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#1
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Rain again
Last two days we have gotten five inches of rain, the majority falling
over the last 24 hours. Lots of flooding in the Houston area but not where we live. Lost power last night for about eight hours. Happens frequently where we live, I suspect either a bad transformer or a bad fuse. I finally turned all the electronics off last night to avoid catastrophic failure as the power was dropping on and off for about an hour, not the best thing to do to electronics. The garden has thoroughly enjoyed the rain, seems as if all the plants doubled in size overnight. I suspect it was all the nitrogen brought down from the rain. Squash plants a week ago were four or five inches high, now they're over a foot high. Tomatoes, eggplant, and sweet chiles are covered with blooms. The pole beans, both lima and green, are climbing like lantana, fast. Cukes are finally starting to climb but as yet no blooms. The fig tree is setting fruit and I'm already seeing flower buds on the kumquat. The lonely two pears on our Tennousi pear are about the size of my thumb already. We hoped for more pears but we had no bees at the time of bloom. We're seeing a few honey bees plus mason, carpenter, and bumble bees but not enough to do a good job of pollination. No bee flies as yet but I know they're around somewhere. The new subdivision going in behind us isn't helping as that was where most of our bees were coming from the now non-existent woods. No need to seek out a beekeeper as the dairy farm nearby has been spraying again by aircraft and we get the over spray. The damned farm is two miles away and we still get spray. I think I shall complain. In addition they plant rye grass every fall and we get that over flight too. It's a PITA to be digging rye grass out of the gardens and lawn. It does get into the composter though. Otherwise it's a decent day, cool, overcast with a threat of more rain, which in Texas is never enough. It was only a few years ago that we were in severe drought conditions. Rain is a blessing we needed and will for some time as there are more and more restrictions on using ground water. We're still harvesting lettuce, radishes, beets, spinach, chard, and other "winter" greenery and enjoying it. The Barbados dwarf cherries are in full bloom and all of about eighteen inches high. Make a good display in the front flower bed, backed by the perennial Bright Lights chard and, we might actually get some of the tiny, edible cherries. |
#2
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Rain again
George Shirley wrote:
Last two days we have gotten five inches of rain, the majority falling over the last 24 hours. Lots of flooding in the Houston area but not where we live. Lost power last night for about eight hours. Happens frequently where we live, I suspect either a bad transformer or a bad fuse. I finally turned all the electronics off last night to avoid catastrophic failure as the power was dropping on and off for about an hour, not the best thing to do to electronics. for the expensive electronics always a good idea to have a UPS in the circuit if your power company is flaky. unplugging or surge protectors can help but i don't think either is worth it if you can afford a few $ for the UPS instead. The garden has thoroughly enjoyed the rain, seems as if all the plants doubled in size overnight. I suspect it was all the nitrogen brought down from the rain. Squash plants a week ago were four or five inches high, now they're over a foot high. Tomatoes, eggplant, and sweet chiles are covered with blooms. The pole beans, both lima and green, are climbing like lantana, fast. Cukes are finally starting to climb but as yet no blooms. The fig tree is setting fruit and I'm already seeing flower buds on the kumquat. The lonely two pears on our Tennousi pear are about the size of my thumb already. i'm jealous and envious... it was a beautiful day out here with rains forecast for most of the week. still i don't believe it until i see it. Saturday we were supposed to have a 70% chance of rain and it ended up being four sprinkles of not much at all. we have had some rain so it isn't as dry as the folks out west, and i would not mind another nice week of fairly dry weather so i can get a few more gardens ready for planting and get some other weeding or goofing around done. nothing beats a nice early spring day for getting stuff done that didn't get done last fall and so it is good to me. yesterday we went back and pulled some trash out of the ditch, one large garbage container we can't get and so i said we could wait until the water warms up enough that i can go in after it. We hoped for more pears but we had no bees at the time of bloom. We're seeing a few honey bees plus mason, carpenter, and bumble bees but not enough to do a good job of pollination. No bee flies as yet but I know they're around somewhere. The new subdivision going in behind us isn't helping as that was where most of our bees were coming from the now non-existent woods. No need to seek out a beekeeper as the dairy farm nearby has been spraying again by aircraft and we get the over spray. The damned farm is two miles away and we still get spray. I think I shall complain. In addition they plant rye grass every fall and we get that over flight too. It's a PITA to be digging rye grass out of the gardens and lawn. It does get into the composter though. i've never heard of seeding rye grass by plane before... Otherwise it's a decent day, cool, overcast with a threat of more rain, which in Texas is never enough. It was only a few years ago that we were in severe drought conditions. Rain is a blessing we needed and will for some time as there are more and more restrictions on using ground water. hope things out west start coming around too. it's been a tough stretch for them. We're still harvesting lettuce, radishes, beets, spinach, chard, and other "winter" greenery and enjoying it. The Barbados dwarf cherries are in full bloom and all of about eighteen inches high. Make a good display in the front flower bed, backed by the perennial Bright Lights chard and, we might actually get some of the tiny, edible cherries. the harvest here recently has been weeds/grasses i want to get out of some gardens before it takes over and some bulbs we want to move and even if it isn't the best time to do it, it is getting done anyways. none of them are the only ones we have so they can take a year or two to bounce back and we won't be out any major blooms. some fresh garlic would be good if i had something to cook... i may have to process the garlic i have in the garage as it looks to be starting to sprout. keeping it out there and well covered has kept it a few months longer than i had been able to keep it before. i'm sure a fair amount of it will not be that good any longer, but if i can get a few jars of prepared garlic in the freezer then they make good gifts for others and Ma will use them in the winter months for her cooking. still no catbirds this spring, hope they will come back, i always enjoy their songs. songbird |
#3
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Rain again
On 4/18/2015 6:57 PM, songbird wrote:
George Shirley wrote: Last two days we have gotten five inches of rain, the majority falling over the last 24 hours. Lots of flooding in the Houston area but not where we live. Lost power last night for about eight hours. Happens frequently where we live, I suspect either a bad transformer or a bad fuse. I finally turned all the electronics off last night to avoid catastrophic failure as the power was dropping on and off for about an hour, not the best thing to do to electronics. for the expensive electronics always a good idea to have a UPS in the circuit if your power company is flaky. unplugging or surge protectors can help but i don't think either is worth it if you can afford a few $ for the UPS instead. There's a UPS for the office but not for the tv's, etc. We have a whole house surge protector that, so far, has worked well. The garden has thoroughly enjoyed the rain, seems as if all the plants doubled in size overnight. I suspect it was all the nitrogen brought down from the rain. Squash plants a week ago were four or five inches high, now they're over a foot high. Tomatoes, eggplant, and sweet chiles are covered with blooms. The pole beans, both lima and green, are climbing like lantana, fast. Cukes are finally starting to climb but as yet no blooms. The fig tree is setting fruit and I'm already seeing flower buds on the kumquat. The lonely two pears on our Tennousi pear are about the size of my thumb already. i'm jealous and envious... it was a beautiful day out here with rains forecast for most of the week. still i don't believe it until i see it. Saturday we were supposed to have a 70% chance of rain and it ended up being four sprinkles of not much at all. we have had some rain so it isn't as dry as the folks out west, and i would not mind another nice week of fairly dry weather so i can get a few more gardens ready for planting and get some other weeding or goofing around done. nothing beats a nice early spring day for getting stuff done that didn't get done last fall and so it is good to me. yesterday we went back and pulled some trash out of the ditch, one large garbage container we can't get and so i said we could wait until the water warms up enough that i can go in after it. We hoped for more pears but we had no bees at the time of bloom. We're seeing a few honey bees plus mason, carpenter, and bumble bees but not enough to do a good job of pollination. No bee flies as yet but I know they're around somewhere. The new subdivision going in behind us isn't helping as that was where most of our bees were coming from the now non-existent woods. No need to seek out a beekeeper as the dairy farm nearby has been spraying again by aircraft and we get the over spray. The damned farm is two miles away and we still get spray. I think I shall complain. In addition they plant rye grass every fall and we get that over flight too. It's a PITA to be digging rye grass out of the gardens and lawn. It does get into the composter though. i've never heard of seeding rye grass by plane before... Fairly common in Texas, particularly if the farmer has a large property, gets it done quicker and cheaper than tractor sowing. Eons ago I spread Pensacola Bahia over ten acres with a hand cranked spreader, ended up with sore arms but the critters were happy when it came up. Most homes here have St. Augustine grass, which is a runner grass but is not drouth tolerant at all. Otherwise it's a decent day, cool, overcast with a threat of more rain, which in Texas is never enough. It was only a few years ago that we were in severe drought conditions. Rain is a blessing we needed and will for some time as there are more and more restrictions on using ground water. hope things out west start coming around too. it's been a tough stretch for them. We're still harvesting lettuce, radishes, beets, spinach, chard, and other "winter" greenery and enjoying it. The Barbados dwarf cherries are in full bloom and all of about eighteen inches high. Make a good display in the front flower bed, backed by the perennial Bright Lights chard and, we might actually get some of the tiny, edible cherries. the harvest here recently has been weeds/grasses i want to get out of some gardens before it takes over and some bulbs we want to move and even if it isn't the best time to do it, it is getting done anyways. none of them are the only ones we have so they can take a year or two to bounce back and we won't be out any major blooms. some fresh garlic would be good if i had something to cook... i may have to process the garlic i have in the garage as it looks to be starting to sprout. keeping it out there and well covered has kept it a few months longer than i had been able to keep it before. i'm sure a fair amount of it will not be that good any longer, but if i can get a few jars of prepared garlic in the freezer then they make good gifts for others and Ma will use them in the winter months for her cooking. I generally cook with garlic chives as they grow here year around and are easy to harvest when needed plus I freeze bags of them for later use. Used to grow elephant garlic and it was tasty and easy to grow as they produced corms to replant. still no catbirds this spring, hope they will come back, i always enjoy their songs. songbird Bluebirds, mocking birds, swallows, etc. all working on nests. Haven't seen a hummingbird in years nor robins. Used to get painted and blue buntings in the backyard in Louisiana but haven't seen them since Hurricane Rita. |
#4
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Essential to even protect that UPS is the properly earthed 'whole house' protector. That actually does protect from anomalies so massive as to overwhelm protection inside all appliances. That UPS may be $100 per protected appliance. A superior and well proven 'whole house' solution costs about $1 per. And is essential because most anomalies that cause damage occur long after any homeowner even considers disconnecting. BTW, some of the 'dirtiest' power seen by an appliance comes from a UPS in battery backup mode. Power so 'dirty' as to be potentially harmful to motorized appliances. Due to robust protection already inside electronics, that 'dirty' power is also ideal power. If you do not already have one, then please learn how it must be installed, why it works, and why is it the only solution found in even facility that cannot have damage. A useful recommend will also provide numbers necessary to obtain a minimally sufficient and superior solution. This solution is even more essential in rural environment. |
#5
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Rain again
On 4/20/2015 5:41 PM, westom wrote:
'songbird[_2_ Wrote: ;1013054']George Shirley wrote: for the expensive electronics always a good idea to have a UPS in the circuit if your power company is flaky. unplugging or surge protectors can help but i don't think either is worth it if you can afford a few $ for the UPS instead. If power is so flakey as to threaten robust protection already inside electronics, then the UPS is also at risk. And will connect that same flakey power direct to electronics. Then much later (after the bad stuff is done) it will switch to battery (if not already damaged). Essential to even protect that UPS is the properly earthed 'whole house' protector. That actually does protect from anomalies so massive as to overwhelm protection inside all appliances. That UPS may be $100 per protected appliance. A superior and well proven 'whole house' solution costs about $1 per. And is essential because most anomalies that cause damage occur long after any homeowner even considers disconnecting. BTW, some of the 'dirtiest' power seen by an appliance comes from a UPS in battery backup mode. Power so 'dirty' as to be potentially harmful to motorized appliances. Due to robust protection already inside electronics, that 'dirty' power is also ideal power. If you do not already have one, then please learn how it must be installed, why it works, and why is it the only solution found in even facility that cannot have damage. A useful recommend will also provide numbers necessary to obtain a minimally sufficient and superior solution. This solution is even more essential in rural environment. George Shirley didn't write that, Songbird did. Read my original post and you will see that we have a whole house surge protector, that, indeed, has protected us. My UPS system is only connected to the computer and is only to allow me time to shut everything down properly versus allowing a power surge or outage to do the job. |
#6
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Rain again
On 4/22/2015 12:17 PM, Derald wrote:
George Shirley wrote: Otherwise it's a decent day, cool, overcast with a threat of more rain, which in Texas is never enough. It was only a few years ago that we were in severe drought conditions. Rain is a blessing we needed and will for some time as there are more and more restrictions on using ground water. The rain finally got to us here, in FL, over the weekend. Two days of rain and a third of just wet with little more than an inch accumulated. Not actually enough do much "good" but just enough to discourage outdoor activities. This old fart is gardening with wet fur no more, no more. We're still harvesting lettuce, radishes, beets, spinach, chard, and other "winter" greenery and enjoying it. Except for a few mustard greens, collards and the perrenial herbs, my "winter" veggies are done and composting. The garlic seems to be coming along well and the onions are filling out nicely. Leaving it up to DW to determine when they're of the "right" size. A few carrots remain but, although the tops are beautiful, they're not growing at the temperatures we're having. Some strays from previous seasons are blooming and setting seeds. Have 122 (I think) "little marvel" English peas covered in blooms, "wando" peas and two varieties of zydeco rockin' and rollin'. Squeezing in some cowpeas to accompany the okra. One without the other, in this climate, I deem pitiable ;-) Here and there, remainder peanuts are beginining to bloom, although, they're not yet pegging. Due to space and timing restictions, I don't normally plant peanuts this early but, if they're likely to blossom this early, I'll reconsider. We grow brown crowder peas, a favorite for us and our grands. Used to grow black crowder peas, my great grandfather in Central Louisiana developed them not to long after the Civil War. We planted them in Texas for years. When Dad died in 1982 I was in Saudi Arabia working and Mom tossed the two one pound coffee cans of see he had stashed in the freezer. I miss those crowders, they were huge and tasty. We planted yellow Trucker's Favorite corn this year, a long time favorite of mine from childhood. I reckon the seed was old as we had one come up. I will have to go by the old farm store in my home town sometime soon and complain. We seldom grow okra anymore, have many lbs of frozen, chopped okra in the freezer. Only way I eat okra is in a gumbo or fried southern style. I think it's because it was a staple when I was very young and it seemed we had it at every meal. We have tiny tomatoes, sweet chiles, and both zucchini and yellow squash growing now. Can hardly wait for a BLT on homemade bread. The dewberries we've been fostering are a bust, tiny berries and don't taste right. They were growing along the fence line so we encouraged them. Now I'm thinking of killing them and putting in something else. Guess it's back to the blackberry farm this spring sometime. Only a few lbs left in the freezer and the blackberry jelly is getting low. Pretty day, nice breeze, lots of sunshine, and it's getting hot out there. |
#7
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Rain again
George Shirley wrote:
We have tiny tomatoes, sweet chiles, and both zucchini and yellow squash growing now. Can hardly wait for a BLT on homemade bread. The dewberries we've been fostering are a bust, tiny berries and don't taste right. They were growing along the fence line so we encouraged them. Now I'm thinking of killing them and putting in something else. Guess it's back to the blackberry farm this spring sometime. Only a few lbs left in the freezer and the blackberry jelly is getting low. Pretty day, nice breeze, lots of sunshine, and it's getting hot out there. I have my tomatoes all in the ground now , and have pumpkins , acorn squash and green beans coming up . Strawberries are going nuts , garlic and last years green onions doing well . The spinach , lettuce , and bok choy are growing , but something is nibbling on the bok choy . Grasshoppers , I think - can't decide whether BT or DE is the proper choice for control . I'm still looking for signs of growth from the cucumbers ... I have some peppers in the hotbox , plan to wait a couple more weeks for warmer weather to put them in the garden . -- Snag |
#8
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Rain again
Derald wrote:
... Here and there, remainder peanuts are beginining to bloom, although, they're not yet pegging. Due to space and timing restictions, I don't normally plant peanuts this early but, if they're likely to blossom this early, I'll reconsider. will peanuts naturalize in your environment? songbird |
#9
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Rain again
Terry Coombs wrote:
George Shirley wrote: .... Pretty day, nice breeze, lots of sunshine, and it's getting hot out there. *obgrump* it's been too cold here... a little snow flurries but no accumulation. rains have mostly missed us, but we had enough for now. if the forecast is right i may be able to get back outside later this week. i have found some short stubby carrots to try. will plant more fennel this year (i like it better than celery and it is easy to grow). bok choy would be nice, but i'll have to get seeds. haven't seen them around in the racks yet. i would like to get both cilantro and large leafed parsley going too. I have my tomatoes all in the ground now , and have pumpkins , acorn squash and green beans coming up . Strawberries are going nuts , garlic and last years green onions doing well . what type of green onions do you have going? hope your strawberries do well, they are such a treat. my sister called the other day because she was so happy to have found a jar in the back of her freezer from last summer. The spinach , lettuce , and bok choy are growing , but something is nibbling on the bok choy . Grasshoppers , I think - can't decide whether BT or DE is the proper choice for control . I'm still looking for signs of growth from the cucumbers ... I have some peppers in the hotbox , plan to wait a couple more weeks for warmer weather to put them in the garden . i keep counting the days... indoor chores will keep me as busy as i want to be until then. songbird |
#10
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A UPS is temporary and 'dirty' power during a blackout to protect unsaved data. Blackouts do not harm appliances. Surges do hardware damage in microseconds. A UPS typically takes 10 milliseconds to respond. A UPS is too slow to protect hardware. Each device is for a different anomaly. Even a UPS needs protection provided by a properly earthed 'whole house' solution. That solution means nobody even knows if a surge existed. Again, this 'whole house' solution is strongly recommended in rural venues. |
#11
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Rain again
songbird wrote:
Terry Coombs wrote: bok choy would be nice, but i'll have to get seeds. haven't seen them around in the racks yet. i would like to get both cilantro and large leafed parsley going too. Ping me offline with a mailing address, my reply-to is good . I'll send you some bok choy seeds . Would you like some Zucchini , okra , pumpkin , acorn squash , or Kentucky Wonder pole beans too ? I'm a compulsive seed saver . may have other stuff you'd like , just ask ! I have my tomatoes all in the ground now , and have pumpkins , acorn squash and green beans coming up . Strawberries are going nuts , garlic and last years green onions doing well . what type of green onions do you have going? These are a bunching onion bought at the local farm supply co-op by the pound . Very good onions for salads and cooking . The ones I'm harvesting now were planted last year . hope your strawberries do well, they are such a treat. my sister called the other day because she was so happy to have found a jar in the back of her freezer from last summer. I put these berries in last spring and pinched the blossoms . My 14 original plants are now about 10x that , and they're loaded with blossoms and developing fruit . The spinach , lettuce , and bok choy are growing , but something is nibbling on the bok choy . Grasshoppers , I think - can't decide whether BT or DE is the proper choice for control . I'm still looking for signs of growth from the cucumbers ... I have some peppers in the hotbox , plan to wait a couple more weeks for warmer weather to put them in the garden . i keep counting the days... indoor chores will keep me as busy as i want to be until then. songbird My main indoor chore is doing all the cooking here since she works . I have plenty to keep me busy outdoors though , no matter what season . -- Snag |
#12
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Rain again
In article
westom writes: 'George Shirley[_3_ Wrote: ;1013118'] My UPS system is only connected to the computer and is only to allow me time to shut everything down properly versus allowing a power surge or outage to do the job. A UPS does nothing for power surges. Power surges are addressed by that 'whole house' protector. And only if that protector is properly earthed. A UPS that does not shunt surges as well was designed by an idiot. A UPS is temporary and 'dirty' power during a blackout to protect unsaved data. Blackouts do not harm appliances. Surges do hardware damage in microseconds. A UPS typically takes 10 milliseconds to respond. A UPS is too slow to protect hardware. If the power is interrupted at all, then you don't have a UPS. You have a battery backup unit. That's what the "U" is -- "Uninterruptible." Each device is for a different anomaly. Even a UPS needs protection provided by a properly earthed 'whole house' solution. That solution means nobody even knows if a surge existed. Again, this 'whole house' solution is strongly recommended in rural venues. -- westom -- |Drew Lawson | Of all the things I've lost | | | I miss my mind the most | |
#13
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Quote:
Surges must be earthed (shunted) before entering the building. A surge shunted at the appliance simply shunts that surge into the appliance. A completely different device, also called a surge protector, does protection from surges because it is at the service entrance. A typical UPS provides temporary and 'dirty' power during blackouts. It also does nothing to 'clean' AC power. Therefore it costs much less money - compared to another device also called a UPS that is located at the service entrance. Has this growing season started late due to cold? |
#14
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Rain again
Terry Coombs wrote:
songbird wrote: Terry Coombs wrote: bok choy would be nice, but i'll have to get seeds. haven't seen them around in the racks yet. i would like to get both cilantro and large leafed parsley going too. Ping me offline with a mailing address, my reply-to is good . I'll send you some bok choy seeds . Would you like some Zucchini , okra , pumpkin , acorn squash , or Kentucky Wonder pole beans too ? I'm a compulsive seed saver . may have other stuff you'd like , just ask ! thanks Terry, if i have a problem sourcing them locally i'll let you know. ATM i don't need any other seeds besides the bok choy. like you, i'm a seed saver too if i get a chance. i have a lot of old seeds for wildflowers i need to put around to use them up and perhaps some will still be viable... no more climbers for bean seeds, i don't have the fence space for them... too many bean varieties already. funny, but Ma said that she liked a batch of beans i made a few weeks ago that included the dry edamame soybeans (which to me are fairly flavorless like any other soybean). i made a small pot of lima beans this morning. I have my tomatoes all in the ground now , and have pumpkins , acorn squash and green beans coming up . Strawberries are going nuts , garlic and last years green onions doing well . what type of green onions do you have going? These are a bunching onion bought at the local farm supply co-op by the pound . Very good onions for salads and cooking . The ones I'm harvesting now were planted last year . ah, thanks, don't see those around here, but perhaps i just don't look in the right places yet. hope your strawberries do well, they are such a treat. my sister called the other day because she was so happy to have found a jar in the back of her freezer from last summer. I put these berries in last spring and pinched the blossoms . My 14 original plants are now about 10x that , and they're loaded with blossoms and developing fruit . yeah, they do that. i love 'em and could eat them every day if they'd stay in season all year. i'm going to continue expanding their patches here as the older patches now need to be renovated or recycled into some other planting. if anything when they get too thick the ones i don't transplant work ok as organic material to be buried. the worms aren't too fussy... The spinach , lettuce , and bok choy are growing , but something is nibbling on the bok choy . Grasshoppers , I think - can't decide whether BT or DE is the proper choice for control . I'm still looking for signs of growth from the cucumbers ... I have some peppers in the hotbox , plan to wait a couple more weeks for warmer weather to put them in the garden . i keep counting the days... indoor chores will keep me as busy as i want to be until then. My main indoor chore is doing all the cooking here since she works . I have plenty to keep me busy outdoors though , no matter what season . the weather is nice enough this afternoon i'll get outside for a while. the catbirds are back at last - they are good company for gardening, always make me smile and laugh at their calls. songbird |
#15
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Rain again
In article
westom writes: Surges must be earthed (shunted) before entering the building. A surge shunted at the appliance simply shunts that surge into the appliance. Your UK wiring must be even more odd than I could have expected. Surges are diverted to the separate grounding path in the house wiring. A completely different device, also called a surge protector, does protection from surges because it is at the service entrance. Surge protectors can be anywhere that has a ground connection. For any NEC compliant wiring in the US, that is just about anywhere. A typical UPS provides temporary and 'dirty' power during blackouts. You like to repeat that alot. It does not make it true. Maybe UK UPSs deliver dirty power. I suppose it is a fitting substitute for leaking oil. -- Drew Lawson | I'd like to find your inner child | and kick its little ass |
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