Surge Protectors are basically a backup measure that protects your house or office from taking damage because of an electrical mishap.
A joule rating indicates how much energy the surge protector can absorb before it fails to do so and compromises safety. The higher the number of the joule rating the better it is, and in turn the greater the protection it will have provided. Keys to determining the amount of protection needed include the type and value of the equipment to be protected.
Valuable Equipment Needs a Higher Joule Rating
Depending on whether you’re protecting a $500 PC or a $5,000 home theater? Obviously, the higher the value of your equipment, the higher the quality of surge protection would be required. A unit that has up to over 1000 joules of surge protection is adequate for the small electronics category of goods as they would not require more than basic protection and would not really induce a major loss if these things were to get damaged.
Some components are said to have sensitive circuitry which requires protection but doesn’t store extensive data. A surge protector with a rating range between 1000 to 2000 joules will definitely provide sufficient protection for more sensitive equipment like power tools and office equipment such as printers, copiers, and routers. Consider the highest joule ratings – 2000 and above this would be ideal for all the equipment that would consume high amounts of electricity this can be anything from your car to your PS4 in your living room.
Location is Also a Factor
In areas that are notorious for housing frequent lightning storms, a comparatively higher level of protection would be required. Within the industrial areas, tools and heavy equipment usually consume high amounts of electricity and can cause severely damaging surges and line interference which can cause damage too.
Even amongst the quietest residential neighborhood, up to 80 percent of all surges originate from inside the home or office, usually from a very dangerous source dealing with high consumption electronics. When power tools startup, when the air conditioner cycles on, and even when the refrigerator or oven kicks on and off, small surges can be experienced, you may not have noticed this before but these tiny surges can shoot up your entire electrical system. Even a surge protection system that would cater to a whole house will not prevent these types of voltage spikes.
Is Your Surge Protector Still Working?
Surge protectors don’t display how many joules of protection are available, but most models include an LED that lets you know protection is present. However, these lights might be ignored or are out of sight when the surge protector is located behind furniture or under a desk.
No surge protector is immortal. If you’ve had a major electrical event, such as lightning that caused a power failure your Surge protector is most likely gone or damaged, or if your units have been in use for a few years, today is a great time to make a small investment in new surge protectors and greater peace of mind, the more advanced the protector the easier it is to work knowing safely that you have done everything in your power to make your house and kin safer.