Appliance repair group?

[The Other Harry]

Would anyone know whether there is a group that is devoted to appliance repair? If there is, I haven't been able to find it.

My dryer has been out for awhile now. I think the people here can figure that one out and that I can fix it.

What has me bugged at the moment is my TV. I have it in a cabinet, hooked together with my DVD player and VCR. (A satellite dish also, although I don't think that is relevant.) They are all connected to an uninterruptable power supply, which then goes to the wall.

Everything was working just fine.

Then the other night, bzzzt. They all went dead simultaneously. The TV's picture turned to snow, and the other two components simply stopped working altogether. I have fussed around with them, but I can't make them work.

Could this have been a power surge? Are they now all trash?

I would have thought the UPS would have helped block any surge.

I've never seen anything like it. If they are trash, that's a fair amount of expense.

Thanks!

[MLD]

[The Other Harry]

[On Thu, 11 Dec 2003 19:49:40 GMT, "MLD" wrote:]

No. I was mainly using the UPS as a multi-prong extension cord, but for some reason I thought it included a surge protector somewhere in its guts. Maybe I was wrong about that.

Still, it was odd. The DVD player and the VCR were not even turned on at the time, and none of the other appliances in the house were effected -- only those three. The lights didn't even flicker.

Another theory that crosses my mind has to do with some electrical work that I had done recently. It could be that my friendly local elctricians screwed up the wiring on that circuit somehow. (They were just supposed to ground it.) I wasn't real impressed with them.

If that is the case, then I have an even larger problem.

I tend to think so too.

There's a good suggestion. Thank you for that!

[Loose Cannon]

Have you tried plugging the dead devices into another outlet? Perhaps it is just the outlets on the UPS that have gone bad.

[w_tom]

The UPS contains equivalent surge protector circuit also used in plug-in surge protectors. It claims to provide surge protection. But then it forgets to mention which type of surge. Like plug-in surge protectors, the UPS protects from a type of surge that does not typically exist. It does not even claim to protect from the type of surge that typically does surge damage.

They sell on word association. You assume if it is called a surge protector, then it must be surge protection. Wrong. Surge protector and surge protection are two different components of a surge protection 'system'. A surge protector is only as effective as its earth ground. Since plug-in UPS and and power strip surge protectors have all but no earth ground, then they simply ignore these details - hoping you will make erroneous assumptions.

MLD is making these assumptions. He does not even know that UPS and power strip both contain same protector circuits - as made so obvious because both are measures by same units - joules. He also does not know this fundamental fact - a surge protector is only as effective as its earth ground. What does that UPS and power strip not mention to sell their grossly overpriced, undersized, and ineffective products? Earthing. No earth ground means no effective surge protection. Better to not mention any of this. Discussions about earthing can only result in reduced sales.

So many reas> [On Thu, 11 Dec 2003 19:49:40 GMT, "MLD" wrote:]

[Stormin Mormonn]

This group is about as close as you are going to get.

[Dan Hartung]

There's a lot of people asking those questions here, and plenty of knowledgeable folk who answer, so ask away.

Be sure to give details including model number when you do.

You did check everything on another circuit known to be operable, and they still did not work? Of course you did.

UPS is a generic term. A given UPS may or may not include features such as surge protection and power conditioning (but many do). The manual for your UPS will tell you what protection it gives you. No UPS, by the way, will protect against all possible surges. Lightning hitting the pole outside your house would be one example.

The problem may not have come through your power line, though. Anything connected to the outside world (phone line, TV cable, antenna) may transmit a surge into your home and connected equipment. Computer surge protectors (not the cheapies!) often include a phone-line surge arrestor, and you can buy them for your TV and run the coax through there from wherever outside it came.

IF the equipment WAS protected thusly, the UPS may well have failed. (They do, especially after a surge; it's a lot like an old-fashioned fuse in that respect. Post-trauma, your surge protector should be replaced.) Check your warranty, and you may find that the UPS manufacturer has a claim program.