Making my own spark gap device! to protect AC lines from huge lightning strikes.?

Question

I'm running a server at home. I've looked but I can't find these spark gap protectors! the one that I found had a amazingly unaffordable high price. So I'm thinking of making my own spark gap protector to be installed at my wall outlet before the PC (server).
Since we are dealing with lightning I'm thinking of placing the things that handle the spark inside an air tight glass bottle. The spark handling part would a be a simple mechanism, the Live and Neutral wires will placed with in <1mm of the ground wire (or even closer). Will the O2 inside the bottle be enough to handle a spark or will O2 cause problems, is O2 conductive enough? The Bottle containing the spark gap would be placed behind a breaker and 6A fuse. The contacts of the spark gap will be three iron rods (Live -> Ground <- Neutral).

Please help. Or may be I asked the electrical shop wrong. Is there some kind of model number or what I should be looking for? Btw this is for a AC 230V power line.

Please Help

Answer 1

Here are a whole bunch of surplus gas-tube lightning arrestors and other transient protection devices, cheap. Surplus, but cheap.
http://www.electronicsurplus.com/commerce/catalog/spcategory.jsp?category_id=2241

Digikey also has new parts on their list, but they were out of stock, and the apparent minimum was 1000 pieces. However, they will part-out a 1000 piece lot for a price premium. It will still be cheaper than trying to build your own.
www.digikey.com Part Search: "arrestor"

.

Answer 2

It is a complete myth that these devices can save your system from a lightning strike. If lightning strikes your home's power line, pretty much all electronics, "protected" or not will be fried.

If you need a secure server (in more than one sense), rent one from a company which runs multiple centers and can replace a dead machine in minutes.

Anyway, as long as you are having fun and believe it will help, it's OK to do this kind of thing. Faith, as they say, can move mountains. Maybe it can divert lightning, too.

Oh, yeah... I forgot to add...

And stay safe!

But since you have put the life of your server before your own, this kind of advice is probably useless.

:-)

Answer 3

Surge protectors are extremely cheap and many of them offer a warranty to cover the cost of damage to equipment connected to them should it occur.

They don't tend to use spark gap technology as this is more suited to overhead transmission lines. Surge protectors installed into power adapters use electronics such as MOV's

Answer 4

I hope your supply is well protected against arc overs
(shorts) creepage and clearance is 6mm for 230v

you a fooling around with dangerous stuff you clearly don't understand !

Spark gaps for 230 volt operation (325 volts peak)
THE gap is quite LARGE NOT 1mm

IT'S NOT THE SPACING THAT GIVES THE POINT OF ARC OVER .... IT'S THE GAS THEY ARE FILLED WITH
THE GAS IONIZES AND CONDUCTS!

AND THEY ARE NOT EXPENSIVE

Besides they do not offer protection ...they are the 1st line of defence. next are FILTERS and MOV devices and then TRANSORBS on the dc rails

Answer 5

there's a shown,extra low value, extra ideal,and safer thank you to suppress skill line surges,a standard knot in all your equipment/digital/laptop stuff's cords. No kiddin' A unexpected surge induces counter EMF that effectively cancels itself out. the only issues you will desire to a spark hollow for is lightening rods, or television and short wave antennas, problems with that nature. i'm going to guess your skill service could have some objections to you tampering with their lines,exceedingly with a spark hollow..