Electrical Surge and Spike Protection 
You and I use electrical and electronic equipment each day. Computers,
lights, refrigerators, coffee makers, toasters, microwaves, televisions,
the list goes on and on. Most of these devices require 120 volts of
alternating electrical current to work correctly and the power companies
do their best to provide that to us.
While the power companies do the best they can to give us 120 volts,
it is well known that each day there are fluctuations in the voltage
as well as random spikes and surges. Voltages vary naturally due to
demand. When lots of people run lots of electrical equipment all at
the same time, the voltage naturally goes a bit low. The opposite of
this is that when most or all the electrical loads are removed, the
voltage goes up a bit. Again, the power companies do a good job of regulating
all this so that we don't have to worry, right?
Well, yes and no, the engineers who design the electrical and electronic
devices we use take some of this natural voltage fluctuation into account.
They engineer devices to operate on a range of voltages and they add
fuses or circuit breakers to the design to protect the device if the
voltage strays too far from 120.
The problems associated with voltage spikes and short duration surges
are harder to deal with. These are random, usually happen in less than
one one hundred twentieth of a second and can be double or more the
average voltage. It is not certain where these spikes come from but
some causes include lightning hits that are hundreds of miles away (it
is estimated that lighting strikes somewhere on the face of the earth
once every two seconds) and turning off and on large electrical motors
or other similar magnetic devices.
Most electrical devices and appliances handle these spikes and surges
with ease because the spikes are so very quick. Electronic devices like
computers and televisions, however, are an exception. The solid state
devices that make these devices work are very sensitive to voltage spikes
(something about blowing holes in their molecular substrates) and usually
fail totally when hit.
What can you do?
- Use a surge protector. A surge protector is designed to absorb spikes
and keep the voltage within the proper range. Here are some suggestions
to consider when buying a surge protector;
- Look for the UL label that says “transient voltage surge
suppressor” or one that meets the criteria for UL 1449.
At the very least, be sure that the surge protector has a circuit
breaker or reset button on it. Surge protectors without circuit breakers
or reset buttons are known to cause fires and should be avoided.
- Do not place a surge protector near flammable objects and never
cover one with flammable items. Surge protectors absorb voltage spikes
and covert the energy into heat.
- Understand that the devices in surge protectors damage themselves
in the process of absorbing spikes and surges. If the surge protector
you are considering does not have an indicator light to tell you if
it is protecting your equipment or not, write the date you put the
surge protector in service on it and dispose of it after 3 years of
use.
- Also, know that after a lightning hit your surge protectors are
probably no good. Check all of them and if the indicator light says
it is not protecting, get rid of it. (and please don’t give
it to someone else to use) If it does not have an indicator light
and anything in the same building was damaged by lightning, replace
the surge protector.
