Why You Need a Surge Protector

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Do you plug your electronics directly into a power point? Well, you shouldn’t.

Power points are susceptible to power surges, which could cause expensive electronics to become unusable. Instead, we highly recommend using a surge protector.

What is a Power Surge?

Power points supply a consistent voltage of electricity to plugged-in electronics. Sometimes a sudden increase in voltage can lead to either a short power strike, or a longer power surge.

These voltage increases can be caused by a number of things, most commonly:

• Lightning
• Power outages
• Grid malfunctions

Both power spikes and surges can cause irreparable damage to electronics.

The Devastating Effects of a Power Surge

We recently received a call from a new customer in Elwood. Her home experienced a power surge while she was sleeping, and when she tried to boot up her computer in the morning she had no luck.

She told us she never shut down her computer, but instead, would always leave it in “sleep” mode.

After assessing her computer, we were able to see that no permanent damage had been done. Plus, we were able to use special software to restart her computer. We were able to recover all her files, and get Windows to boot normally.

We recommended that she purchase a proper surge board for her computer setup and educated her on the best way to shut down the computer at night.

The client was very happy, as she had lost her previous computer to a power surge, and unfortunately was not able to recover from it. In fact, she had to throw her whole computer out, meaning she lost all her business information.

5 Tips for Protecting Electronics Against Power Surges

Here are 5 ways to protect your electronics against power surges.

1. Always use a high quality surge protection Board. We recommend the Belkin branded boards with 4 or more plugs.
2. Have your computer, modem and printer all plugged into the board.
3. If you have a TV and home theatre equipment, make sure it has its own surge protection board.
4. Always shut down the computer; do not leave it in “sleep” mode overnight. A power outage or surge can damage the computer, and make it near impossible to boot up again.
5. If you are going away for a long period, turn off all your electronic devices at the wall outlet. This will save a little on your power bill, and reduce any electrical fire risk while you are away.

The Surge Protector

Standard power points do not protect against power surges, so if you want to minimise the risk of damaging your electronics, you’ll need a surge protector.

Surge protectors are available as power boards, or single-outlet protectors. You can even pick up a travel surge protector that you can keep handy in your laptop bag. Remember, not all power boards protect against spikes and surges. You’ll need to purchase a power board that specifically says ‘surge protection’.

Surge protectors work by diverting electricity over the safe threshold to a protective element within the surge protector. This makes sure that only safe levels of electricity pass through your electronics.

Buying a Surge Protector

As mentioned above, not all power boards protect against power spikes and surges. Usually, cheaper power boards do nothing more than provide extra power points.

When buying a surge protector, it’s worth spending the extra money for a reputable brand. Good brands will usually offer warranties that promise to replace any electronics damaged by power surges.

Replacing a Surge Protector

You will need to replace surge protectors – they don’t last forever. The component used to divert excess energy away can begin to break down because of power surges. This means the lifespan of your surge protector depends on how often your home experiences power surges.