The Myths Of Surge Protectors
The Myths Of Surge Protectors
Article by Brad Germany
The first thing you have to understand about power surge protectors is that they will not protect your equipment from lightning strikes. They protect you from power surges and perhaps surges related to lightning strikes that are not directly caused by the strike, but there is little protection for you when it comes to a lightning strike that hits your home directly. The amount of energy released in a bolt of lightning is just too much for a standard home surge protector to absorb.
You are better off unplugging everything you value that you do not want damaged during a thunderstorm than rely on surge protection. Things like phones lines, cable connections and computer modems can also be affected. Your first choice for protection though for strikes that cause surges indirectly is to install a whole house surge protector. It won’t stop a surge from a direct hit to your lines but it will ground any incoming surge through grounded lines. In short, whole house surge protectors protect the lines entering your house. But they will not protect individual appliances.
For protection for your electronic equipment you will need to install the proper wall surge protector. For something like a computer, a wise choice is to install a UPS surge protector. This provides battery backup power in case you lose your electrical power from a storm or a blackout. It also protects against brownouts (dips in power) and other fluctuations related to dirty power (surges). The UPS offers uninterrupted power and is also called an Uninterruptible Power Supply as it allows you to safely shut down your computer during a power outage without losing any data. The battery provides enough juice for about twenty minutes of power.
If you are unsure of what kind of surge protector you need, let me clarify the distinctions. A whole house surge protector is installed at your breaker box or at the power meter and controls surges entering your home from outside sources, like from storms. A wall surge protector is for everyday appliances like microwaves, air conditioners, televisions and anything that needs a constant power supply. And finally a UPS surge protector is for equipment like computers that need to be able to shut down without losing important data. This also includes file servers.
What it comes down to is that a surge protector is just a first line of defense. A serious power surge, such as a lightning strike, can and will most likely disable your surge protector and damage your equipment. You can learn more about what type of protection you need at Review Surge Protector.
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