All About Surge Protectors

Written by Chandler Weld on February 8, 2010

Surge Protectors are used to safeguard electronic devices from unexpected power surges. Its mechanism is to control the transmitted voltage to an electric device through obstruction or grounding of any power surge that is at a dangerous level.

How They Work

The primary purpose of a surge protector is to keep your electrical devices from incurring damage caused by excessive voltage spikes. Another advantage is that you can attach multiple devices to a single surge protector. This lessens the inconvenience of having to unplug your devices one by one, which is a waste of time.

Surge protectors divert the excess power into the grounding wire of an outlet through a valve that is pressure-sensitive and can open when it detects a surge. They do this only when there is a power surge that goes beyond the safe level. After the diversion, the voltage is returned to a safe level. After this is done, the devices connected to the protector are powered once more by the standard current.

Types

Different types of surge protectors are employed to safeguard electrical devices from voltage spikes. There are two types you should know about: primary type surge protectors and secondary type surge protectors. Primary surge protectors are usually found where electrical lines run into a building. These are often used to safeguard from massive surges. On the other hand, secondary surge protectors are usually found within a building. They basically have a lower surge capacity compared to primary surge protectors.

The Use of a Surge Protector

Downtime is one of the top complaints of homeowners, and the leading cause of downtime is power quality, aside from poor maintenance of old age of electronic devices. One should know that the electrical grid is not always dependable. Other than that, it is reported that each household experiences over 300 possibly damaging power surges each year. Home appliances and HVAC equipment, which rely on electronics, are very sensitive to these power surges. As you can imagine, certain electronic devices are very expensive and unfortunately they generally don’t already come with protection. Therefore, a surge protector is always needed against such power quality issues.

Homeowners can benefit from surge protectors since it offers cost-effective insurance for expensive items such as air conditioning systems, computer systems and home theater systems. In the long run, surge protection provides power savings, money savings and peace of mind.

Surge Protectors are the Solution

There will always be unforeseen problems such as incoming surges of power, an occasional inrush of current, and conduction of outdoor moisture due to local lighting. There is a maximum resistance of 25 ohms at maximum resistance for the NEC. Surge protectors are the solution against these circumstances.

Surge protectors can be obtained either online or at a shop. Be a wise shopper and consider all the features aned capabilities of the product. Make sure you look over their respective features, their adaptive capabilities and their service requirements. Make sure also that the warranty of the product includes a data recovery clause, for your own security. This can only be utilized if you have a computer system.

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