Protect Your Equipment and Electronics with a Professional Surge Protector

When you are working with any type of electronic equipment, a power surge could occur at any time – day or night.  Power surges happen in both residential and commercial applications.  Angie’s List explains what exactly a power surge is and how it can lead to damage, “A power surge is basically a spike in your home’s electrical current. The spike is very brief, usually lasting less than a thousandth of a second, but it can still cause damage to your home and appliances…A power surge can occur for several reasons. For example, high-power electrical devices can create a spike in the electrical current when they’re switched on or when their motors kick on. Refrigerators, air conditioners and even space heaters can cause a power surge strong enough to damage electrical systems…Lightning strikes are another common cause of power surges. A lightning strike doesn’t have to occur near you to cause a spike in your electrical current. In fact, striking close to a power line can cause a spike. A single strike can cause a spike strong enough to burn out a computer monitor, router and even your television…A power surge can damage or destroy home appliances, and in a worse case scenario, start a house fire…The bad news: The typical surge protector is not strong enough to protect your electronics and appliances from a lightning strike.”

So, while the typical surge protector may not be enough to protect your home from a power surge, and certainly not enough to protect a business in the event of a power surge, there are surge protectors that are strong enough to provide the protection that you need.  Angie’s List notes that you should look for a surge protector with 600+ Joules of protection, but a professional surge protector will likely provide even more than that.  Generally speaking, if you are protecting large electronic equipment (computers, home theater equipment, etc.) you want a surge protector with at least 2,500 Joules of protection.  Consult an experienced and knowledgeable electronics installation company who can offer their expert knowledge when choosing the right professional surge protection from your electronics and other equipment.