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Do I need a Surge Protector?

Posted by Edward Drummond on Mon, Jan 28, 2013


Surge protectors are an often ignored part of keeping your technology safe from power spikes and surges.  When I worked at a big-box store (I won't mention any names, but needles to say, my black and neon green uniform shirt was pretty eye catching) it was my goal to make sure that each person walked out the door with the right technology, every time.  People would come in and drop hundreds, sometimes thousands of dollars on technology for their homes and businesses, buying anti-virus programs, backup programs and backup hardware to keep their investment safe.  Surprisingly, many people balked at the idea that they needed anything more to keep their data and digital gadgetry safe.  The lowly surge protector, and it’s bigger cousins the battery backup units are an integral part of keeping your devices and your information safe from harm.


When the subject of power protection comes up, many people think of the simple stick-style “power strips” that have been a staples of offices and homes for decades.  Unfortunately, these inexpensive items do not provide much, if any protection from normal surges and power spikes.  Computers, phones, routers and other high-tech digital devices are very susceptible to damage from power surges, and the last thing you want to is get hit with a surge and not have your machine turn on the next time you try to use it.  Protecting your electronics from damage when the power goes out or a circuit breaker trips is now more important than ever with how much we have come to rely on our technology.

 

What does a Surge Protector do?

Surge protectors are meant to protect your electronics from, well, power surges. Many people think that power is either simply on or off; this couldn’t be farther from the truth.  On a daily basis your electronic devices are victims of repeated assault in the form of power spikes and surges.  A power surge is defined as a rapid rise in voltage that exceeds the normal flow of electricity coursing through your home or office.  Here in the US, the standard is 120 volts.  Throughout the rest of the world the standard varies considerably.  Here in the US, if the voltage in your home spikes above that 120 volt level, it could cause damage, even fry your expensive electronics.

 

Motherboard damaged by a power surge

 

Spikes and surges are two normal forms of power interruption which can cause damage. Electricians typically define a surge as any voltage or current increase that last more than three nanoseconds (0.000000003 seconds or approximately how long it takes for light to travel 1 meter in a vacuum) and a spike as one that lasts less than 3 nanoseconds. No matter how long a fluctuation lasts, it can cause lasting damage that will only find you replacing the electronics in your home if they are not properly protected.  Even small surges or spikes can cause damage.  The analogy I give for this is throw a small stone at a wall.  The first time you throw the stone it won’t do any noticeable damage.  Now throw that same stone millions of times at the wall and you will see what little damages can do over time.  Our electrical system here in the US has more tiny spikes in power than can be counted realistically, and if you live further out in the hilltowns or in the country, this problem gets bigger.
Most actual surge protectors will be labeled as such.  They will typically be labeled with a number of “joules” that the protector is listed at, typically starting at 400 and going up from that.  Some high-end consumer surge protectors can be rated for 5000 joules and higher. The higher the number of joules that the protector is rated at, the more excess spike and surge energy the protector can absorb. It can filter the electrical current from the outlet to the device itself. Each protector has a ground wire and that is what comes in handy when there is a surge. The electricity over the threshold of 120 volts is diverted from the surge strip and into that grounding wire instead of directly assaulting your devices in a “shocking” overload.  
One serious problem is that surge protectors are synonymous for many people with “power strip”.  A power strip has no inherent ability to absorb or dispel a surge or spike, in fact all it really will do is spread the surge to all devices on the strip.  Not sure if you have a power strip or a surge protector?  Look for the joule rating on the packaging or on the back of the unit.  If you don’t see one chances are you have a simple power strip and should replace it with a real surge protector.

 

Do you need protection?

Unless everything you own was free and you don’t care about keeping things running as long as possible, you should educate yourself on what kind of surge protection is necessary.  TVs, computers, phones and even your old clock radio can be fried by a surge, so investing a little money in keeping your stuff protected makes sense.  That being said, surge protection is not foolproof, but it will prevent most technological catastrophes from happening to you.
While most modern homes are built with basic methods (grounding wires and circuit breakers as examples) to help protect the devices in the house from surges, most home systems will allow dangerous fluctuations to pass between your electrical wiring into your computer before the "system" even realizes what is happening. Your computer will fry just as your power goes out in some cases, and you will not even realize it until you try to turn the computer on and nothing happens (in other words, too late). Whenever lightning strikes close to electrical poles, this will cause surge after surge until the entire local grid goes down, and sometimes that means your house will be hit by multiple surges.
When you trip the power in your home, you more often than not blow a fuse with it. Your computer in particular is more sensitive to voltage than your electrical system in the wall or a refrigerator, and this is the reason why your computer will fry before most other devices in your house will and is a prime example of why surge protection is necessary. Your house's electrical system is not smart enough to stop a surge of power, your surge protection will be in most cases.

How much protection do you need?

 

There are three traditional types of surge protectors:

 


Basic Power Strip/ Surge ProtectorStrip-style protectors which provide low to medium levels of protection.  These are small, cheap and not recommended for high-end electronics.  These units are cheap, and you get what you pay for at a price between $10-20 dollars.  Note that you will need to check the packaging to ensure that the unit has a stated joule rating.  Many units that look like this may provide no or little real protection for any device.  I typically use these only for plugging in a lamp or simple clock radio.

 


Station-style surge protectorStation style protectors which provide ample room for transformer plugs and provide medium to high protection.  These units are bigger, and can sometimes provide eco-friendly power controls which help cut off devices from draining power unnecessarily.  They often have dedicated outlets that are more spaced out for large, transformer style plugs.  They also often have secondary surge protection abilities to plug in data lines (Ethernet, Cable, DSL, phone) and save your devices from surges from those vectors.  These units can range in price from $30-$100 depending on the joule rating and how many plugs are available.  The middle to high priced units are typically good for entertainment centers, computers and other higher end electronics.

 


Uninterruptible Power SupplyFinally we have Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPS units) which take power protection a step further by providing power outlets that are connected to a battery backup in order to provide power for a short time in case of a power loss.   These units typically look similar to the image on the left, and some may be as large or larger than a traditional desktop PC. A note on the ability to provide power via battery backup, the higher the power drain, the faster the battery will drain.  Most low to medium priced UPS units will provide about 5-10 minutes of battery backup power for a traditional Desktop PC and Monitor.  Many consumer-available and big-box store available power supplies will set you back between $50-$200 and provide very good surge protection in addition to the battery abilities.  These are great for business computers as the battery backup allows you time to save and shut down your computer properly in case of a power outage.

 

The joule rating is the important part for most devices.  The more expensive the item you are plugging in, the higher the rating you want.  In my home I use 2000 or more rated strips for my TV’s and a 4000 joule rated station for my computer setup.  I typically recommend if something has a screen on it, you want at least 2000 joules.  This sort of practice will protect you the best over a long period of time.  The more devices you have plugged into a protector, the higher the power draw for that protector is.  Surge protector damaged by too much load If you have many devices, and more importantly, many high-value devices or high power usage items (televisions, computers, sound systems). The picture displayed is an example of what happens when a low-end surge protector is used to protect high-power draw devices. The user lost a high-priced stereo system and a computer in the surge that caused the outward damage to the surge protector.
Another important thing to look at is how many plugs you need versus how many plugs the protector has.  I recommend using a surge protector that has at least two more plugs than you need.  This way you can easily add to your setup without needed to use a power strip plugged into the surge protector which can be a VERY dangerous fire hazard. 


Most consumer electronics stores sell a wide range of UPS systems and power surge strips, talk with your trusted technician and find out what will work with your digital setup.  Investing in protection for your digital life is better than replacing things by far.


If you have any questions on how you can best protect your electronics and digital devices, call our store or stop on down.  We’d be glad to help you.

 

 

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Tags: Computer Protection, Safe Practices