Surge Protector?

[PeaksGirl]

Hi there,

My husband and I will be visiting Nicaragua from the U.S. next month and plan on bringing a small laptop.  It's been recommended that we bring a surge protector but we're unsure of which one to buy as it sounds like most outlets only take 2 plugs and are not grounded.  Do you have any recommendations on the best protector to bring? 

Thanks!

[Joshua Berman]

no specific brand or anything -- defintiely the lightest/smallest you can find that will be effective. ask at a travel specialty store -- or at radio shack.

[Randall Wood]

I can be a bit more specific - YES, do not plug anything valuable into a Nicaraguan outlet without a surge protector on it.  Power fluctuations, both surges and dips, are rampant.  You should also ensure the protector covers telephone lines if you plan on using a modem, as you can as easily get a surge through the telephone line.  Same goes for an ethernet cable, particularly if you're going to plug in at an internet cafe.

I have used the APC Surge Arrest and like it because it is tiny and travels well - there are several different versions depending on the maker of your laptop because of differences in plug type:
http://www.apc.com/products/family/index.cfm?id=173&ISOCountryCode=US&tsk=z290x
http://www.laptoptravel.com/ProductList.aspx?id=3387

Mine actually fried, but saved my computer - well worth it!

The best option is to use the crappy, misconfigured computers at the internet cafes, obviously, because your own equipment is not at risk. 

Finally, this article looked interesting:
http://mobileoffice.about.com/od/laptopaccessories/tp/surgeprotection.htm

Happy travels.

[kevins]

2-prong? 3-prong?

My understanding was that most if not all surge protectors work by shunting the extra power to ground[1], which is not possible on a two-prong system. Looking at those links, I didn't see any devices that plug directly into a two-prong wall outlet, but there were a couple that worked with two-pin laptop power supplies, which would also lack ground. One seems to include adapters to work universally with two- or three-pin laptop adapters[2].

My laptop power supply has 3 pins, so expects to be plugged into a grounded wall socket. I know you can get those 50 cent 2->3 wall socket adapters, but if you don't hook up the ground to something (like a metal drain pipe) they don't provide the grounding protection that most three-prong devices are designed to expect.

So (finally) my questions: Are three-prong wall sockets everywhere in Nicaragua, or do I need to plan for two-prongs? (I assume the latter). If two-prong, do you have any idea whether I would be safe using a 2->3 adapter and a 3-pin laptop surge protector? Any other ideas?

Also, I will be down there for a few weeks. If my first surge protector is blown out, will I be able to buy another good one there? Should I take two or three with me?

[1] http://www.greatinspector.com/faq-elec-unground-outlet.html (at the bottom), and http://www.spikemaster.net/FAQ's.html

[2] http://www.cyberpowersystems.com/products/surge-protectors/mobile-surge/cps500nbp.html

[PeaksGirl]

Hi,

Thanks for your responses.  I'm going to have to look into this a bit more.  Unfortunately, my laptop is a Dell Inspiron Mini 9 and it has a pretty basic 2 plug power cord (30 Watt).

kevins, I could be wrong, but my understanding is that most outlets in Nicaragua are 2 plug outlets, hence my problem in finding a good surge protector.  I have seen some adapters that have 2 plugs, go directly into the outlet, and claim to provide surge protection/suppression but I'm just now sure how effective they are (or how they handle the ground issue)

Here is an example of one...http://www.amazon.com/Travel-Smart-All-in-One-Adapter-Plug/dp/B0010BLSAY/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=hpc&qid=1232474682&sr=8-3

[Randall Wood]

Plan on 2 prong outlets; there are very few 3 prongers out there.  I traveled and lived in Nicaragua for several years on just one surge protector - unless you are really going down for the long haul, I'd think that one is plenty.

And yes, I just used the 3-2 prong convertor.  It's not perfect, but you'll have bigger challenges than that to deal with, so don't lose any sleep over it.  One trick, obviously, is just to leave your laptop plugged in as long as you need for it to charge, then run down the battery, and repeat.  That way you're not exposed.

Let's keep it in perspective though - all of Nicaragua's businesses have their computers plugged in all day and night and the world has not yet come to an end ...

[PeaksGirl]

Thanks Randall, yes, we're probably over thinking this    We're just going to go with the 3 to 2 converter and hope for the best.  As you mention, we'll be limiting the time that we actually have anything plugged in.  Oddly enough we were in India off and on for a year and never used a surge protector.  Not sure what we were thinking since they have a similar power issue, but fortunately we didn't fry anything.