Questions Regarding Electrahealth surge protectors, Electrahealth powerstrip, daisy chaining, and Joule recommendation.

Tek Out

3 years ago
updated 3 years ago
Under review

1. I own the 6 outlet powerstrip. Can I plug a higher joule rated surge protector into the 6 outlet power strip and the surge protector be shielded/grounded because of the powerstrip?

2. Is there any risk in using only one port from the power strip and plugging a surge protector into it? I have read that daisy chaining can lead to fire hazards. Do I need to have any concern with using my powerstrip and plugging a surge protector into one port and having a bunch of different devices running off of one single port? Like I have a gaming desktop, phone charger, and monitor I plan on using it for as an example.

3. Is the 7 outlet surge protector sold on Electra health grounded for only the USB ports or are the outlet plugs on the surge protector also grounded as well?

4. How many joules do you recommend for having a gaming desktop, monitor, and phone charger hooked up to a surge protector?

Replies 3

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Shaun A Kranish Principal

3 years ago
Under review

Hi there!

1) The power strip cannot shield another device or cord plugged into it. So it's best to use shielded cords along with the power strip and have the shielded power strip be the one you use nearest people. I would reverse this - plug a surge protection device into the wall and then plug the shielded power strip into the surge suppressor.

2) Daisy chaining isn't ideal and does pose risks. The main risks are poorly-manufactured devices where the outlets could wear out and break and then short. I think over the years devices have improved a lot, and it's not really a concern as much as it used to be. The other risk is the plugs not being securely in one another. You're better off using an extension cord versus daisy-chaining power strips. We sell the shielded extension cords in 14 gauge - so those are very nice and are rated and UL listed even for 15 amps. The loads you describe are probably not that significant. Even though it is a gaming computer, most of them use less current than you'd expect.

3) The outlets on the 7-outlet grounded surge suppressor with grounded USB ports are definitely grounded as well. They are 3-prong grounded outlets as you would expect. So both are grounded.

4) I don't know that there is a rating to look for. I have battery backups and shielded isolation transformers and such. Surge suppressors with an equipment guarantee are probably of higher quality. Tripplite/ISObar/APC are good brands. Stetzerizer filters can also help with surges. There is no surge-proof way to prevent electrical storm damage, but it is also rarely these days. In all the years as an IT consultant and then doing this, lightning damage to equipment is just very rare. That said, I do have to admit I've lost a few items to lightning: a garage door opener, an APC battery backup unit, and an Ethernet port on a computer. One way, perhaps, to help protect a computer would be to use our new fiber optic kit.

Thank you for your question - what do you think?

ElectraHealth Principal

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3 years ago

Thanks for your response, I really appreciate you taking the time to write me back on this.

We are currently looking for a good surge suppressor to pair with the shielded 6-outlet power strip. We will test and find a good one that doesn't raise the Stetzerizer readings and offer it alongside the power strip. But I would definitely urge anyone considering the power strip to not hesitate or delay based on lack of surge suppression. The likelihood that lack of surge suppression is going to affect any devices is very, VERY minimal. And then when taking one's own health into consideration, I would much rather be protected versus surge suppression. We will have a solution soon after testing and have an email about it.