The Importance of Power Surge Protection

When most people think of power surge protection, they think of the protectors they bought to plug their computer into. Nowadays, power surge protection is used for everything from computers to televisions to baby monitors and beyond. Protecting electronics from damage when the power trips or a neighborhood goes into a blackout has never been more important.

Surge protectors are meant to protect electronics from power surges. A power surge is when the voltage rises above the designated flow of electricity normally coursing through your home or office. In America, 120 volts is the standard voltage level. Elsewhere in the world this varies. That means if the voltage in your home spikes above that level, you could potentially fry your computer, television and more.

Spikes and surges are two forms of power fluctuations. Generally, an electrician defines a surge as any increase that last more than three nanoseconds and a spike as one that lasts less than that. No matter how like 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.

Most surge protectors filter the electrical current from the outlet to the device itself. Each protector has a ground wire and this is what comes in handy when their is a surge. The electricity over the suggested thresehold of 120 volts is diverted from the surge strip and into that grounding wire instead of being jolted high-speed into your devices causing an overload.

Anybody who has invested heavily in the technology in their home should spend the time to find out what type of surge protection is necessary. Televisions, computers and other electronic devices can be fried from a surge, and as such, a surge protector will help prevent this from happening. While surge protection is not full proof, it will prevent most disasters from happening to the things you value in your home or office.

While most modern homes are built with circuitry that includes grounding wires, 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 is happening before it it too late to salvage the unit. When lightning strikes close to electrical poles, this will cause surge after surge until the 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, and this is the reason why your computer will fry before 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.

Every computer or television should run with a power surge strip. This not only allows you to hook up your DVD players, cable boxes, printers and other devices, but it also protects them from harm. Most home owners eventually invest a good deal of money into a home theater system with all the trimmings, why see that money go to waste by not purchasing a surge protection system that will save you from having to buy a new TV, DVD player or cable box down the line when the power goes out during a storm?

There are different levels of surge protection, and it all depends on how much protection you want in the event of a power spike. You can purchase protection for under $20 in most electronic stores, but you get what you pay for when it comes to that surge protection.

There are three main types of surge protection electronic stores will carry: Basic, advanced and stations. Basic power surge strips have five or six outlets and will only protect your electronics moderately, and chances are if their is a spike, you will be looking to purchase a new protector and computer along with it. Advanced strips filter electricity smoother and provide grounding for your Internet and telephone connections as well. They will be able to filter voltage spikes better than basic strips but will not prevent all surges in electricity. Surge stations are the best way to go if you run a home office, small business or are heavily involved in using your computer. These fit under your computer or desk and will protect your Internet connection, phone connection and modem; they generally feature their own set of breakers and can be costly, but they will provide some of the best protection from a spike in your electrical system.

Many computer users will invest in an uninterrupted power supply and forget that it does not provide surge protection solely. Some will, but if yours does not, you will still need to invest in additional power surge protection for your UPS and computer. These units are expensive, but they will allow you to turn off your computer after a spike or blackout as well as save your data before doing so.

When it comes down to it, you have to decide what type of protection will work for your electronics and what it is worth for you. Some people can not live without their computer or television, and after spending upwards of a grand on such systems, why would you not spend a little more and invest in power surge protection, too?

Most consumer electronics stores sell a wide range of UPS systems and power surge strips, talk with an associate and find out what will work with your system and invest in protecting your electronics before you end up having to purchase them all over again.