Power Conditioner (Furman M-8 - Power Conditioner)?

Question

I have an Acer projector and have burnt out two $300 bulbs in the past 7 months (1 at 100hrs and another at 700). Every time my A/C or fridge turns on I hear a loud pop in my theater speakers. Even though they are on different circut breakers, the speakers still pop. The tech at acer said that power surges would destroy the projector bulb. Would a Power Conditioner help with this problem? I'm thinking about getting this Ebay Item: 170178443384 or http://cgi.ebay.com/Furman-M-8-15AMP-Rack-Mount-Power-Conditioner-0SHIP_W0QQitemZ170178443384QQihZ007QQcategoryZ23792QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Answer 1

Does the lamp go very dim or out when this happens? It takes more energy when you turn on the lamp. That increase in power momentarily will degrade the life of the bulb. That does not mean leaving it on is better. It just means more current goes through the lamp at start up and during low voltage conditions. Its part of ohms law. if the voltage drops then the amps must go up. AMPS, which is the measure of the flow of electrons is what it is really all about. The increase in amperage can be reduce the light's life. As stated above DO NOT touch the bulbs with your fingers. Your finger prints leave oil on the lamps and cause a hot spot.

The power conditioner will not help unless it has a voltage regulator / stabilizer in it. The one you are looking at does not have voltage stabilization. Furman does make them with it, as well as Monster, Panamax, and Tripplite. Richard Grays does too but you'll pay through the nose for one of theirs. The Tripplite LC1200 has voltage regulator for about 180bucks from partsexpress.com. I take that back,120 bucks

Answer 2

Power spikes and surges will damage equipment.

A power conditioner is an expensive way of stealing your money. ANY decent computer power backup will do this at

a FRACTION of the cost of a stand alone unit.

As to the bulbs, what it comes down to is bulb quality, proper cooldown, not getting fingerprints on them (sure way to kill the bulb). It sounds like in all honesty, a poor quality piece of equipment. Machines are designed to take a certain amount of power fluctuation, and if there was damage, it would be to the machine itself, not the bulb.

I would call them again, go through the warranty process and

counter any excuse they come up with. If they won't do anything, ditch the unit as soon as possible.