The power that runs through our homes and offices largely
goes unnoticed. We plug things in all the time and hardly ever give a thought
to the energy that delivers the power we need.
Power is essential at the workplace and in our homes and as
time goes by and we obtain even more electrical devices, we find ourselves
plugging things in more often and in greater volume. Eventually, we run out of
plugs, and find we need more outlets. The easiest way to get the power we need
is with a power strip—a simple row of outlets on one strip that is plugged into
one electrical outlet.
We all endure power outages and when power goes out and
we’re unable to use our beloved devices, it can be aggravating but most of us
have come to view it as something that just happens.
However, what happens if power goes in the other direction—power
overload? If there is too much power forced through the lines, as in a power
spike, what can we do to protect our already plugged-in devices?
The common level of voltage in a home or office space is
120V. Problems start to happen when the voltage rises above 120. When it rises
for two nanoseconds or less, the event is called a power spike. Just three
nanoseconds or more is called a power surge.
The best analogy for understanding this problem is to think
of your electrical wire as a garden hose. To force water out of the nozzle, you
turn up the pressure on the other end. This is similar to increasing electrical
voltage on one end of a wire. The energy is essentially pushed through the wire
just like water is pushed through a hose.
Increasing the water pressure too much will eventually cause
the hose to burst. Likewise, if the electrical voltage is increased higher than
it should be—electrical components will heat up too much and without proper
protection, excessive power bursts cause our devices to fail and can even cause
irreparable damage.
Enter the Surge
Protector
Power surges and spikes are the most common cause of electronic
device failures. This frustrates the end user, especially because the situation
could have easily been prevented by a surge protector.
Within the surge protector, is a component called the MOV
(Metal Oxide Varistor). This is a piece of metal oxide joined on either end by
semiconductors; one end to the hot wire or power feed and the other to the
ground. Under normal circumstances, the MOV offers too much resistance for electricity
to bother with so our devices continue to function properly.
When the voltage increases beyond its proper levels such as
in a power surge or spike, the MOV changes how it operates. The MOV will
channel the excess voltage back out of the power strip through the ground wire sparing
our electronics. Surge protectors also give us the time we need to turn off
devices if severe power bursts are reported.
In the simplest terms, this is how surge protectors work and
it’s that MOV that protects our devices. Still, many of us are unsure of when
to use surge protectors and on what devices.
CZ Labs hopes you’ll bookmark our blog because in part two of our post, we’ll explain when and how to use surge protectors—so check back on
tomorrow, Wednesday, July 3, 2013 to learn more!
We sell many surge protectors at bulk and wholesale pricing
for all your home and office needs.
We also hope you’ll like us on Facebook,
follow us on Twitter and add us to your Google+ circles as we continue to bring
you informative posts on cables, connectors—and surge protectors.
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