How Do Surge Protectors Work?

Having a surge protector installed is crucial for the safety of any electrical setup. Even while a power surge is sometimes thought to be the end of expensive devices and appliances, this is not always the case.

Most appliances and electronics can withstand brief power surges before suffering some form of harm. However, fixing them may still be pricey.

It is the job of surge protectors to keep your devices safe from sudden spikes in voltage. Let’s take a deeper dive into their operation and find you the ideal surge protector.

Contents

Surge Basics

Can you explain what a surge protector is? In order to prevent damage to electrical equipment, surge protectors are installed. To understand why it’s important to protect your electronics from surges, you need to first understand what surging is.

A surge protector is your best buddy because a power surge can be fatal. You risk starting an electrical fire and damaging your computer if you suddenly switch from 120 to 250 volts.

Simply, one of these saviors should be plugged into every outlet within reach of electrical gadgets, as it will serve to safeguard the entire collection without requiring a disproportionate amount of either money or effort.

Electrical voltage is the difference in potential energy between two locations in an electrical circuit. This indicates that there is greater pressure at one end than the other, allowing electricity to go from one location to another.

The same holds true for water; higher-pressure hoses will displace lower-pressure ones because of their greater power. Voltage is like the blood rushing through your veins, with variable pressures at each point.

A transient spike in voltage can be caused by a number of circumstances, some of which we’ll discuss here.

When the spike lasts 3 nanoseconds or more, it’s a surge.
It is called a spike when its duration is only one or two nanoseconds.

Damage to equipment might result from a voltage spike. The results are analogous to what you’d get if you turned up the water pressure on a garden hose. It will likely explode, rendering it useless.

When electrical equipment is subjected to high-voltage surges, it behaves similarly to a light bulb’s filament, becoming increasingly hot until it finally burns out.

In order to function, surge protectors direct any excess voltage to a grounded internal wire. When there is an excessive amount of power in your home, it normally takes care of switching over to a surge protector. Some internal mechanism handles it so you can concentrate on having fun while you use the various electronic gadgets.

It may appear trivial, but it has a significant impact on the cost of these gadgets. There are three variables that affect the price and level of surge protection:

Clamping Voltage

In this case, a smaller value is preferable. This is the point at which the redirection begins. When you need electricity the most, such as during a storm or power outage, 330 V is a great soft value to have, while 500 V would burn out your electronics before it could divert a spike.

Energy

The maximum amount of power that may be safely absorbed by the surge protector before it catches fire is indicated below. It is measured in joules and can go from the minimum of 200 joules for minimum protection all the way up to the thousands.

Time

The time it takes for a surge protector to kick in is a great indicator of how well it will safeguard your electronics. We need this to be over as soon as possible.

Some surges can permanently damage or destroy an electronic equipment in as little as three seconds, and if your surge protector has a longer delay before switching off, you have no idea what will happen. Moreover, you should ensure that they have lights that turn on when certain events occur, such as when they are fried or no longer functioning.

How to Safely Use Surge Protectors

There are a few precautions you may take to protect your pricey electronics from damage caused by lightning or power line surges. Prior to anything else, know that these will necessitate contacting the electricity company for help as well.

Proper Grounding

Your electricity needs to be grounded when it first enters your home from the power cables outside. Any surges that pass through won’t harm anything within the box unless it’s grounded. If your provider offers testing or an upgrade, you can contact them for free assistance.

Direct-Strike Prevention

It would be ideal if lightning never struck your home. Doing so is possible with the help of a lightning rod, which can be installed by a professional on top of a building or elsewhere to channel electrical currents away from the structure and into a single point.

This is the only catch, though: Lightning rods are pricey; expect to order them online, have them shipped to your home, and then pay even more to have trained experts install them.

As long as there’s no risk (or needing to disconnect all equipment), this little expenditure could save you thousands of dollars in repairs down the road if anybody catches fire in their electrician suit during those dry summer months we usually seem to be slammed with recently.

Whole-House Protection

If you don’t have the funds for options 1 and 2, this could serve as the first line of defense.

In-Line Surge Protectors

You can find surge protectors for Ethernet networks, coaxial networks, and more! Keep in mind that they won’t function until they are connected to the home’s main electrical system.

If you care about the safety of your expensive devices, you must invest in a surge protector. They are convenient since they create more outlets for appliances like washers, dryers, and dishwashers, but they also help you save money when you use several electronic gadgets at once by just flipping a single switch.

Conclusion

Because a power surge can destroy your electronics, a surge protector is your best friend. As a precaution against electrical surges, surge protectors are set up. We will go over some of the potential causes of surges, which is a temporary increase in voltage. Extra voltage is dissipated through surge protectors and into a grounded internal wire. You can see the maximum amount of power the surge protector can handle before it overheats and catches fire in the table below.

Get in touch with your service provider if you’re interested in free testing or an upgrade. Lightning rods can be installed by a professional to divert lightning strikes away from a building. This could be your first line of defense if you don’t have the resources for options 1 and 2.

Content Summary

Having a surge protector installed is crucial for the safety of any electrical setup.
Even while a power surge is sometimes thought to be the end of expensive devices and appliances, this is not always the case.
It is the job of surge protectors to keep your devices safe from sudden spikes in voltage.
In order to prevent damage to electrical equipment, surge protectors are installed.
A surge protector is your best buddy because a power surge can be fatal.
Damage to equipment might result from a voltage spike.
When electrical equipment is subjected to high-voltage surges, it behaves similarly to a light bulb’s filament, becoming increasingly hot until it finally burns out.
In order to function, surge protectors direct any excess voltage to a grounded internal wire.
When there is an excessive amount of power in your home, it normally takes care of switching over to a surge protector.
It may appear trivial, but it has a significant impact on the cost of these gadgets.
The maximum amount of power that may be safely absorbed by the surge protector before it catches fire is indicated below.
The time it takes for a surge protector to kick in is a great indicator of how well it will safeguard your electronics.
Some surges can destroy electronic equipment in as little as three seconds, and if your surge protector has a longer delay, you don’t know what will happen.
There are a few precautions you may take to protect your pricey electronics from damage caused by lightning or power line surges.
Prior to anything else, know that these will necessitate contacting the electricity company for help as well.
Your electricity needs to be grounded when it first enters your home from the power cables outside.
If your provider offers testing or an upgrade, you can contact them for free assistance.
It would be ideal if lightning never struck your home.
A lightning rod can redirect electrical currents away from a building and into a single location when installed by an expert.
If you don’t have the funds for options 1 and 2, this could serve as the first line of defense.
You can find surge protectors for Ethernet networks, coaxial networks, and more!
Keep in mind that they won’t function until they are connected to the home’s main electrical system.
If you care about the safety of your expensive devices, you must invest in a surge protector.