A surge protector is a simple, less costly way of protecting your electronic devices from power surge. Using a surge protector is preferable to using a power strip. The work of a power strip is to suppress surges. This does not mean a surge would not be able to damage your device. power strips are just an extension for a wall outlet. It gives you multi-outlet spaces on one strip. They are cheap products which you can purchase anywhere. There offer little or no protection against electrical issues and are basically for the giving you most space to plug in your devices.
Surge protectors on the other hand, are designed to protect your devices and appliances against power surges or spikes. They are also not expensive to buy and come in different amounts of joules. As surge protector with higher joules means it can offer coverage to a higher number of devices. This is good to know that surge protectors do not last forever. They are also susceptible to wear and tear like regular devices. When this happens, they do not offer as much protecting against spikes like they should. This might not be easy to ascertain so your best bet would be finding out from the manufacturers or reading reviews online.
Some surge protectors offer warranty on devices which suffer any damage from spikes or surges while are properly connected to it. Please take note of the words’ properly connected’. It is on this clause that the warranty rests. Some surge protectors manufacturers will offer an amount from the upwards of $250,000 for a device damaged while connected to their protector. Well, any manufacturer who makes this offer most likely knows you won’t be needing it as the surge protector would be of good quality. So, most users never get to use this warranty ever.
Another reason to use a surge protector is the kind of device which you would be connected to it. For instance, connecting a light bulb to a surge protector makes little sense as a spike in electricity would only burn out the bulb. You could easily replace it. However, you have more delicate devices which need to be protected from power spikes and surges. Such devices are your computer. There are numerous components in your computers which are voltage-sensitive. Meaning, a power surge will effectively damage them or even if they are salvaged your computer would have a shorter life span. Protecting your sensitive device like your computer is also very important due to the information they hold for us. Imagine your work computer gets damaged due to a power surge and you lose all your data. This is a scenario no one wants to face so the best surge protector you can buy makes good sense.
You can opt to use these types of surge protectors depending on your choice.
Basic power strip – offers barely enough protection but gives you more outlet spaces to connect your devices.
Better power strip- combines a little of surge protection and more outlets for your device.
Surge Station- can be positioned on the floor or underneath your device and it offer higher surge protection. Some also come with inputs which can be used to plug in your phone line and protect your modem from surges.
Uninterrupted Power Supply(UPS)- this is a personal favourite. Not only does this protect your devices or appliances or gear from surges and spikes, it retains power for you to turn of your device the proper way. It’s stored battery power keeps your device running and you can finish whatever you are working on or watching before the battery runs out of power. Most UPS have indicator lights and make small beeping sounds to indicate usage. When buying a surge protector, buy one with indicator lights so you known for certain when they are functioning of not.
There are some ratings which you should look out for when buying a surge protector. Such ratings are Clamping Voltage. Look out for a lower clamping voltage as they give improved protection. Next rating is essential for a good surge protector is Energy absorption and dissipation. This simply means the amount of joules the surge protector can handle before it collapses and last is the Response time. Your surge protector should respond to power spikes and surges in less than a nanosecond. If it takes a longer time then your devices are at risk of damage whenever a power surge occurs.
With all this in mind, it is clear you need a surge protector at every time especially for the protection of your sensitive devices. Most sensitive devices like entertainment systems and computers are not easily replaceable due to their high cost so it follows they should be protected. There is the confidence we have that electrical surges have never happened, so we have the choice of not using a surge protector. The fact is electric grids experience surges often. You area might not experience it as often, but it is a reality of electricity. So, you need to be prepared for whenever it hits big. This is not to say surges don’t happen on a small scale, they do all the time, not just enough for it to burn out a light bulb.
The most important reason however to protect your devices from surge or spikes is fire. Most devices comes with an inbuilt power conditioner which converts the amount of power passed through an outlet into them. Notwithstanding, the use of a surge protector is advised. It the voltage is to high and your device cannot convert it, it would damage your device and can lead to an electric fire. This is very dangerous as valuables can be lost if the fire isn’t put out immediately. So, surge protectors are a must have for your home and office to offer protection for your devices and appliances from any spike or surge which would ordinarily cause damage to them.