Belkin BE112234-10 (A great and inexpensive choice with phone and cable inputs)

One thing is certain and that is, you’re gonna have a power surge or many power surges in your area that may range from mild to severe. I think most of us already know what is a power surge so let’s continue on. Protecting electronic equipment from power surges can be very important to protect investments in televisions, computers and many other expensive items. Most people don’t realize it is quite simple.

Steps

1. Use a cord connected surge suppressor. The easiest way to protect equipment is using a surge suppressor, which also functions as an extension cord or “multi-outlet strip”. They usually have several outlets and a power switch built in. Surge suppressors use a combination of components (gas tubes, avalanche diodes and metal oxide varistors or MOV’s) to protect equipment in an over voltage condition, and “clamp” it to safety ground. Some devices may provide for very short duration under voltage protection as well.
2. Plug the suppressor into an outlet and lay it flat on the floor.
3. Plug any electrical equipment into the surge protector’s outlets and then turn the surge protector on.
4. When a surge occurs the alternating current (AC) sine wave becomes truncated and increases in amplitude. The devices “clamp” the voltage to ground preventing it from reaching devices connected.
5. When a sag occurs, other components (usually capacitors or coils)release their charge when the power goes out, keeping your electronics running for short sags. These devices do not replace a UPS (uninterruptable power supply).
6. Use a whole house surge suppressor. These devices are installed at the electrical service panel and as the name implies, protects all the circuits in the house. This device should be installed by a professional or other competent person.

Tips

• Use one power surge protector, or more if needed, in each room where you have a television or computer.
• Make sure that the ground plug on the equipment is plugged into the outlet. The ground plug is the circular plug on the bottom of the plug in the USA.
• Some manufacturers warranty the equipment connected to the surge suppressor.

Warnings

• Do not confuse a multi-outlet strip with a surge suppressor. They may look similar, but work very differently.
• No surge suppressor will survive or protect from a direct (or close) lightning strike.
• Don’t forget to protect telephone, network and coaxial cables, too. These devices are also paths for voltages to enter sensitive electronic equipment, and are often forgotten.
• Surge suppressors have a finite life. Some will protect one significant surge or several smaller surges and others still may work only once. It is important to follow the manufacturer’s instructions and recommendations when choosing and testing suppressors.
• The suppressor should have an alarm or other type of indication of it’s ability to protect devices plugged in to it. It should at the very least be rendered inoperable if there are no indicators of when it can no longer provide protection.
• Surge suppressors are rated in “joules” (pronounced “joe-els”). A joule is simply a unit of energy, albeit an extremely small one. The greater the value in joules, the greater degree of protection is provided. Think: more is better.
• If voltage sags (under voltages) or brownouts are a problem, a quality UPS will likely solve the problem.
• High quality devices are not cheap. Suppressor and UPS devices can protect thousands of dollars worth of hardware and data that may not be replaceable. Investigate the differences between brands an models.

Things You’ll Need

• Power Surge protector can be found at most stores that sell electrical equipment.
• See Other Great Surge Protection Options

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