Let's get this sorted. I have been asked this question oh about a hundred times. Should I use a surge protector to protect my electronic equipment? Well lets just say that the short answer is YES! ALL electronic equipment that plugs into a wall, needs protection. You may not see the damage until your system fails, but surges, spikes, sags and brownouts are there, within our electrical system, gradually "eating away" at our electronics.
A surge protector is usually set up in a 'strip' having several power outlets to plug into, with at least one data outlet to protect a telephone, fax machine or modem. It sits between your electrical equipment and the electrical mains (AC) outlet (ie, wall plug) protecting your equipments power supply from the damage that may be caused by unregulated mains power.
Components in today's electronic devices are smaller and more delicate than their predecessors, and thus more sensitive to fluctuations in current. Microprocessors, in particular, require stable current at the right voltage -- a nice, steady flow of 240V mains power.
Unfortunately, electrical power quality changes frequently, even hourly. Anything over the standard voltage is called a "transient" and, depending on its severity and duration, can also be called a "spike" or "surge". Even though they may be so brief that they are measured in nanoseconds (billionths of a second), they can still damage your equipment. As surges, spikes and sags occur daily. Many are virtually unnoticeable, but inevitably, some stronger power pulses will cause damage -- either immediately or over a period of time.
The time before and after an outage (blackout), especially during a thunderstorm, is characterised by noticeable surges and sags, much like how tremors are felt before and after an earthquake. Even if you do not personally notice these fluctuations, your unprotected electronic equipment will.
It is important to note that not all damage to electronic equipment is caused by a massive electrical surge. Most often, power-related equipment failure is due to the "wearing down" of your components over months or years of exposure to relatively mild electrical spikes until, eventually, they burn out.
Sags, also known as brownouts, also cause long-term damage. These are momentary drops in voltage often shown by dimming or flickering lighting. Like spikes, they are very common and can cause hardware crashes and even damage. On a computer, they can also create instability such as computer "freezes" or unexpected reboots, lost settings or even data corruption.
The lower voltage surges that afflict modern household and business electrical wiring can come from many sources - internally and externally. External causes can include the startup or shutdown of nearby heavy equipment, fallen power lines, electrical storms, or even the normal "switching" of a nearby electrical substation. Internally, heavy equipment such as refrigerators and air-conditioners draw large amounts of current when switching on and off their motors/compressors. This creates surges through local electrical wiring, a problem magnified when the wiring is also faulty.
When buying a surge protector here are a few things to look out for. Make sure to take note of the longevity of the surge protector as a surge protectors effectiveness will degrade over time as it soaks excess power so it is important to ask how long the unit will last, and how often it will need to be replaced.
Many surge protectors have a place to plug in telephone and/or digital TV cables to protect equipment against surges afflicting these networks.
Surge protectors aimed at consumers range from 200 to 400 joules to 7000 joules at the top end. To be safe, look for a surge protector with a rating of 600 or more.
Even though a surge protector will never really protect you from a surge caused by a lightning strike to your house or building it will protect your from any nearby lightning strikes. To offer an effective safeguard against these nearby lightning strikes a surge protector must be capable of responding within one to 200 microseconds.
Product warranties may guarantee to replace the original surge protector should it malfunction but an increasing number also promise to replace the cost of equipment damaged should the device fail and provide additional services such as recovery of lost data.
It is essential to read the fine print as many warranties contain time limits and strict conditions such as requiring original receipts, a warranty registration on purchase, or will cover only the market value of equipment (not the replacement cost).
Others may not offer cover for direct lightning strike, and if they do, may demand proof of an event from the power supplier.
A surge protector is usually set up in a 'strip' having several power outlets to plug into, with at least one data outlet to protect a telephone, fax machine or modem. It sits between your electrical equipment and the electrical mains (AC) outlet (ie, wall plug) protecting your equipments power supply from the damage that may be caused by unregulated mains power.
Components in today's electronic devices are smaller and more delicate than their predecessors, and thus more sensitive to fluctuations in current. Microprocessors, in particular, require stable current at the right voltage -- a nice, steady flow of 240V mains power.
Unfortunately, electrical power quality changes frequently, even hourly. Anything over the standard voltage is called a "transient" and, depending on its severity and duration, can also be called a "spike" or "surge". Even though they may be so brief that they are measured in nanoseconds (billionths of a second), they can still damage your equipment. As surges, spikes and sags occur daily. Many are virtually unnoticeable, but inevitably, some stronger power pulses will cause damage -- either immediately or over a period of time.
The time before and after an outage (blackout), especially during a thunderstorm, is characterised by noticeable surges and sags, much like how tremors are felt before and after an earthquake. Even if you do not personally notice these fluctuations, your unprotected electronic equipment will.
It is important to note that not all damage to electronic equipment is caused by a massive electrical surge. Most often, power-related equipment failure is due to the "wearing down" of your components over months or years of exposure to relatively mild electrical spikes until, eventually, they burn out.
Sags, also known as brownouts, also cause long-term damage. These are momentary drops in voltage often shown by dimming or flickering lighting. Like spikes, they are very common and can cause hardware crashes and even damage. On a computer, they can also create instability such as computer "freezes" or unexpected reboots, lost settings or even data corruption.
The lower voltage surges that afflict modern household and business electrical wiring can come from many sources - internally and externally. External causes can include the startup or shutdown of nearby heavy equipment, fallen power lines, electrical storms, or even the normal "switching" of a nearby electrical substation. Internally, heavy equipment such as refrigerators and air-conditioners draw large amounts of current when switching on and off their motors/compressors. This creates surges through local electrical wiring, a problem magnified when the wiring is also faulty.
When buying a surge protector here are a few things to look out for. Make sure to take note of the longevity of the surge protector as a surge protectors effectiveness will degrade over time as it soaks excess power so it is important to ask how long the unit will last, and how often it will need to be replaced.
Many surge protectors have a place to plug in telephone and/or digital TV cables to protect equipment against surges afflicting these networks.
Surge protectors aimed at consumers range from 200 to 400 joules to 7000 joules at the top end. To be safe, look for a surge protector with a rating of 600 or more.
Even though a surge protector will never really protect you from a surge caused by a lightning strike to your house or building it will protect your from any nearby lightning strikes. To offer an effective safeguard against these nearby lightning strikes a surge protector must be capable of responding within one to 200 microseconds.
Product warranties may guarantee to replace the original surge protector should it malfunction but an increasing number also promise to replace the cost of equipment damaged should the device fail and provide additional services such as recovery of lost data.
It is essential to read the fine print as many warranties contain time limits and strict conditions such as requiring original receipts, a warranty registration on purchase, or will cover only the market value of equipment (not the replacement cost).
Others may not offer cover for direct lightning strike, and if they do, may demand proof of an event from the power supplier.
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