Why and How Surge Protectors Work

Surge Protectors... Why and How they Work

Most people are well aware of the importance of using a surge protector with the use of computer and electronic devices, but many people understand why they are important, where they can fail in protection, or even the principle in which they work. PcPowerZone hopes to help you understand how surge protectors can help protect your valuable electronics while educating you to help choose the correct surge protector for your application.

Why do I need a Surge Protector?
The first thing you will think of when you think of using a surge protector is to protect your computer from a lighting strike. Did you know there are types of power surges that can destroy your household or office electronics?

Commonly, households will experience surges, or power fluxes on a daily basis. This can be caused from everyday household appliances kicking on such as refrigerators, microwaves, etc. If you have ever seen the lights flicker when your AC kicks on, you can better understand what I am talking about. These power fluxes over time damage sensitive electronic components (wireless network routers are prime candidate #1), which can be prevented by using a surge protector.

Lighting strikes during thunderstorms are the most associated when most people think about surge protectors and power surges. Lighting does not have to actually hit your home to cause massive damage. If lightning strikes near a power line, this can result in excess electrical pressure, which can feed into your home. The resulting surge from the of the massive excess electrical pressure can be truly devastating leading to the destruction of electronic devices, start a household fire or even kill someone using an electrical device via electrocution.

Lighting cannot be expected to be stopped by any surge protector, always unplug your electronics during a storm to be safe. Some surge protectors will feature warranties to pay for damage in the event of a massive surge, these are useful to replace equipment damaged from the failure to unplug your devices when a storm hits (to detect lighting, PcPowerZone offers a lighting storm detector).

How does a Surge Protector protect against Power Surges?
There are a few principles, which can be applied in regards to how a surge protector will work. Sometimes combinations of principles will be used for a greater level of protection against power surges.

MOV (metal oxide varistor) are usually what you will find in the majority of surge protectors. The MOV is made from a special medal that will only conduct electricity if the power level reaches a level above the normal power level. The excess power will be automatically rerouted to the ground wire, which will safely dissipate the excess electricity into the ground. Electronic devices being used while this process takes place will not be disrupted or affected by the power surge.

*In order for MOV surge protectors to work, you power receptacle must have a working ground.

The downfall of MOV equipped surge protectors is that over time MOV units will wear out. Take this in account when purchasing a surge protector; choose a model with some form of failure indicator such as an LED or alarm.

You will also find surge protectors utilizing a principle similar to MOV, but using a special gas filled tube in place of the semiconductor used in MOV units. This gas tube (gas discharge arrestor) will route excess voltage into your ground just as an MOV unit will.

Some surge protectors will include the use of simple fuses in the case of an MOV failure. These fuses instantly melt in the presence of excess voltage spikes, preventing any current from passing through to the installed electronic devices.

Below are come examples of a few quality surge protectors (also known as suppressors) with equipment protection. Please keep your invoice and receipt for the surge protector/suppressor used in case of failure.

Surge Protector Model Surge Rating Equipment Protection
Network SurgeStation SurgeArrest 8 480 Joules $25,000
Tripp Lite ISOBAR Ultra 4 2200 Joules $50,000
Tripp Lite Isobar Premium 3570 joules $500,000
Cyberpower 1090 Office Pro 3000 joules $200,000