Surge suppressors 50/60Hz?

Hi-Fi Man

Senior member
Oct 19, 2013
601
120
106
Are surge suppressors frequency dependent? I've seen APC advertise theirs as 50/60Hz compatible but can't find any info on other brands.

Do the MOVs, inductors, and capacitors used in these things even care about frequency?
 

mindless1

Diamond Member
Aug 11, 2001
8,596
1,673
126
No, MOVs have no care. Capacitors don't provide any surge protection, just provide filtration for a power supply on an active logic circuit in a suppressor if present.

Inductors don't provide any significant surge suppression either, though are often present in mid-grade or better suppressors as a noise filter (suppressor has a line filter feature in addition to surge protection) and then the frequency could matter but not so much at a mere 50/60Hz difference... that's not the noise they're trying to filter.

It is unlikely that any of them can't work at both line frequencies but if one were designed to protect very sensitive equipment then one designed for 110VAC could theoretically shunt voltage too soon on a 220VAC line, but you'd know you're buying something unique in that case and most often I suspect they use the exact same design for both voltages. If you have equipment that sensitive it should have its own built in protection.

"Maybe" they choose a little higher voltage MOVs for 220VAC. I'm talking consumer grade which is meant more to deal with lightning surges, not lesser voltage kickback from your fridge or A/C compressor, etc.

Consumer grade primarily depends on MOVs and they'd blow out (too soon) if they were rated too close to line voltage. Granted these days there are consumer, prosumer, pro, industrial, etc - The line blurs but you won't get things like spark gap on a cheap unit (maybe just closely spaced PCB traces meant to act like one, where legal ).
 
Last edited:

PowerEngineer

Diamond Member
Oct 22, 2001
3,583
756
136
No, the normal electrical frequency should have little (or nothing) to do with suppression of surges. Surges are short spikes in voltage/current caused by lightning strikes or switching events that are superimposed on the normal 50 Hz or 60 Hz wave. The task of limiting the size of these short spikes that pass through (i.e. surppressing) is not affected by the frequency of the much slower cycling of the normal AC power they are riding on.

It is true that capacitive and inductive impedances are functions of frequency, and so are affected by the difference between 50 Hz and 60 Hz. However, it is the MOVs that really provide the surge protection; these are more affected by the nominal voltage that they must withstand on a continuous basis (i.e. the peak voltage of the AC wave whatever its frequency) and the number of times they operate to suppress a surge.
 

Hi-Fi Man

Senior member
Oct 19, 2013
601
120
106
This is mainly a question for use case in Japan where half the country uses 50Hz and the other half uses 60Hz but everything is 100v. I've tried a few cheap North American surge suppressors on 230v EU power and it immediately tripped a breaker. I assume that's because they used 330v MOVs and the MOVs clamp Pk voltage not just RMS.
 
sale-70-410-exam    | Exam-200-125-pdf    | we-sale-70-410-exam    | hot-sale-70-410-exam    | Latest-exam-700-603-Dumps    | Dumps-98-363-exams-date    | Certs-200-125-date    | Dumps-300-075-exams-date    | hot-sale-book-C8010-726-book    | Hot-Sale-200-310-Exam    | Exam-Description-200-310-dumps?    | hot-sale-book-200-125-book    | Latest-Updated-300-209-Exam    | Dumps-210-260-exams-date    | Download-200-125-Exam-PDF    | Exam-Description-300-101-dumps    | Certs-300-101-date    | Hot-Sale-300-075-Exam    | Latest-exam-200-125-Dumps    | Exam-Description-200-125-dumps    | Latest-Updated-300-075-Exam    | hot-sale-book-210-260-book    | Dumps-200-901-exams-date    | Certs-200-901-date    | Latest-exam-1Z0-062-Dumps    | Hot-Sale-1Z0-062-Exam    | Certs-CSSLP-date    | 100%-Pass-70-383-Exams    | Latest-JN0-360-real-exam-questions    | 100%-Pass-4A0-100-Real-Exam-Questions    | Dumps-300-135-exams-date    | Passed-200-105-Tech-Exams    | Latest-Updated-200-310-Exam    | Download-300-070-Exam-PDF    | Hot-Sale-JN0-360-Exam    | 100%-Pass-JN0-360-Exams    | 100%-Pass-JN0-360-Real-Exam-Questions    | Dumps-JN0-360-exams-date    | Exam-Description-1Z0-876-dumps    | Latest-exam-1Z0-876-Dumps    | Dumps-HPE0-Y53-exams-date    | 2017-Latest-HPE0-Y53-Exam    | 100%-Pass-HPE0-Y53-Real-Exam-Questions    | Pass-4A0-100-Exam    | Latest-4A0-100-Questions    | Dumps-98-365-exams-date    | 2017-Latest-98-365-Exam    | 100%-Pass-VCS-254-Exams    | 2017-Latest-VCS-273-Exam    | Dumps-200-355-exams-date    | 2017-Latest-300-320-Exam    | Pass-300-101-Exam    | 100%-Pass-300-115-Exams    |
http://www.portvapes.co.uk/    | http://www.portvapes.co.uk/    |