05-02-2016, 06:44 PM
(05-02-2016, 03:56 PM)Surge Wrote:(05-02-2016, 03:55 PM)SilverOtter Wrote: Surge protectors, get one. Most power socket hubs have one built in.That's what a circuit breaker is. A little switch that flips itself off when there is too much power.
But they aren't the same protection.
A circuit breaker reacts if there is a sustained excess current. Brief transients can exceed the breaker's allowed parameters and not trigger it, this is actually somewhat intentional to allow larger appliances to start up without nuisance tripping.
A surge protector contains a semiconductor device that only starts to conduct if the power line exceeds the maximum allowable voltage, no matter how brief that transient is. It attempts to short out such transients to protect the equipment downstream from it, and during large surges or lightning strikes it will in fact destroy itself doing the best it can to save your stuff.
Surge Protectors (I am noticing a pun here) have a service life because of that tendancy for them to be destroyed in use. They actually should be replaced every few years, although very few people actually do.
I personally prefer a UPS device for my computers. These Uninterruptable Power Supply units contain a battery bank as well as surge protection functions, filtering the incoming power line as well as providing anywhere from a few minutes to several hours of backup power in case the utility goes offline. The goal of most units is to allow you to save your files and make a controlled shutdown instead of a rude loss of power, but I have units myself that last long enough to keep the system running while an onsite generator is started and connected to supply power instead.
Feel free to PM me if anything is broken