All You Wanted to Know About Surge Arrestors
It is well known that power surges can damage computer systems. What is less well known is this can happen even if thereís no lightning in the forecast. Thatís because a large percentage of all electrical impulses are generated from within the home or business. These impulses can come from household appliances that contain electric motors and even fluorescent lights when they are switched on or off. Impulses can damage the sensitive microelectronic chips inside computers and can also damage data and cause computer software to become corrupted.
To understand what to look for in a surge arrestor, some basic knowledge of the subject is in order
Damaging impulses can be broken down into two categories: spikes and surges. Spikes are short lived, high level "blips" that ride into your computer on the power line, or on the telephone line connected to your modem. Spikes are very short pulses in the range of up to 100 microseconds (one millionth of a second). They are hard to remove, because they happen so fast. Surges are longer lived, lower level impulses that can last for one second or more. Electronically speaking this is a long time. Because they last longer, surges contain much more energy than spikes.
Modern electrical power wiring contains three wires; hot, neutral and ground. The telephone line contains two wires; tip and ring. Surges can take place between any of these wires, so you need a surge arrestor that takes care of both power and telephone wires.
The basic function of the surge arrestor is to carry the surge or spike around your equipment and to ground, thus avoiding damage. How well an arrestor works depends on three factors: the magnitude of the surge or spike, the speed at which the arrestor starts conducting, and the ability of the arrestor to dissipate the surge.
Look for the following specifications:
This is a measure of the highest level of voltage that will be reached before the arrestor does its job. The lower the better. Look for 350 volts or less.
This determines how fast the arrestor circuitry responds. No protection can be offered until the unit responds. Faster is better. Response times are measured in nanoseconds (one thousand millionth of a second). Look for a response time of one nanosecond or less.
This is a measure of the amount of energy the surge arrestor can bypass around your equipment and is measured in joules. Look for units that offer dissipation energies of greater than 1,000 joules.
: There are several other features that are important when selecting a surge arrestor. The arrestor must have a connection for your phone line in order to offer full protection. In addition, it should be specified as offering three-way protection. That means it will handle surges and spikes between all three wires of your electrical system.
Another important feature is the ability to filter out electrical noise. This if often referred to as radio frequency interference (RFI) or electromagnetic interference (EMI). Look for this feature.
Finally, some surge arrestors come with insurance coverage on your equipment in the event it is damaged, in spite of the proper use of the arrestor. This is an indication of the manufacturerís confidence in their product. Not only does it indicate a quality product, but it also offers you some financial peace of mind in case something really bad happens.
You can find surge arrestors sold at places that sell computers, such as Best Buy and Circuit City. Also, check out Staples, Office Max and Office Depot. If you wish, Yadkin Valley can provide you with a high quality surge arrestor. We carry a Panamax unit that is available to existing Yadkin Valley customers for a special price of $29.95. This unit was evaluated and recommended by an association of power companies, whose experts have extensive knowledge in this area.
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Panamax 8 Tel Surge Arrestor
Once you have purchased your surge arrestor, there are some other things to keep in mind. First, if you donít have three wire electrical outlets, you donít have the most important wire in dealing with surges, the ground wire. Have an electrician run a three-wire circuit to your computer.
Even if you have three-wire electrical outlets, they may not be wired correctly. You can have an electrician check this, or you can do it yourself with a simple, inexpensive outlet tester. You can get one at Lowe's Hardware, Home Depot or Radio Shack for under $10.00. Simply plug the tester into your outlet and note which lights are glowing. Instructions that come with the tester tell you which lights indicate a good circuit.
Another thing to check is whether the electrical system and phone wiring are connected to the same ground. You can have the phone company come out and verify that your system is grounded properly. You can also do this yourself by looking at the place where the electrical service enters the building. Usually there will be a heavy bare wire going from the meter base to a metal rod driven into the ground at the base of the building. Sometimes this will be connected to a metallic cold water pipe. Your telephone service (and cable TV service) should enter the building at nearly the same place as the electrical service. Both telephone and cable TV services use a protective device to help stop lightening. You should see a heavy wire running from these protective devices and connected to the electrical system ground wire.
The telephone company protector was designed to protect a standard telephone, a device that is more rugged electrically than your computer. It is not a substitute for a good high quality surge arrestor at your computer.
There is no protection from a direct lightening hit. If lightening hits your home or business, or hits very close by, no surge arrestor will protect you. The best protection is to unplug your computer and connected accessories from both the power line and telephone line when not in use and there is a possibility of thunderstorms.