TECH TIP - SURGE PROTECTION
How to Tell if Your Surge Protector is Bad:
Most surge protectors have a light of some sort. Newer
models will have an LED, while older models may have a
standard light bulb. If your light is burnt out, dim, or
flickering, your surge protector has taken a surge and is no
longer fully capable of protecting your equipment.
Surge protectors do not heal. Once they are damaged by a
surge their ability to keep your high end electronics safe is
directly reduced by the cumulative amount of the surge damage it has absorbed.
With that said, if your light is rock solid and bright or you have a fancy UPS battery backup system that doesn’t
mean you are safe. Some cheaper surge protectors have a “protected” light that is simply a power light. If these
are more than a year old, it’s time for a replacement. Your UPS is only a battery backup with a cheap surge
protector strapped on it in most cases. While the batteries in these units last for years, their surge protection
does not.
Whole House Protection is a Myth:
There is no such thing as whole home surge protection despite what your electric company tells you. Whole
home protection keeps you safe from outside surges from weather, transformer malfunctions and rabid squirrels.
They do not however protect against surges generated by high voltage appliances like your refrigerator, mixer,
washer or drier. As these units switch on and off they can create surges on your line that act like Chinese water
torture to your computer.
What Should You Look For When You Buy a Surge Protector:
Surge protectors are rated by the number of joules of energy they can absorb before they die completely. For
home use I recommend between 3,000 and 4,000 joules of protection. You can get away with less, but that just
means you will have to replace them more frequently. The cost over the long run of buying cheap protectors is
greater than the cost of doing it right the first time.
Aside from the number of joules, the damage alert mechanism is also important. At a minimum a protector
should have a light that WILL GO OUT when the unit is damaged. These can be tough to find because most
models today offer a “protected” light that is really just a power light. Look for 2 lights on the unit for a true
protected light.