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 If
you live in a part of the country such as south Florida there is no escaping the
fact that lightning, electrical surges, and power interruptions are part of our
everyday lives. Typically these parts of the country have "rainy season",
where you can almost set your clock by the daily, afternoon storm activity that
usually rolls through. If you live in an area such as this take a moment to read
this article and bookmark it, it could save you hundreds or thousands of dollars
in damage just by understanding a few simple rules.
What happens when lightning
hits?
Simply put, lightning is an electrical circuit seeking a
ground. The unfortunate part is that it usually finds that ground in your
unprotected computer, television, stereo, or other equipment. With a high
quality surge protector, you can protect your valuable equipment at very little
cost, and the best part is that the better quality devices are guaranteed for
life by the manufacturer to replace your damaged equipment up to a certain
dollar amount, usually far more than the value of the equipment.
What is the difference between a Surge Protector and a Battery Backup?
The difference is simple. Both will
provide surge protection, the Battery Backup (also called an uninterruptible
power supply or UPS) in addition, will keep your computer running for
7, 10, 15 minutes etc depending on the type of UPS, allowing you enough time to
save your work and shut down properly. Remember, it is only temporary so do not
keep on working...it will only last for a few minutes. Stop, save whatever you
have open, and shut the computer down. Sometimes the power only goes out for a
few minutes and pops right back on. You have to make a judgment call at that
point depending on how bad the storm is. If you think that it may go out again,
shut your computer down and wait for it to pass. Continuous off and on surges to
your computer is very damaging.
In the case of a television or other
equipment it will give you enough time to turn it off.
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"Surge Protectors will protect against the
initial “surge” of the strike but it will not maintain power to your
computer or equipment. It will abruptly cut the power to your computer turning it off
like a light switch. Although in theory it will protect your computer
against lightning damage, this is not the best thing for your computer". |
IMPORTANT! Surge protectors are
designed to sacrifice themselves to save the equipment that it is protecting. So
if you come in to your office one morning after a night of lightning and the
computer that was plugged into a surge protector will not power on, count your
blessings. Your surge protector did its job, it protected your equipment.
Replace it and be happy about it. Most manufactures have a lifetime warranty on
them so if you take the time to fill out their paper work, you could mail the
old one to them for a full replacement at not charge! This is in addition to
replacing your damaged equipment if that is the case.
Battery backups will hold up quite a bit
longer but will also fail or drain the battery after so many power hits. Again,
that is exactly what these devices are designed to do so don’t get upset when
they seem to stop working. It has probably saved you hundreds or thousands of
dollars in potential damage.
Also note that on the battery backup up, not all of the plugs are backup up with
the battery. If you have six plugs probably only two or three will provide an
uninterruptible power source, the other three only act as a surge protector.
What is the best battery
backup?
Stick with the name brands when it comes to battery backups. APC by far
is the most popular and probably the best choice hands down. Tripplite is also a
good brand. Don't cut yourself short on protection. Spend $40-$80 on a good
quality battery backup and you will be glad you did.
What about my phone line?
Contrary to popular belief the majority
of damages finds its ground through the path of least resistance…your phone
or internet line (CAT 5) usually since that is the thinnest wire. And since you phone line is connected to modem in your computer, you have
just given that lightning the ground that it is looking for, at the expense of
your computer.
Most people do not think about the phone line
assuming the electrical current always comes through the main power circuit, not
true. Phone lines although to a much lesser degree, also carry electrical
current. In fact nearly 90% of the time the damage from a
strike travels through the phone line NOT the main electrical path.
So do not underestimate phone line
protection, it is most important. Get a high quality surge protector which also
includes phone line protection as well as the main power. Also see
Online Support on how to connect your phone lines through your surge protector.
What about my laptop…it has a battery?
True your laptop does have a battery so if the power does go out your laptop
will stay on provided that it was not hit by the lighting. However, if the power
cord and the phone line are not looping through a surge protector it is still
susceptible to damage. It is easy to have a false sense of security when it
comes to laptops. The next time a lighting storm comes around, just unplug the
phone line and the power source. You can keep right on working on your laptop
but you have eliminated the possibility of damage by disconnecting any link
between you and the lightning.
Not just for computers!
It is a common misconception that surge protection is only for PC’s.
Although equally important, the same rules would apply for your television,
stereo, satellite dish, cable box, sewing machine, literally anything that you
plug into an electrical outlet is exposed to potential damage if unprotected,
particularly items that have digital circuitry. A good rule of thumb would be,
the higher tech the device, the
more vulnerable to electrical surges it is due to the delicacy of the
electronics and circuit boards inside.
Conclusion
Do not take lightning or power interruptions lightly, they can be very
damaging and quite expensive if not taken seriously. So, be PROactive not
REactive when it comes to protecting your costly equipment ….you will be glad
you did!
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