Best Surge Protector For My Garage Door Opener and Value Electronics
Yes that’s right, I needed a surge protector for my garage door opener. I found the perfect one (below).
I also use this same brand for protection for my other valuable electronic equipment. In this modern world, you cannot be too careful about this!
I want to share with you what I have determined to be a very high quality choice for effective surge protection. It’s not the cheap built-in surge protector that you might find in your typical ‘power strip’ (although some of those are good – depending)… Instead, it’s a purpose-built protector, specifically designed just for that purpose.
I have been using this brand for years, and I can attest to the fact that my various electronic equipment have not blown up through the fiercest of thunderstorms!
Well, one time it did, but I didn’t have a surge protector connected!
(video when lightning zapped my internet router)
Okay, enough teasing. You want to know what brand it is?
In case you haven’t noticed the picture above (this one is now used for my Router and Modem),
It’s the ‘Tripp Lite isobar Ultra’ Surge Protector:
Tripp Lite Isobar 4 Outlet
(view on amzn)
Here’s a picture of the mess of cables behind my ‘entertainment center’ all plugged in to various isobar surge protectors. Looks like I have two spare receptacles… Time to get more equipment?
Why This Surge Protector is a Great Choice
While you can certainly pay more for a surge protector, this one is THE most well reviewed and fits a reasonable price point. The main selling point for me was their extreme confidence to include a $50K insurance if equipment gets damaged!
Here are some technical specifications sourced directly from Tripp Lite:
– Lifetime Limited Warranty and $50,000 Ultimate Lifetime Insurance covers any connected equipment damaged by a power surge. Yes, you read that right.
– 3330-joule surge suppression rating (135,000 Amps!). Reduces 6,000-volt test surges to harmless levels under 35 volts.
– 3 built-in isolated filter banks, large torroidal chokes, ferrite rod-core inductors, HF/VHF capacitors and multiple layers of metal oxide varistors to block interference.
– Removes EMI/RFI interference up to 80 db.
– AC Suppression response time less than 1 nanosecond!
– 12 Amp resettable circuit breaker.
– Diagnostic LED’s indicate it’s present state.
– Metal housing, can also be mounted to wall.
– Right angle plug keeps it tidy.
Surge Protector For Garage Door Opener
Modern garage door openers have built-in electronics. Even a microprocessor for some ‘fancy’ features… Part of the “internet of things” (IoT) these days.
This is the Tripp Lite model that I used for the garage door opener. Here’s a picture of it installed. The two outlet protector plugs straight in to an existing outlet. Since the outlet was mounted on the ceiling I used a zip-tie to secure it (although it was holding by itself quite well).
Tripp Lite Isobar 2 Outlet Surge Protection
(view on amzn)
Surge Protection for Valuable Electronic Equipment
I currently use several of the Tripp Lite isobar Ultra’s.
1. My Internet Modem and WiFi Router
2. TV / DirecTV satellite box / Roku / DVD player / Stereo receiver
3. Garage door opener (believe it or not, it has a microprocessor board in it)
4. Office Computers, NAS device, Printer
Consider surge protection for the following:
– Printer / Scanner
– Desktop Computer
– Appliances with electronic circuits
– Network equipment
– A/V equipment
If the electronic equipment is worth more than the surge protector, especially if it’s worth a lot more, I would consider getting a surge protector. There are lots out there, and Tripp Lite (no affiliation) is a very good brand choice.
Do you have ‘dirty’ power or occasional power surges or drop outs? Do thunder & lightning storms frequent your region? You better get some surge protection…
I put a Tripp Lite on the Speed Queen and the freeze dryer. Need to buy more for the other tech items. Seems most all appliances and such have circuit boards now these days.
Didn’t think about the washing machine! Good advice thanks, Beach’n
I’ve used TrippLite for decades, and agree with the article.
That said, for my most expensive electronic equipment, I now use Zero Surge.
It’s pricier than TrippLite, but uses a different surge suppression technology that offers many advantages.
– does not use MOVs, (which wear out over time)
– does not route the surge to ground (which can cause it’s own set of problems)
– operates effectively over a *very* wide voltage range
– makes a great door stop (it’s heavy) ;)
Thanks for the tip about Zero Surge
——-
It is expensive. But having read about the product, it’s unique design is intriguing.
——-
A quote, “ZeroSurge approach to mitigating power surges is superior method for protecting delicate consumer and office electronics. Competing products employ MOVs (Metal Oxide Varistors) which degrade each time a power surge is absorbed. The ZeroSurge design does not degrade its components–install and forget it because it will last for decades.”
Have used TrippLite for almost 30 years, primarily on the PC and HAM radio equipment. ( I also use lightning arresters on all my coax lines = cheap insurance at around $20 ea.) I will have to look at the Zero Surge brand and take in the recommendations of washer and dryer, refrigerator and garage door openers.
I have a bunch of TrippLite stuff. Use it at work even though the whole building is on UPS and an ATS.
I have a whole house lightning arrestor (surge suppressor that shunts to ground). So far all my lightning issues have come from phone lines (no longer connected) and cable lines (ate 3 modems in 10 years).
At home, the APC BackUPS line has gotten so affordable you might as well use them because you can pick them up on sale for fairly cheap. Plus then you can have that equipment available for longer before you have to start the generator. Most of them take a standard 7AH battery or several so they are easy to replace as the battery ages out (3-5 years).
I even have a modern 1500VA BackUPS on my refrigerator. If it doesn’t go into defrost mode it will run the refrigerator for 140 minutes or so.
I even have the washing machine and well plugged into them (but not on the battery part, used for surge only, but I can run them on battery). I probably have 20 on varying sizes from 300VA to run a POE switch for cameras to 1500VA for things like the garage door openers and refrigerator.
Dual conversion UPS (like APC SmartUPS I also have) are very nice, can get them I’m 220 and 208 3 phase but they are very expensive and modern BackUPS suits most people well.
I live in an area of frequent power outages under 2 hours (storm blows tree into primary, fuse blows). So I try to last the two hours. For cameras I try to get 8 hours with IR lit.
Tripp Lite is good commercial grade stuff. I commonly see it in use in server rooms and data centers.
Be aware that surge protectors protect against exactly that, surges.
You can also install, or have installed, very effective surge protectors at your electrical panel that will protect your entire house. If you have concerns about lightning strikes, etc, this might be a more cost effective solution than putting receptacle-level protection on each individual device, especially considering that even most appliances now have electronic controllers in them.
One of the biggest unappreciated threats to electronics, however, is low voltage situations usually caused by brownouts and other grid/transformer issues. Surge protectors WILL NOT protect you against low voltage conditions. Your options for protecting against low voltage are Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPS) or Power Conditioners. Both of these will monitor the power it is providing to the equipment you have plugged into it, eat spikes and fill in brownouts, and shut down if they can’t maintain proper voltage. The UPS is more expensive because it includes battery backup. I use an APC Line-R 1200 on both my computer setup and my home theater system for full protection.
Max,
Thank you for the additional detail about brownouts / low voltage situations. In addition to my Tripp Lite’s, I also have “whole house” protection at the breaker box.
Additionally, I also utilize UPS. Happen to have this one:
CyberPower PFC Sinewave UPS System