[MacDV] Re: UPS and surge protectors

[derek at unm.edu]

>> Is a UPS the same as a surge protector?
>
> No, and they shouldn't be connected together. My understanding is that a
> UPS also serves as a surge protector.

Interesting.  I was not aware of this issue.  I own several APC brand UPS 
systems of various sizes, and the specs for surge suppression are lousy. 
For that reason, for the past 12 years or more, I have plugged a decent 
surge protector into the wall outlet, and plugged my UPS into that surge 
protector.  I have also frequently plugged another (cheap) surge protector 
into the UPS, just to have more outlets.

I have not had problems, but maybe I have just been lucky.  I have had my 
computers survive voltage spikes which fried other computers in the same 
building.  In any case, my experience is just one data point (or 5, if you 
will grant me separate entries for each UPS).  The explanation quoted from 
the APC FAQ seems like bogus marketing tactics to me.  My surge protectors 
are rated at 1875 Watts.  This represents the same amperage rating that is 
available for both halves of the duplex wall outlet _combined_.  APC's 
assertion seems to be that the surge protector can't deliver the rated 
amperage, or that some outlets in it get more amps than others.  I'm not 
too worried about the first problem, because the surge protectors are UL 
tested and rated, and I am never close to their rated capacity.  The second 
issue seems unlikely to me, but I realize that I plug _only_ the UPS into 
the first surge protector.  Therefore, my UPS gets all the current that the 
surge protector delivers.

Still, I am not a big believer in a single person's experience nor 
"logical" speculation, as a way of making prudent choices.  There may still 
be a good reason for not plugging surge protectors into a UPS, or vice 
versa.  I'd ike to hear more.

Derek Roff