X10 Community Forum
💬General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: DaveDavis on January 19, 2009, 11:56:35 PM
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I owned an X-10 system since 1998. It's always worked until last month. That's when I had a tree removed. A small branch fell and bounced on the overhead power line going to feed my house. It caused my neighbor's line to bounce too. ( this was a small branch not much thicker than an axe handle )
Anyway the lines feeding the house next door where really in bad shape. Squirrels, it seems, had been having a field day chewing. Any how, the "bouncing" power cable produced one heck of a SURGE. Several things got toasted, flood lights, new washer, power strips, and my good old X-10 serial interface. It was charred inside. So I sprang for a new X-10 Pro setup. Now, I seem to have some things work and other modules that don't all the time. I have have a house loaded with PC's, TV, CFLs... basically the things that can interfere with the X-10 signal. I have given serious thought to Jeff Volp's XTB II. It seems that would be the most logical answer. Now here's where it might get interesting. I would like to install a whole home surge protector in my panel. How would something like that and something like the XTB or some kind of signal booster work together??? From what I read, a surge protector causes problems with X-10 signals.
Any thoughts? A whole home surge protector is appealing ( if it works ) but I'd love to get my X-10 modules working all the time.
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Leviton states that their 51110-PTC whole house surge protector is "DHC Power Line Carrier Compatible". (DHC is Leviton's name for their X10 system.) I use that unit here. In addition to providing 120/240V surge protection, it also will protect cable TV and satelite coax lines.
If you can't find a good price on it, I do have one listed on the X10 and Leviton electrical items page.
Jeff
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......... but I'd love to get my X-10 modules working all the time.
I feel your pain.
It's always scary to read about a system that goes to crap. Last spring, I had a lighting strike in my backyard. It killed every camera I had that wasn't stored away in my extra parts box. Some appliance modules stopped working... but changing the code [they use] seemed to work on all but one.
The lighting strike also killed a TV, and a UPS failed but wasn't detected until the next power outage. The damage caused by such a surge can make a device that has never been a problem... become a noise maker... and/or greatly reduce the lifespan of the device. It might be a good time to remap your circuits and test your X10 devices in a controlled environment.