» A look at surge protectors «

A budget surge extension is better than nothing, I guess

What's in a name?

A 'surge protector' is also, often incorrectly, called a surge…

… absorber
… arrestor
… diverter
… suppressor

Our surge protector absorbs…   -   Our surge arrestor suppresses…

Not being a specialist in this area, I can't authoritively tell you the differences. It isn't made any easier that marketers apparently don't want to make that clear either! For instance, one world class vendor lists their 'SurgeArrest' range under 'surge protection and line conditioning'.   *Mutter*


Well, you get the idea. That said, APC's 'SurgeArrest Performance' does sound perfect. Sorry to say though, unless you are buying a really cheap one 'to make do', the only way you can really tell is read the manufacturers specification and, in the case of retail stores, hope you get an honest, knowledgeable salesperson.

As a rough rule of thumb, 'surge protectors' are just extension bars that have a fuse or two in them. A surge suppressor, on the front of it, is a better class of product in that they feature voltage-level detection that suppress over-voltage conditions at finer levels. However, there are clamps and there are clamps and most surge suppressors simply are not designed for computer equipment, though they should be fine for your TV or stereo.

Personally, I have no hesitation recommending and indeed using Belkin and APC surge devices.


So, what about 'surge arrestors', diverter, suppressors and they rest?
If you are more knowledgeable and want to correct me here, please do, but, I feel, these terms should properly apply to protection devices such as the 'M-Ti Commercial / Industrial AC' that are fitted into the mains circuit panel of a home, office, or it's industrial equivalent.

These are essentially lures or traps for any massive surges heading your way. A metal oxide varistor, or MOV, opens or 'clamps' when the over voltage exceeds a certain level, and safely diverts most of the excess energy to a ground rod, resetting itself when the surge is over.

As I once found out the hard way, and as Carebase mention on their site, these will only do so much in the event of a lightning strike or similar blast pulse, as these can hit so hard and so fast that the leading edge barges right though before the surge mechanism can react.

In a vague way it's like filling a bathtub and forgetting about it. Halfway through the phone call you just know, as you are cussing and racing for the bathroom, no matter how fast you get up those stairs to turn off the taps, the water has overflowed and is flooding the place…

Continuing in this vain, APC also have 'Residential Surge Suppressor' that offers a first line of defence against damaging electrical surges and spikes that originate outside your home. Ideally fitted by a qualified electrician, they connect to your circuit breaker panel and safely reduce the severity of power transients caused by utility accidents, power outages and lightning. Needless to say larger versions exist for offices and factories. Their documentation advocates a three level approach, using these, surge strips and a UPS for the maximum cover. While APC have a vested interest in pushing these, I have to say I wholly agree with it and will be having one of these fitted myself.


Going back to surge protectors, proper:

Depending on the make and model, surge protectors offer various degrees of cover against one or more of the following:

Power surges, spikes, and lightning strikes. Some even offer to help filter EMI/RFI noise.

A standard surge protector passes the electrical current along from the outlet to a number of electrical and electronic devices plugged into the power strip. If the voltage from the mains outlet surges or spikes above the accepted level the surge protector diverts the extra electricity into it's grounding wire. Typically this ground is a three part component called a MOV. Without getting technical, the metal oxide works with it's two counterpart semiconductors to divert the excess.

What you need to remember is, likely everything else in life, these MOV can only take so much punishment. Too much, too often, or one massive surge at once will burn the fuse, destroying it, though hopefully saving the connected machine. Despite this, the strip may still appear to work adequately, but only as a regular extension cord. For this reason you should only really buy a model with an indicator light that tells you whether or not it's functioning properly.

Advantages

Really low purchase cost

Disadvantages

Only generally protects against surges
Needs replacing if/when it's 'fuse' burns out.

Where to use

Not wholly sure about what to recommend for industrial use, but highly recommended for homes and offices. Not just computers either, but also faxes, scanners, even plasma television. Belkin and others have sensibly priced surge extensions plug for different classes equipment.

Features to look for

Essential, IMO: illuminated LEDs indicate your devices are ground and protected

Surge energy rating: The higher the better - i.e. 2,525 Joules, 3,240 Joules
Peak Current Common Mode : The higher the better - i.e. 30kAmps, 90kAmps (maximum spike amperage)

Recommended: (found on higher-end models)
Specific cover, as required: i.e. 'Computer workstation', 'Home Cinema', 'Projection TVs'
Comms cover, as required: i.e. Coaxial, telephones, DSL and cable modems, satellite.

Always nice: (found on higher-end models)
EMI/RFI noise filter
Wide sockets (i.e. for dc adapters)
Cable management
Failure warranty (but I take that with a pinch of salt)

Personal recommendation:

Crunch time. I'm sure you want to know what I recommend. As ever, buy the best you can, I just don't think it's worth penny pinching it you are plugging over a grands worth of TV, stereo or computer into the things! With that in mind, I'd be hard pressed to choose between these two myself, and, indeed, will get both when I upgrade next:

• 8 socket APC SurgeArrest^® Performance for about £29
  
  
• 7 socket Belkin SurgeMaster^® GOLD for a similar £30
  
  
• Also consider: APC Residential Surge Suppressor
  
  

Between the two I'd be hard pushed to choose definitively, but the clincher for me is the inclusion of a site wiring fault indicator on the APC unit.