Hi,
I was wondering if it would be wise to use surge protectors on my power supplies for my layout like I do for my computer and TV or are they not necessary for our layouts? Just wondering before I get to far into my layout.
blueriver
Yes indeed!!! Everything electronic needs to be protected from lightning, static and electrical power surges. It doesn’t hurt to have a redundant surge protection too.
Very wise idea. I refused to plug in the DCC without having a good one ahead of it.
I have two surges, Battery backups… when power dies or lighting comes, the Computers and DCC are protected. Everything else is replaceable.
What do you mean everything else?
As in things on the layout or objects like lamps and such?
I never thought of that. However, I unplug everything when I’m done. We have a dandy one for the computer. Perhaps I should buy one for the DCC.
Archie
The first line of defense is to use GFCI either at the breaker panel or in your train room. They trip really fast, and saved my Home theater equipment this past summer when a bolt of lightening struck the backyard and blew all kinds of equipment out in the whole neighborhood.
Battery back-up is the next line of defense for computers, in case you have one in your train room. The better battery backups like APC, have protection also for telephone lines and cable lines.
As for your wall oulets for 120v circuits in your train room, replace the 1st duplex outlet in the room with a GFCI. The 1st outlet is defined as the outlet where the power cable feeds first. That way, all the other oulets in your room that are on that same circuit, will all be protected by the same GFCI as long as they are connected to the LOAD side of the GFCI. The absolute safest thing to do however, is to unplug your equipment from the 120V line when you have a storm.
If you use any power tools, you want a master switch to the room to be sure everytthing is off. Be sure to turn off any hot tools! It’s OK for a light to be on to enter/leave the room, but everything else should be off.
Another important item to consider is to be sure to have fresh air enter the room. If you do any airbrush painting, you want all the fumes to go outside the house. You may be able to get a bathroom type fan to pull air outside for a time, then have it shut off in 15 minutes or so. I’d consider getting a HEPA filter for your furnace or get one of the smaller units to help keep dust in the room down. It helps to make the layout cleaner, and keeps the junk out of your lungs. I’m always glad to wa***he filter & watch the junk go down the drain. They are about as expensive to run as a regular fan. Changing filters depends on how dirty your air is, but it’s better to change filters than lungs!