When Should I Use a Surge Protector?

Surge protectors are so common these days that the term is almost synonymous with “power strip.” A power strip is simply an extension of the outlet on your wall. It is (usually) a short extension cord with multiple outlets built in, allowing us to expand our power outlets. A basic power strip offers no protection against power surges or spikes.

In part one of our blog post on surge protectors, we discussed how these units are a power strip with built in protection against electrical spikes and surges. They allow us to expand our power outlet availability and protect our electronic devices from getting fried.

“When should I use a power strip” is a matter of personal opinion. The better question to ask would be: “What devices do I own that I’d like to protect from power spikes and surges?” Perhaps the only reason to opt for a simple power strip over a surge protector, is money. A simple 6 outlet power strip is usually under $10, whereas a surge protector is generally somewhere between $10 and $20. Also, even one strong power surge, and your surge protector is likely not much protection anymore, which means you’re going to need a new one—hence the importance of buying a quality surge protector.

You probably don’t need to plug your lamp into a surge protector because the worst thing that’s likely to happen to your lamp due to a voltage increase, is a burnt out bulb. There are even those who contend their coffee maker is worth protecting, but to be honest, you may want to think twice about having that many outlets available on the counter next to a 10 or 12 cup pot of water.

Electronics you should have a surge protector for include:

Computers

Your computers and their peripherals (i.e. monitor, speakers, keyboards, web cams, etc.) are filled with electric-sensitive components. Electrical surges are commonplace in the computer world and can cause a host of problems, many of which are difficult to diagnose leading to lost time and money.

Consider what would happen if your computer (or any other components) were damaged by a power surge. Computers are expensive to replace of course, but many times they are also filled with irreplaceable information, pictures, documents, etc. The cost to protect your computer devices is a necessary must-do.

TVs and Other Home Entertainment Components

Most of these devices are equipped to handle small spikes, but with added protection, they will last longer. These electrical devices, like your computers, are not cheap to replace.

With every new design home entertainment products become more accurate and produce higher definition, so the internal components become more and more sensitive to electricity. This is why power surges cause damage far more often now than they did years ago.

Cell Phones & Similar Hand-Held Electronics

Again, these items are costly to replace and sometimes contain irreplaceable data.

Another consideration is that power can be pushed over more than one power cable. Power spikes can be caused by lightning hitting phone cables or cable TV lines, so when choosing a surge protector consider one that has jacks for these cables as well.

CZ Labs offers a large inventory of quality surge protectors at wholesale, bulk pricing to help you protect all of your electronic devices.

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If you have questions about surge protectors or any of the other items we sell, please feel free to contact us at 800-423-2322 or visit our website and take advantage of our live chat support.