What is a Surge Protector's "Continuous Duty Electrical Rating"?

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chicken7117

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Hey all, newbie with electrical terms here. I've been browsing surge protectors (from canadian retailers) for use with my desktop, and I've noticed all the surge protectors have a "continuous duty electrical rating" of 15 amps/120V/1800W. I'm confused- does this mean the surge protectors cannot sustain more than 15 amps of power? Does that mean I can't plug in a 53a power supply into it?
On a side note, I've asked belkin's tech support through online chat whether if I could plug in a desktop, who told me "Actually, nope." Belkin's surge protector warranties state that all water related devices will void warranty and insurance of the surge protector. I asked support if "water related devices" included liquid cooled systems and whether or not the insurance covers it; they again replied with "Actually, nope." I'm still uncertain about the situation here- could anybody please suggest surge protectors with insurance covering liquid cooled desktops; or clarify what the "continuous duty electrical rating" means, and if I can safely use them as a surge protector for my desktop? Thanks for reading!
 
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volcanoscout
Sorry - got interrupted before I could finish my answer.

When you plug a 53A PSU into the wall or surge protector, it's not going to be drawing 53A. You'll have to check your specs, but it's probably drawing between 5A-10A at 120V. The PSU pulls that power in, then steps the amperage up to the required amount using capacitors and converts the voltage from 120V to 12V so your computer can use it.

You can safely use a surge protector as long as your PSU's actual rated input, or draw, is within the specs of the surge protector. Using the example in your post, if your PSU draws 15A or less, and total wattage of 1800W or less, you are good. If they had to go to court, I think Belkin would have a hard time disowning liability unless...
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volcanoscout

volcanoscout

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Sorry - got interrupted before I could finish my answer.

When you plug a 53A PSU into the wall or surge protector, it's not going to be drawing 53A. You'll have to check your specs, but it's probably drawing between 5A-10A at 120V. The PSU pulls that power in, then steps the amperage up to the required amount using capacitors and converts the voltage from 120V to 12V so your computer can use it.

You can safely use a surge protector as long as your PSU's actual rated input, or draw, is within the specs of the surge protector. Using the example in your post, if your PSU draws 15A or less, and total wattage of 1800W or less, you are good. If they had to go to court, I think Belkin would have a hard time disowning liability unless their written warranty specifically excludes computers.

I can't speak to the whole liquid-cooling angle, but it makes sense to me. Why should they be held liable if something goes wrong with a high-powered electronic system that you've chosen to run liquid through?
 
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chicken7117

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Thanks for the reply clarifying input draw! As for the insurance being voided, I didn't mean the rad/pump bursting in some freak accident or anything, but rather individual parts. For example, would the psu/mobo be insured if they were fried in a surge unrelated to the cooler, even though (assume the cooler didn't burst in some rare accident) the liquid cooler is installed? I'm not sure if the warranty considers the computer's innards a combined device or individual devices, since if they were considered a system rather than a plethora of different devices I guess it could be generalized as a "water related device".
EDIT: For future reference, how do I check the input draw of my psu?
 
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volcanoscout

volcanoscout

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For input draw, it should state on the specs sticker on the PSU or you can check mftr website. What make and model do you have?

As for the insurance, if the surge protector snaps and takes a component with it, how would they know there were any liquid-related components ever connected to it? If the surge protector is fine, but there's a short or fault upstream of it (anything system-side of the actual plug head attached to the surge protector), then you'd be looking to call in component warranties, and the same question would apply.
 
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chicken7117

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I don't actually have the psu purchased, but I'm planning to go get the XFX PRO650w (part P1650SNLB9) from a local hardware store tomorrow, after considering cx600m and evga 600b. I'm having trouble actually finding the info sheet on xfx's site though, since "the requested page cannot be found". I did find a user-contributed specs sheet on ncix's product page for it listing the input draw as 9A (rms) though. If that's true, then the surge protector will be compatible I guess.
 
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