This is a post for the unsung heroes. The little guys, who put in so much work, for so little rewards. The ones who sacrifice every day just to make sure everything runs smoothly. That’s right folks; we’re talking surge protectors today. As a surge protector, they put in a lot of work day in and day out, and most of it go unnoticed.
But let’s start at the beginning. You’ve probably heard about surge protectors, and surge protections, and anti-surge devices all of your life, but you never really understood what they mean. Secretly, you may be thinking “Clark, what the heck is a surge?”
A surge, or more specifically, an electrical surge, occurs when there is a spike, or increase, in voltage in an electrical line. This can happen for multiple reasons. Most people think of lightning, but surges can come from outside or inside the home. Appliances that require a lot of energy and are constantly turning on and turning off, such as refrigerators or air conditioners, can often cause small surges in power. Outside power surges can be caused from lightning, or a tree hitting a power line, or a small animal interfering with a transformer. Either way, over time, these surges can add up and severely damage your electronic devices.
A large power surge can completely fry out your electronics, and circuits. This obviously is not good. Small surges can also accumulate in “electronic rust”, which is not good either. Electronic rust is when small surges slowly but surely damage the internal circuitry of your electronics. After time, your electronics will stop working.
This is where our proud little surge protectors come in handy. A surge protector will detect when voltage is about to spike, and divert the extra voltage to the grounding wire. Thus, none of your electronic devices will be harmed. Huzzah!
There are several things to remember when looking for surge protection. First, check the joules rating. The joules rating tells you how much energy the surge protector can divert. The bigger or more powerful the appliance you’re protecting, the higher the joules rating you want. Generally, you want at least 600 joules. For example, the joules rating for our rotating power strip is 2,160 joules, meaning that it can handle lots of power! Also, check for response time. The longer the response time, the longer your electronics will be exposed to surges. The response time for the rotating power strip <1 nanosecond.
Surge protectors come in several different types. Many people think of the typical power strip when they think of surge protectors. Surge protectors can also be in adapters, and go far beyond your basic power strip. For example, at Quail Electronics, we have a rotating power strip, a USB travel adapter, and double tap adapters. And yes, they’re all surge protected.
So keep in mind to make sure that all of your appliances are surge protected. Need a hand? Contact Quail Electronics, and we’ll be happy to assist you!
By Clark Cable
Clark Cable refuses to relinquish his dreams of reality TV. He created the game show “Surge or No Surge,” which tests contestants on their knowledge of surge protectors. Strangely enough, most of the winners have been electricians.