Surge Protection
What is a power surge?
A power surge is an increase in voltage significantly above the designated level in a circuit e.g. well above 240V in a domestic mains installation. Although most electrical appliances can withstand some surge activity, repeated surges, or even a single high-energy surge, can cause damage ranging from intermittent operation to total destruction.
What is a surge protector and how does it work?
Surge protectors offer protection in power circuits by sacrificing themselves. The energy that might have damaged your equipment is absorbed or reduced by the protector instead. Surge protectors usually use devices called MOVs (Metal Oxide Varistors) to quickly absorb and dissipate surge energy. The simplest surge protectors might use a single small MOV, while better protection is offered by devices which use three or more higher powered MOVs.
When do I need surge protection?
You should definitely use a surge protector with your computer as it could suffer hardware damage, corruption of data or even total failure from a surge event.
It’s a good idea to use surge protectors for other high-end electronic equipment such as Plasma and LCD screens, and other entertainment centre components. A surge protector may extend the life of these devices, or reduce the level of a large power surge that may otherwise cause severe damage.
You should also guard against surges carried by telephone, TV or cable lines. Surges on these lines can also cause damage to any computers, modems, large screen TVs or other connected equipment, and the availability of these additional connections actually increases the risk of surge damage as they provide additional entry points for surges. Surge protectors are available to provide protection for mains circuits as well as these connections, and a single integrated suppressor should be used to optimise the protection of your equipment.
What should I look for in a surge protector?
Price – is usually a good indicator of quality. Surge protectors that cost less than $20 to $30 typically use simple, inexpensive MOVs with limited capacities and can’t protect you from bigger surges or spikes. More expensive protectors usually use a larger number of higher rated MOVs, and may have additional components for electrical noise suppression.
Energy absorption/dissipation – given in Joules, this rating tells you how much energy the surge protector can absorb before it fails. A higher number indicates greater protection. For lower cost protectors look for minimum ratings of 200 to 400 Joules, and for better protection look for ratings above 1,500 Joules.
Response time – there is a very slight delay before a surge protector responds to a power surge. Look for a surge protector that responds in less than twenty nanoseconds.
Indicator light – all MOVs will fail after repeated surges, but depending on the design of the protector, some failures may not be apparent as the mains power will still be present. Higher-end suppressors will indicate when the MOVs have sacrificed themselves by illuminating an indicator light. Without an indicator light, you have no way of knowing if your protector is still functioning properly.
Guarantee – if you’re shopping for a better performing unit, look for a protector with a high Joule rating from a reputable supplier that also comes with a guarantee on your connected equipment. If the unit fails to protect your equipment from a power surge, the company will actually repair or replace damaged equipment up to a specified value.
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