Hi folks,

I have some Aquarium stuff controlled by X10 and it works great. I do want to plug some of the electronic items into a surge supressor. WHen I tried this with a good supressor, the modules didnt work.

So my question is, are there any good supressors like the Panamax which will work with X10. Panamax wont.

Thanks
Bill

Try a furman, Monster cable or a Niles line conditioner. Not sure if they will work for you because they filter out EMI Noise. The Panamax could be confused on what it is seeing, and just filters it all out. Don't you just love X10 C-Buss Technology. By the way what Panamax do you have? The max 8 might work for you also. Panamax is the best for the money, if you can stick with it.

I have tried 3 models of Panamax. I use the powerMax 8-3DBS for my home theater, a 2 outlet w/tel max for my 'puter, and the powermax 8 w/tel for my aquarium which currently only has the power supply for my controller plugged into it. I think I may put the lights on timers so I can use the panamax supressor anyway. It just limits remote control by not using the modules.

I'm guessing that nothing that does a decent job will work with the X10 stuff.

Bill here is a thought, Plug the X10 into the wall then plug the Panamax into it. and then send your code down the line to your tank to control your stuff. I know this way will work. Although your X10 will not be surge protected. But who cares they are so damn cheep these days and if it blows just go buy a new one.

Good luck

Surge surpressors will definitely surpress X10 signals and will often put noise on the powerline that will interfere. You can isolate the surge surpressors with plug-in filters but those filters will also block the X10 signals.

What I've done is to install a whole-house surge surpressor at my electrical panel to protect everything in the house so then I don't have to install additional surpressors at individual appliances. This has the added benefit of protecting all of your X10 receivers throughout the house as well as the equipment.

Larry from TN,

Great Idea!

Is the surge protector out at your electrical panel self resetting, and will it regulate brown outs? If it is who makes it? And will I need 2 of them. I have a 3 phase 600 amp panel. For the most part people might be a little less attentive in sticking their hands into the panel to wire things up. All things considered. You and I have an understanding of house electrical wiring which is great. Even I get the willie's sticking my hands into the panel. Can't say it something I like to do.

I have never been keen on surge protectors in the past. but now since my electrical bill has gone up 50% in the past few months. Us in California have to worry about rolling blackouts in the summer time. And I hate the thought all that voltage slamming my panel when the Electric Co. turns us back on. Not to mention I have my own transformer up on the pole dedicated to my house just to power my dimmer panels and AC units.
So, I most likly get slammed harder than my neighbors.

Thanks for any input.

Your friend Larry to....

Larry in CA,

My surge surpressor is not that sophisticated but I wouldn't be suprised if you could find one that is. My surpressor had two indicator lights on the front which would extinguish if the associated phase had experienced a surge strong enough to burn out the surpressor. I've been running this surpressor for about three years now and that hasn't happened yet.

It's designed for a 2-phase system and get's attached to two dedicated breakers (one on each leg). I hired an electrician to do the work, along with a handful of other projects, so I didn't go in the box myself. One of the other tasks I had the electrician do was to install a phase coupler and noise block which prevents noise from coming in from outside the house. My house is small enough that the passive phase coupler was enough.

Thanks Larry,

This puts me in the right direction to get started. IT does sound like I will need two of them. Last question, did all of this mount in the panel or is it in a exterior box next to the panel, and if so about how big is it. I may run into some problems with my CC&R rules or the people that inforce community rules if the box is much bigger than say a telephone book.

Larry, maybe you should put a buffered AC switch on your panel.

Larry in CA,

The box was designed to attach directly to teh CD box. The dimensions are about 4" wide, maybe 6" or 8" tall and depth allows it to be recessed into the wall.\

If you'd like a picture of the installation just send me an email. I'll be home tomorrow and will snap a pic and send it to you.

I'd recommend looking around at other units that are available as my situation (small house, 2-phase) was a bit different than yours and there might be some units out there that better fit your application. I didn't really look at other devices as this one was recommended by an electrical supplier who I trust and is very familair with X10.

All I can say is that I haven't had any surge damage in the past three years that it's been installed. Of course I have no way of knowing if that's due to the surpressor or if I've just not had any serious surges.

Larry in CA,

OK, here are two pictures of the surge surpressor installation.

[Link: members.home.net]

I know that Panamax makes a product similar to this too.

Larry in TN Thanks for the pictures. I got a good Idea as to what to do.



HA HA HA Jeff Good one!

Larry in TN, do you know if this brand carries any equipment coverages, (sorta like promises)?

Ben,

I don't remember.