iMacs come with one simple power cord.
Is it Safe to just plug the iMac straight into the power outlet or through a power board?
iMac, OS X El Capitan (10.11.4)
You can plug it in to either. Both are safe as long as the power strip is UL approved.
Cheers,
GB
Does this cord somehow have a set up to protect from a power serge like a safety power board?
If you have a power strip with surge protection plug the Mac into it.
Neon3214 wrote:
Does this cord somehow have a set up to protect from a power serge like a safety power board?
No.
A good question might be... Why do you feel you might need a surge protector? Some things to consider... The Macs are quite robust. I've owned and had assigned to me by my employer, several Macs since 1985 (all in the US, all east of the Mississippi). I've never used a surge protector with any of them. My current Mac is an i-Mac that I've had since new in November of 2010. I've never had a problem with any of them and I have lived in some storm-prone areas. Also, if lightening hits the utility pole outside your house (if power is delivered that way in your area), no surge protector will save your Mac if it is plugged in (especially if powered on). Many users that do live in storm-prone areas recommend doing just that, unplug your Mac during a severe lightening storm. I unplug mine when I am away on vacation.
My advice is that you listen to Duane, who is a Level 10, and a Mac expert. If you are using a power strip, you should always use one with a surge protection. Most power strips have that feature. It is not a good idea to plug any computer into a power source that is not protected by power surges. If you can avoid it, why not do that? Purchase a power strip that has surge protection like this one:
For $11 bucks you get two of them.... You spent a lot on your Mac. Treat it kindly.
GB
I don't see where he actually said that. But a surge protector can't hurt and provides other outlets for printers, power bricks, etc. One feature that particularly annoys me about some of surge protectors are those with a "primary" outlet that you would plug the computer into, and only if the computer is turned on do the other outlets have power. I did have one of those once, used it for a few days then went to a conventional power strip when it started giving the printer fits.
A suggested route to take involves an additional purchase of an uninterruptible power supply
with battery backup, that automatically switches to protect a valued product from both high
and low power, spikes, surges, and also gives you time to power down the Mac when outage
occurs. And the UPS can filter power somewhat. These have protected AC ports, in addition
to those which will provide backup power for limited durations during an outage. The protected
ports have surge protection with some line dampening circuitry. Avoid cheap low-backup time
UPS units. Use at least a 1500VA or higher series product. You are buying time, with these.
While I have a few power multi-strips with on-off switches, I do not rely on 'surge protectors'
to do any kind of safety where my Macs are concerned. When using a portable as desktop
replacement, then I may choose to plug its adapter into a UPS protected AC multi-strip. As
the portable has a battery and secondary power adapter, these can protect those products
from some damages. But not so with a mains-powered computer; unless you invest in UPS.
And I use the heavy-duty power strips with quality on-off switches, as a means to ration power
to the products. Helps to be able to also reset a wi-fi base station by denying power to it, this
way, than actually have to find and unplug items in the process. You can choose to lengthen
the run-time of one product by shutting down the others, then switch off their power strip; as
all these would be using the UPS backup battery during an outage.
Due to shipping weight, I've found the better prices on these to be local. Same with later
purchase of replacement rechargable batteries. These weigh a fair amount and between
shipping and hassles with delivery in some regions, an electronic supply store can be a
better bet on price w/ helpful staff. You can get a few years time on a UPS internal backup
battery, before a replacement. Check on the specifications before purchasing any of these.
And be sure to fully charge a UPS prior to first use. I found the hard way they can also be
bad right out of the box; and fully charged yet fail to work or quit suddenly without cause.
I've stress-tested these before attaching a Mac. A 1,000W halogen light is a good load to
use to test, just pull the UPS plug and see what happens with a big load on its battery.
Good luck & happy computing! 🙂
Wow - I've not seen one of those. What a nightmare....mine are all the kind with the little switch that continually blinks (which can be a bit annoying at night in a dark room) 🙂
GB
I second the recommendation for a UPS; I would not trust a $1,500 - $2,500 machine to a power strip. I've used a UPS for years and have the "important" stuff plugged into it (Mac, external hard drives, printer). It will allow you to quit any app you're using and shut down the Mac properly if there is a power outage.
Thank you guys for all your advice.
It's a No to the power cord not having any inbuilt protection
Do plug into a serge board and there's many options on the market for that.
All your responses have been great.
Does size or weight prove it is better? Only wild speculation justifies that conclusion. Best is to learn specification numbers. How many joules does that UPS claim to 'absorb'? Hundreds? A power strip protector claims to 'absorb' more like a thousand. Numbers are obvious. That power strip is many times better protection.
Then include more numbers. Surges that tiny are already made irrelevant by protection inside a Mac. Mac simply converts that near zero surge into rock stable, low voltage DC to safely power its semiconductors. So what does that power strip or UPS really accomplish? It promotes hearsay and myths.
Destructive surges can be hundred of thousands of joules. What harmlessly absorbs that? Earth ground. Effective protection is always about connecting a surge to earth BEFORE it enters a house. Since everything (not just a Mac) needs that protection.
If marketing to people who ignore numbers, that power strip or UPS becomes profitable. Meanwhile, a 'whole house' solution is necessary to even protect that near zero power strip or UPS.
You obviously missed the point I made:
A UPS has a built in battery and allows you finish/quit the app you are working in and shut down the Mac properly.
A power strip does not; a forced shut down may result in corrupted data, data loss, etc.
The 'whole house' surge protection device usually incorporates or occupies a space
in the main breaker panel and most (if not all?) have an indicator light to show it's on
and working. Once it fails, you buy and install a new breaker-sized device.
But this does not allow for any run-time or secondary filter of the power to computers,
or any other costly electronics one may wish to place in jeopardy at the end of a line.
I've lived where the power is unstable, and a whole-house surge protection does nothing.
A good high quality UPS can be set up with custom controls in its settings, to catch more
and do it faster; and it also buffers the electronics by switching to backup batteries.
The excess power goes to the ground. So if you have several of these and a pile of high
demand products being protected, be aware that in some instances you may wish to be
sure they all have sufficient ground so any/all overload from a surge has a ground. That
is where the 'whole-house' surge protection at the main panel is good for. Little else since
it will not react to a brown-out or under-power situation (try running a motor on that) or
where the high-to-low fluctuation is faster than the Mac's built-in power supply can handle.
To suggest to not use adequate protection, or perhaps the replacement guarantees some
of the surge-strips have on their box are good enough for everyone else, could imply you
may have a vested interest in selling these items that do not protect fully. I don't need a
promise of a check in the mail, that may never arrive once my Mac is toast.
{At least by not having a fusible link inside the product power cord, troubleshooting ease
does not require buying a spare to test the concept. Quality backup power supplies work.}
I've used backup power supplies (and also backup soft-power whole house generators)
and not always of the 'automatic switching' design. Things are a bit easier now, but not
always. There is a significant amount of information available online; some from maker
sites of these products. Others from those who test their viability in practical use.
In any event...
Good luck! 🙂
K Shaffer wrote:
The 'whole house' surge protection device usually incorporates or occupies a space
in the main breaker panel and most (if not all?) have an indicator light to show it's on
and working. Once it fails, you buy and install a new breaker-sized device.
🙂
FWIW, my electric company offered to install a whole house surge protector for approx $150. I asked them if it guaranteed there would be no damage from a surge. They said "No". I didn't order one.
Power cord
