Surge Protector and Its Requirements

Electricity is very necessary for our daily day-to-day activities but it is also a very dangerous source of energy if not taken good care of. A high voltage can burn all the electronic devices and even damage the outlets but it can be saved with the help of a surge protector. It is a device that controls the sudden hikes in electricity; hence it can protect your electronic devices from certain power damages.

There are various kinds of surge protectors which is suitable for different electrical outlets. One surge protector can’t protect all your devices. First, you need to know about your device and then find your surge protector. Point out the list of equipment that will need a protector and then select wisely.

A surge protector is a circuit that prevents other circuits from getting damaged through a sudden spike in power or through any excessive heating problem. It can handle the kilowatt range of spike. A surge can damage electrical appliances up to an extent or it can reduce their life span.

It gets installed where generally more power is supplied such as buildings, offices, etc. Surge protectors reduce any sudden hike in electricity and avoid any damage to the device. Let’s discuss more its types, advantages or disadvantages.

They also have different names like surge suppressor, lightning arrestor, spike suppressor, etc.

Types of Surge Protector:

There are two main types of Surge Protector:

1. Primary Surge Protector
2. Secondary Surge Protector
3. Whole-Home device
4. Receptacle device

Primary:

Primary Surge Protector is physically visible, helps in protecting the supply of electricity in the devices. It is large and therefore it doesn’t get fit with the devices, rather it is installed in the power supply area of the building. It is the most effective than any other protectors.

Secondary:

These protectors are less effective in comparison with the primary protectors. But these can be used alongside the devices hence making it handier. It includes some types:

• Power strips that cut the power supply when surge increases.
• Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) includes a battery so that when power is cut due to surge, with the help of battery the device can still be in operation.

Whole-home devices-

These are easy protectors and can also be installed by the owner itself. These are used for household appliances. It is made in such a manner that it can easily handle more than one circuit in the house. They are also very safe to use and provide better protection to the device.

Receptacle Devices-

Receptacle surge protectors are very convenient to use such that people refer to this mostly. This is known as a type 3 protector. The power strips protect many circuit lines from the power spike but it is still a complex feature for a receptacle surge protector.

Following are also some other kinds of Surge Protector:

1. Service Entrance
2. Selenium voltage protector
3. Series mode surge arrestors

Advantages:

1. Cost Savings- Installation of a surge protector will help you in saving various costs such as replacement or repairing expenses. Its main purpose is to stop the device from getting damaged. It will reduce your daily expenditures on repairs.
2. Super affordable- Surge Protector is not that costly, at least you won’t be expending any more money in repairing your devices. It’s a great investment for the betterment of your all electronic devices. It helps in increasing their life span and increase the operating capacity.
3. Saves energy- Surge Protector can also help in saving energy by supplying an adequate amount of electricity to the device. It also prevents any further wastage and damage to the devices.

Everything which has advantages also has some disadvantages:

1. Certain surge protectors are also very expensive as compared to the others. These protectors are generally used in factories where big machines are installed. For their safety and proper operation, a good surge protector is very necessary.
2. Some surge protectors come with certain limitations; you can’t use them for every device. They might damage it instead of protecting it. Avoid using it for some hard-wired devices such as dishwashers, etc.
3. It won’t always control the current spike, at a certain amount of time, it will get damaged or damage the device.

Application and Usage:

A surge protector is used in various devices such as television, home theatres, Air conditioners, coolers, heaters, etc. Big machines also require surge protectors to avoid damages and to protect the machine from any expensive expenditure. Some other usages of surge protector are:

1. Computer systems
2. Phone systems
3. Game centers
4. LCD and Plasma TV
5. Towers and cellular networks
6. Hydroelectric power plants
7. Railways and Dams

Summary:

If you are having any problem or you are facing any trouble related to device damaging or the repair and maintenance costs are out of your budget then you should install a surge protector for your devices.