Joules - surge protector question
I see surge protectors with differing values for joules.... but it doesn't say what is better ... is higher better than lower values ? thanks
Forum Discussion
You misunderstood wiki.
They state more is better. I concur.
They state more is better. I concur.
SoundGuy wrote:JoeH wrote:
I see surge protectors with differing values for joules.... but it doesn't say what is better ... is higher better than lower values ?
As with many things in life there's much more to the story of surge protector joule rating than simply saying "higher is better" ... because in fact it may not be necessarily so, particularly when we're talking about RV specific surge protectors which use MOVs (Metal Oxide Varistors) to direct excessive current surge & spikes to ground. From this wiki article ...
"The joule rating is a commonly quoted but very misleading parameter for comparing MOV-based surge protectors. A surge of any arbitrary ampere and voltage combination can occur in time, but surges commonly last only for nanoseconds to microseconds, and experimentally modeled surge energy has been far under 100 joules. Well-designed surge protectors should not rely on MOVs to absorb surge energy, but instead to survive the process of harmlessly redirecting it to ground. Generally, more joules means an MOV absorbs less energy while diverting even more into ground"
