About Surge Protectors
A surge protector is a device designed to protect electrical devices and appliances from voltage spikes. A surge protector attempts to regulate the voltage supplied to an electric device by either blocking or by shorting to ground voltages above a safe threshold. When functioning properly, the surge protector shuts the door to the spike in electricity before it damages the electrical device (such as a television or computer).
A power strip is not necessarily a surge protector, and may not provide any protection at all.
Clamping voltage (now we're getting technical) - This is also known as the let-through voltage. This specifies what voltage will cause the metal oxide varistors, also known as MOVs, inside a protector to conduct electricity to the ground line. A lower clamping voltage indicates better protection, but a shorter life expectancy. The lowest three levels of protection defined in the UL rating are 330 V, 400 V and 500 V. The standard let-through voltage for 120 V AC devices is 330 volts.
Joules - This number defines how much energy the surge protector can absorb without failure. The higher the number, the greater hit the surge protector can take. A higher number indicates greater protection because the device will divert more energy elsewhere and will absorb less energy resulting in a lower voltage spike. Generally, 150 joules is the very minimum protection recommended, found in basic surge protectors. Harmful voltage spikes can be significantly larger than 150 joules. In surge protection, it is often true; you get what you pay for. Basic inexpensive surge protectors offer basic protection. Professional Surge Protectors offer better protection with higher joules ratings. The best protectors offer more than 1000 joules. If properly installed, for every joule absorbed by a protector, another 4 or 30 joules may be dissipated harmlessly into ground.
Response time - Surge protectors don't kick in immediately; a slight delay exists. The longer the response time the longer the connected equipment will be exposed to the surge. However, surges don't happen immediately either. Surges usually take around a few microseconds to reach their peak voltage and a surge protector with a nanosecond response time would kick in fast enough to suppress the most damaging portion of the spike.
You can feel confident that Professional Cable's surge protectors provide true surge protection, and are not simply power strips. All electrical appliances such as computers and televisions are susceptible to surges in electricity that can damage internal components. It is recommended that these home and office appliances be connected to a surge protector.
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