When lightning strikes or there are other electrical issues in your home’s internal wiring, it can create a power surge. This is when the voltage in the lines raises substantially above normal loads. A normal voltage level for a standard American home is 120 volts. Anything above this is considered a surge.
To combat this rise in voltage, surge protectors have been introduced which can help prevent or at the very least lessen the negative effects of a surge in power. You can hook up any electrical appliance in your home to a surge protector and reap the benefits it provides. You are most susceptible to electrical damage when you leave these appliances plugged in to the wall outlets. Surges in power happen sporadically and cannot be predicted, not even during a storm, so it is in your best interest to install an appropriate surge power protector for appliances you feel are at most risk.
What constitutes high risk equipment? Anything with sensitive electronic components would be considered high risk. How do you find the best surge protector for your equipment? Well, one way is to review surge protector information online or through a consumer reports source. Reviews for surge protectors will often prescribe the best kind of surge protection device for specific appliances and electronic devices.
You want to get the best information you can and follow that information up with a look into a manufacturer’s specifications. If the power surge protector you are considering doesn’t have enough Joules then you won’t be well protected. If the surge in power is more than the surge protector / suppressor can manage then you risk losing your equipment. If your appliance isn’t outright destroyed then it will be worn down over time until it suddenly stops working altogether.
By monitoring the electrical flow of energy to an outlet source the surge suppressor will divert any surges back into the lines or absorb it into its grounding wire. You have two basic choices when it comes to surge protection. One is to install a whole house surge protector which will cover all the lines coming into the house. Two is to protect each individual appliance with its own wall surge protector. You can find the best in either of these by reading any related surge protector’s reviews on this site.
Surge Protector Review Tips:
1. Make sure the device you choose has a warning light for detecting when a surge has taken place. There will often be two distinct lights. One red and one green. The green one usually indicates that the device is plugged in. The red one means you are being protected. When the red goes off, that indicates it has absorbed as much voltage as it can and needs to be replaced.
2. The device should have as many outlets are there are devices needing surge protection. For example, if you have a computer with lots of components you want to find a computer surge protector that will supply enough outlets for all of your components.
3. It helps to find one with a power switch that totally disables the outlets when the appliance(s) are not being used. This not only conserves energy but it gives 100% protection from surges.
4. It needs to have a response time of 10 nanoseconds or less. If your device takes longer than that to kick in, you are at severe risk.
5. Most wall surge protectors have a Joules rating higher than 400. The higher the rating the more protection from surges you will have.
Getting reviews on either of these devices begins here, on this site. Just type your request in the search box and your answers will appear. If there is a surge protector review you are looking for that we haven’t covered then drop us a line and let us know. Surge protection is a key value in today’s technologically driven world.
