In simple terms, surge protectors are devices that are used to protect your sensitive electronics such as PCs, Macs, mobile phones, home media servers and so on, from various power surges that tend to occur in your home. Such power surges often occur during lightning storms when turning ON/OFF an appliance will cause the power to surge for a brief moment – thereby destroying all the equipment in its path. This mainly occurs due to the excess electrical surge from the main power lines.
It should also be noted that surge protectors can also help in protecting your home from any electrical interference that might affect the operation of any appliance. This is the reason why you should be opting for surge protector installations with the help of a 24 hour emergency electrician in Melbourne services.
The Essential Facts That You Need To Know About Surge Protectors
1. Surge Protectors Are Not Power Strips
It should be remembered that surge protectors and power strips are two entirely different things altogether. Power strips tend to be cheap and have more than one power outlets – which are nothing but just merely an extension of the wall outlet. These devices have their circuit breakers, but generally, they don’t tend to provide any real protection to the users from any electrical problems. Some power strips might provide a minimal level of protection, while others will just act as extension cords.
On the other hand, even through surge protectors are quite affordable, they tend to offer quite some level of protection to the user against a power surge or spike. The amount of protection offered will depend on the overall quality of the device.
2. Surge Protectors Offer Protection In Amount Of Joules
When you’re planning to install surge protectors, you should keep one thing in mind that the greater the number of joules provided by the surge protector – the better the protection will be. It means that the surge protector will be able to protect you from a single large spike or a couple of small, multiple spikes. The parts inside the surge protector will wear out over time and therefore should be replaced to maintain its effectiveness.
There’s no general way of knowing how much damage the surge protector has intaken, which is the reason why it’s better to not perform any assumptions and replace it outrightly.
3. The Warranty Protection
While it might seem strange but there are some surge protection devices out there that provide warranty on the gear(s) that is connected to the protected.
Even though you’ll never need the warranty measures, but it doesn’t hurt to have some extra protection. It’s always good to be on the safe side and take preventive measures whenever you can.
