Tag: Safety

It’s easy to take surge protectors for granted. We tend to look at them as extra outlets for plugging in phone chargers, lamps, and alarm clocks. But they serve a very real and very needed purpose: protecting your home electronics from surges of electricity beyond the standard 120 volts. If you’re at the store picking up surge protectors, don’t think of them just as outlets. Keep these three things in mind when choosing one for your home:

Protection

Surge protectors do indeed provide protection. They are designed to divert or prevent surges of electricity from damaging circuit boards that require regulated voltage levels. They often have internal breakers that will flip or absorb the charge (and the damage from it) in place of your appliances. In addition to saving electronics from damage, the surge protector prevents them from being overloaded and possibly starting a fire. This counts for all electronics: computers (as well as monitors), external hard drives, and chargers. Larger appliances like your television, refrigerator, washer, dryer, and dishwasher will also be protected. Not to mention smaller electronics like microwaves, fans, lighting, and toasters.

Savings

Surge protectors also provide one convenient switch for powering down a large group of electronics all at once. Many appliances draw power if they’re plugged in, whether they’re turned on or not. By turning off the surge protector, you can halt the flow. This is convenient for shutting them off overnight, while you are at work during the day, and especially when you’re away on vacation.

Convenience

It’s awfully handy reducing six switches into one, but surge protectors provide extra convenience through additional outlets and cord length. One outlet multiplies into six or more with just a single surge protector. This is very helpful in an office or in a den where you might have a large number of devices grouped together. Just be sure you don’t overload the surge protector itself: group smaller and lower-voltage appliances together, and spread out larger pieces like fridges and televisions.

Make sure you are covered 

It’s hard to live without surge protectors today, with all of our electronic needs. Most of us purchase them simply for the convenience, and while they provide that, they serve a much more important need of protecting and extending the life of your valuable electronics. If you have any more questions about surge protectors feel free to contact Golden Eagle Electric for answers!