Surge Protectors – Save Yourselves the Shock

Surge protectors offer some level of protection against power spikes. How much and how well varies considerably.  Surge protectors offer protection in amounts called joules.  A joule is the work required to produce one watt of power for one second.  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, electronics and appliances.  The joule rating of a surge protector is only a reservoir of protection, it will eventually run out and will no longer offer any protection for your devices. When this happens, it’s time for a replacement. 

Photo by: Belkin

When shopping for a surge protector you are going to want to consider a few things.  First thing i consider when buying a surge protector is what devices I’m going to have plugged into it.  A general rule to go by is to add up all the devices and then add one to give yourself an extra socket just in case you forgot something or for new electronics you might add.  The second thing I would consider will be the warranty. Some surge protectors will come with a warranty that will cover (up to a certain Dollar amount) the connected devices.  The final thing I would look into, is the joule rating.  Remember that the joule rating is just a reservoir and at some point will need run out.  Some surge protectors have some form of indication when your devices are no longer protected, and in some cases will cease operation if they are no longer able to protect against surges. Generally the more joules the better.

With all that being said here are a few of the surge protectors I would recommend to keep your technology safely powered up. 

  • Tripp Lite 10 Outlet Surge Protector available on amazon starting around $30, you can get it with 10 or 12 outlets also comes tv/phone/internet surge protections (different styles will change the price). The Joule rating is up to 2395 Joules of protection. 

Special thanks to Ben Belew for writing this article and contributing. 

Ben is a Repair Technician at Gophermods Apple Valley.