inthesticks
New member
A surge suppressor is a vital part of any computer system.
Without one, you're inviting lightning and other power surges to
fry your computer. But can you expect a $10 power surge
suppressor to protect your entire computer?
Here's a list of things to look for the next time you buy a
surge suppressor:
* CLAMPING VOLTAGE (the point at which the surge protector
starts suppressing electricity). The lower the clamping voltage,
the better the protection. Look for one with a clamping voltage
of 400 volts or less.
* RESPONSE TIME (the time it takes for the suppressor to ac). A
suppressor that has a low clamping voltage but takes a long time
to react to a surge is no good. For the best protection, look
for a suppressor that provides a response time of less than 10
nanoseconds.
* ENERGY DISSIPATION (the amount of electricity a suppressor can
absorb before it blows). A good suppressor can absorb around 200
to 400 joules before it fails and passes the surge to the
electrical ground. This failure, by the way, doesn't damage your
equipment. It just fries your suppressor.
* THREE-WAY PROTECTION (the number of wires the surge suppressor
protects). The cheaper suppressors guard against surges in only
the current-carrying wires (the hot and neutral wires). For
added protection, use a three-way protection suppressor, which
protects from surges that come through the ground wire.
* FAILURE INDICATOR (a warning that informs you when the unit
has failed).
* MODEM PROTECTION (the blockage of electricity that can come in
through the phone lines).
* UL COMPLIANCE (guarantees that the surge suppressor meets the
specifications of Underwriters Laboratory). The suppressor
should meet or exceed the UL 1449 specifications.
Keep in mind that even the best surge suppressor can't protect your computer against a direct hit from lightning. So be sure to unplug both the surge suppressor and the modem line during lightning storms.
Also, don't use a ground eliminator. These adapters let you plug a three-pronged adapter into a two-conductor outlet. These devices bypass the ground, however, making the computer more susceptible to surges.
==============================================================
Is a surge protector enough to keep your computer safe during a thunderstorm?
It depends on how good the surge protector is and in some cases, how many surges it has stopped. A high end surge protector should protect the computer from power surges and spikes. These surge protectors tend to be pricey though (a $12.00 power strip is NOT a high end surge protector), check with your local computer store to see what they recommend. You may want to look into some kind of UPS (Uninterrupted Power Supply) too. The way they are designed tends to make them excellent surge protectors.
Now, my personal opinion on this is to keep your computer plugged into a surge protector, BUT to still unplug it during thunderstorms. Why? Well, sometimes surge protectors fail, especially the cheap ones.
The power strip surge protectors can protect you against one good surge (although a direct lighting hit rips right through them) or lots of smaller ones, but they can wear out. Problem is, most of them have no way of telling you when they become useless.
In my opinion, it's better to take a minute and unplug the surge protector from the wall (thus cutting off power to the computer) than to take any chances.
Also, try to keep all your computer's external components (monitors, scanners, printers, etc) plugged into the same surge protector as the computer. That way, when you pull the plug, all your equipment is protected and you don't risk a spike / surge coming through an external
component and damaging your computer.
Finally, remember that phone lines can be a problem as well. Make sure they are unplugged from the wall. Most of the problems I've seen from power surges are actually from phone lines that were not surge protected (note that many surge protectors actually have little jacks where you can run a phone line through for protection).
Without one, you're inviting lightning and other power surges to
fry your computer. But can you expect a $10 power surge
suppressor to protect your entire computer?
Here's a list of things to look for the next time you buy a
surge suppressor:
* CLAMPING VOLTAGE (the point at which the surge protector
starts suppressing electricity). The lower the clamping voltage,
the better the protection. Look for one with a clamping voltage
of 400 volts or less.
* RESPONSE TIME (the time it takes for the suppressor to ac). A
suppressor that has a low clamping voltage but takes a long time
to react to a surge is no good. For the best protection, look
for a suppressor that provides a response time of less than 10
nanoseconds.
* ENERGY DISSIPATION (the amount of electricity a suppressor can
absorb before it blows). A good suppressor can absorb around 200
to 400 joules before it fails and passes the surge to the
electrical ground. This failure, by the way, doesn't damage your
equipment. It just fries your suppressor.
* THREE-WAY PROTECTION (the number of wires the surge suppressor
protects). The cheaper suppressors guard against surges in only
the current-carrying wires (the hot and neutral wires). For
added protection, use a three-way protection suppressor, which
protects from surges that come through the ground wire.
* FAILURE INDICATOR (a warning that informs you when the unit
has failed).
* MODEM PROTECTION (the blockage of electricity that can come in
through the phone lines).
* UL COMPLIANCE (guarantees that the surge suppressor meets the
specifications of Underwriters Laboratory). The suppressor
should meet or exceed the UL 1449 specifications.
Keep in mind that even the best surge suppressor can't protect your computer against a direct hit from lightning. So be sure to unplug both the surge suppressor and the modem line during lightning storms.
Also, don't use a ground eliminator. These adapters let you plug a three-pronged adapter into a two-conductor outlet. These devices bypass the ground, however, making the computer more susceptible to surges.
==============================================================
Is a surge protector enough to keep your computer safe during a thunderstorm?
It depends on how good the surge protector is and in some cases, how many surges it has stopped. A high end surge protector should protect the computer from power surges and spikes. These surge protectors tend to be pricey though (a $12.00 power strip is NOT a high end surge protector), check with your local computer store to see what they recommend. You may want to look into some kind of UPS (Uninterrupted Power Supply) too. The way they are designed tends to make them excellent surge protectors.
Now, my personal opinion on this is to keep your computer plugged into a surge protector, BUT to still unplug it during thunderstorms. Why? Well, sometimes surge protectors fail, especially the cheap ones.
The power strip surge protectors can protect you against one good surge (although a direct lighting hit rips right through them) or lots of smaller ones, but they can wear out. Problem is, most of them have no way of telling you when they become useless.
In my opinion, it's better to take a minute and unplug the surge protector from the wall (thus cutting off power to the computer) than to take any chances.
Also, try to keep all your computer's external components (monitors, scanners, printers, etc) plugged into the same surge protector as the computer. That way, when you pull the plug, all your equipment is protected and you don't risk a spike / surge coming through an external
component and damaging your computer.
Finally, remember that phone lines can be a problem as well. Make sure they are unplugged from the wall. Most of the problems I've seen from power surges are actually from phone lines that were not surge protected (note that many surge protectors actually have little jacks where you can run a phone line through for protection).