (plug-in) protectors are so grossly undersized as to be more than 30 feet from a main breaker box and earth ground. So that it does not try to do much protection. To avert [this](https://atlantareefclub.org/boards/index.php?threads/my-house-caught-on-fire-and-my-tank-busted.22936/).
To be effective, a Type 1 or Type 2 protector connects low impedance (ie less than 10 feet) to earth ground electrodes. Only those claim (with numbers) to protect from all surges (including direct lightning strikes). And remain functional for many decades.
One properly earths to also protect less robust appliances – that power strip with protector parts – Type 3.
Learn from telcos. All wires go into underground vaults. So that protectors can make a shortest possible connection to earth. Telcos want protectors to be up to 50 meters distant from electronics. Separation between protectors and electronics INCREASES protection.
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