Im not sure if this is the right place or not, i apologize if it isnt. I was wondering if the standard warranty on my iMac will cover a power surge from say, a lightning strike. We are having a lot of storms where i am and i have my iMac hooked up to a power strip with surge protector but im not sure if they work well. I have been unplugging my mac for these storms but its very inconvenient as i need to work on it. So does anyone know if Apple's warranty will cover my iMac if a surge of power killed it?
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Warranty Question
- Thread starter macdudesir
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No, Apple will not cover such damage, that is what home insurance is for (I guess).
AppleCare
AppleCare Protection Plan for Mac or Apple Display
AppleCare Protection Plan
AppleCare
AppleCare Protection Plan for Mac or Apple Display
AppleCare Protection Plan
Thanks, thats all i needed
maybe ill go buy an expensive surge protector with an equipment replacement guarantee...hmmm Thanks again
If your area is prone to lightning and storms, you might consider a battery power uninterruptible power supply. You plug your computer into it, and then plug it into the wall. When the power goes out, your computer doesn't. They vary in how long they can power your computer before going out, but they all will give you plenty of time to finish what you're doing before shutting down your computer safely.
yea im looking for one now but they're so expensive
i guess its better than a new mac lol, do you have any suggestions for good ones?If so expensive, then it must claim that protection in its numeric specs. Good luck. A UPS does not even claim to do that protection. It was recommended without any numbers. That alone suggests insufficient credibility.
Destructive surges are hundreds of thousands of joules. How many joules will the UPS absorb? Hundreds? IOW it is near zero protection. But just enough above zero to claim 100% protection in sales brochures. Why do so many claim it will do what the manufacturer does not even claim?
Your job is to separate widespread urban myths from reality. That always means spec numbers. And damning questions. How does it 2 cm part stop what three miles of sky could not? It doesn't.
Effective protection even from direct lightning strikes costs about $1 per protected appliance. How much for a UPS? $100 per appliance? A UPS is recommended on myths, lies, and hearsay. A $1 per solution is proven by over 100 years of science and experience. Comes from more responsible companies. Puts most money into protection - not into promoting myths and advertising. And has what is always needed for any effective protection. A dedicated and short (ie 'less than 10 foot') connection to single point earth ground. One 'whole house' protector is found in any facility that can not suffer lighting damage. Or damage from lesser surges.
What the hell are you ranting on about......
Either way.. get a UPS.. I've been meaning to get one myself for a while now, cause it's simply not good to have a blackout suddenly shutdown your computer - as simple as that and it doesn't have anything to do with power surges.
Talk is cheap.
http://www.belkin.com/IWCatProductPage.process?Product_Id=329365
$300,000 Connected Equipment Warranty
Cheapest $20 from Buy.com via ebay
http://compare.ebay.com/like/150628534513
http://www.belkin.com/IWCatProductPage.process?Product_Id=329365
$300,000 Connected Equipment Warranty
Cheapest $20 from Buy.com via ebay
http://compare.ebay.com/like/150628534513
That warranty is as bogus as the still unprovided specification numbers for UPS protection. Many have tried to collect on that warranty. Warranty has so many exceptions to not be honored.
Only fact that matters is manufacturer's numeric specs that claim that protection. None exists. None is provided by posters who know that science and spec numbers should be ignored.
Newsman on 10 Sept 2002 in "SONY TiVo SVR-2000":
> I got a Belkin surge protector with phone line protection soley for Tivo purposes.
> Yet my Tivo's modem still failed. And the '$20,000 connected devices warranty' did not
> help me. I jumped through many hoops, including finding the original receipt for the
> surge protector (just under a year old) and I sent my surge protector to Belkin (paid for
> shipping), and was denied my warranty. They gave me a ton of crap, ...
> Eventually it boiled down to a line in the warranty that said "Belkin at it's sole
> discretion can reject any claim for any reason".
So many forget to read the fine print in that warranty. And forget that only numeric specifications are relevant.
A typical UPS connects an appliance directly to AC mains when not in battery backup mode. How does that stop a surge? It doesn't. But again, view its manufacturer specification numbers. It does not even claim that protection. How does its near zero joules absorb a surge that is hundreds of thousands of joules? To avoid that damning question, Daud has posted a warranty myth. Vylen has only posted nasty - not even one tech spec.
A UPS only provides temporary and 'dirty' power during a blackout. Power so 'dirty' as to be harmful to small electric motors and power strip protectors. Same power is perfectly ideal for all electronics due to superior surge protection already inside electronics. Internal protection that makes near zero joules inside a UPS irrelevant.
Those most easily manipulated by advertising, urban myths, and junk science would spend $100 for that near zero protection. Informed homeowners pay about $1 per protected appliance to earth a well proven and superior solution.
yea im looking for one now but they're so expensive
You buy a decent UPS for $100.
I only posted "nasty" as you call it because you're talking about two different things all at once and it's getting bloody confusing.
It's one thing to have a surge protector and another to have a UPS. And yes, you can get units that act as both.
But I'm simply saying that it's a good idea to have a UPS in the event of a blackout. And yes, you can have "dirty" power from a UPS but only if you get a UPS with a simulated sinewave or a stepped power converter. There's nothing wrong with a UPS with a pure sinewave.
As with any device, you have to do your research!
The UPS that also does surge protection is a building wide solution that connects short (ie 'less than 10 feet') to earth ground. That typically costs tens of $thousands. A plug-in UPS does not even claim that protection.
A UPS demonstrates what does the best protection at the appliance. All electronics contain superior protection so that even 'dirtiest' power from a stepped sine wave, modified sine wave, or pure sine wave UPS does no damage.
This 120 volt UPS was also called a 'xxx' sine wave output. 200 volt square waves with a spike of up to 270 volts between those sine waves. The 'sine wave' claim was made subjectively. So it means nothing. Only fact that matters is specification numbers such as %THD. Since UPS power is typically so 'dirty', then the manufacturer will not list %THD specs. Hoping you will assume based in subjective 'xxxx' sine wave claims in a sales brochure. An example of why advertising is so much fun. So many are so easily manipulated by subjective myths.
But again, back to the point. Anything on an appliance's power cord is already done better inside the appliance. Protection inside electronics is so robust as to make those the 270 volt UPS spikes completely irrelevant.
Informed consumers worry about a surge that can overwhelm superior protection inside appliances. That occurs maybe once every seven years. No plug-in UPS claims that protection. In fact, protection already inside computers is usually superior to protection inside a UPS.
So that electronics, computers, and UPS are not damaged, the informed consumer earths one 'whole house' protector. To protect even from direct lighting strikes. Superior protection that costs about $1 per protected appliance. The only solution used in every facility that must suffer direct lightning strikes without damage (ie telco COs, munitions dumps, etc). And the least expensive solution for every informed consumer. The best solution also costs tens or 100 times less money. The best solution always has one critically important feature: a less than ten foot connection to earth ground.
Where does that UPS claim protection from each type of surge? Numeric specs cannot be provided because even the manufacturer does not make that claim. However show me. Show me those spec numbers that claim protection. UPS has only one function – to provide temporary and ‘dirty’ power during a blackout. To protect unsaved data. As you said, do the research. Get the numbers. Ignore advertising and sales brochures.
It seems pretty presumptious to assume that everyone lives in a signle family home and owns it, therefore being able to add whole house protection AND cover items with their homeowners insurance.
Right up there with presuming everyone lives in the US
Right up there with presuming everyone lives in the US
I don't know about appliance insurance. Some will and will not replace surge damaged appliances. But 'whole house' solutions are available to everyone and in every nation. From a long list of more responsible manufacturers including Keison, ABB, Siemens, General Electric, Leviton, Clipsal, Cutler-Hammer, and Intermatic.
A 'whole house' protector may even be installed by the electric company behind their meter. So simple that a girl who reads the meter may install it.
You miss the point. So someone living in an apartment with 500 other people is going to get the landlord to install that? Someone renting a house is going to invest the $$$$ to get that and then leave it for their landlord?
I get flyers in my electric bill for them.... But I can't afford the up front cost. I'd rather try to replace my windows and add some insulation to reduce my monthly bill.
But your proposal only works when the person owns their own home, or has a landlord willing to take it on.
ETA: Oh and the "girl" that reads my meter.... Does it from a truck driving thru my neighborhood over 500 feet from my house
her name is Marilyn and she is actually a quite nice older lady.....Please reread what was posted. Those many solutions are available to everyone. A landlord has no say what the electric company puts on or behind the meter. The electric company installs it. You pay single digit dollars to rent the only effective protection even from direct lightning strikes.
As I said and say it again; many solutions are available to everyone. Meanwhile the UPS does no protection as its numeric specifications even state. Protection is always about where energy dissipates. Any recommendation that ignored that energy is bogus. Protection is always about where hundreds of thousands of joules dissipate. Always.
Ups
I've got a UPS to create some protection for my computer equipment and data during brownouts, flickering, and total loss of power.
I also have a whole house surge protector.
Purchased mine after losing a refrigerator and the keypads on my oven and microwave during a storm.
I've got a UPS to create some protection for my computer equipment and data during brownouts, flickering, and total loss of power.
I also have a whole house surge protector.
Purchased mine after losing a refrigerator and the keypads on my oven and microwave during a storm.
Holy crap dude.
I recommended it for power outages....if you power goes out while your iMac is writing to disk you're probably ****ed.
If you have a UPS, you're not ****ed because you can safely turn off your computer.
I recommended it for power outages....if you power goes out while your iMac is writing to disk you're probably ****ed.
If you have a UPS, you're not ****ed because you can safely turn off your computer.
Best evidence is always the dead body. First a surge path is defined. If a surge current enters on one wire, then a same current was flowing out at the exact same time on some other wire. Damaged part(s) are only in that path. Most damaged parts could not be surge damaged without damaging other parts. Those other undamaged parts mean no surge existed. Most failures are manufacturing defects.
Most assume a surge because they could not, did not, and would not know how to do the work. Because speculation fueled by advertising automatically blames surges. Some are so ill informed as to assume a blackout (zero volts) is a surge (at least 1000 volts). Most who just know it was a surge do not even understand these 'incoming and outgoing path' requirements.
Please appreciate misapplied reasoning in Texran's post. If he was discussing protection, he discussed earthing. Instead he describes items that do not do protection. The 'whole house' protector might be effective if properly connected short to earth. But he did not even mention earth.
Most make that major mistake. Think of protection in terms of a magic box. No box (ie UPS) does protection. Either a surge is connected low impedance (ie 'less than 10 feet') to what does protection - earth ground. Or no effective protection exists.
Texran - that UPS manufacturer does not even claim protection you have only assumed. Near zero joules means 100% protection in advertising. And virtually no protection in reality.
How would Apple determine if it was a surge? Determine how that surge current was both incoming and outgoing to earth ground.
That myth exists due to obsolete technology. A problem eliminate over 20 years ago. Back then, a power loss while writing a file meant the unsaved data and an earlier saved copy could both be lost. The disk was unharmed.
Today, only an unsaved copy is lost. Nothing else.
Technology advanced more than 20 years ago. And still, myths continue today. Myths can only exist when one knows without first learning the technology.
UPS has one primary purpose. To provide temporary and 'dirty' power during a blackout so that unsaved data can be saved.