Power Protection FEATURED ARTICLE

Continued from “Post Power Outage – Having Your Power Restored Can Cost You Thousands”

In part one of this series, we discussed the detrimental (specifically, financial) effects of going without a robust and reliable surge protector. Today, we’re going to be discussing where surge protectors can best apply, as well as put out the discerning fire for those of you who are unsure if you even need one to ensure power protection.

In light of this, I was able to speak with Bill Allen, marketing director at award-winning power protection solutions provider, Minuteman UPS/ Para Systems (News - Alert), to get down to the need-to-know facts on surge protectors.

Previously, Allen told me that a surge differs from an electrical “spike” in that a spike is typically a very sudden increase in voltage and only lasts a few milliseconds; however, during that time, severe damage can be had to your power supplies.

“This is a great reason to invest in high quality surge protectors for all electrical equipment. Surge protectors are designed to protect from both surges and spikes. The small investment of $10 to $20 for a good surge protector will certainly pay huge dividends if and when a power surge occurs,” he explains.

“Also remember that surges and spikes don’t just happen after a power outage. Surges and spikes occur for a wide variety of reasons, some of which are lightning strikes, power company glitches, and construction accidents. No matter the cause, damage can occur and be an expensive lesson learned.  All electrical equipment is vulnerable if not protected.”

But what if – for whatever given reason – you’re not completely sure a surge protector is for you? If you are doubting the importance of a surge protector, I would suggest you heed Allen’s advice. According to him, there are two things you can do prevent a surge from damaging equipment after a power outage:

“The easiest thing to do is to turn the power switch off during the power outage so when power is restored, these devices will be far less likely to be damaged if a surge does occur,” he notes. “The second thing, which is more difficult, is to completely unplug all electrical devices.  This is the most fail-safe thing users can do, but it may be more of a pain than just turning the devices off.”

Meanwhile, the other alternative – which Allen notes is the best – is to protect equipment with an uninterruptible power supply, or UPS. A UPS provides complete protection from surges, spikes and brownouts, as well as provides battery backup during power outages.

Regardless of your needs, Minuteman truly is positioned in today’s market to meet and exceed them. The company offers a wide spectrum of powerful surge suppressors, such as its new Slimline surge strips and wall-taps and its Rotating Outlet Series.

Image via Minuteman UPS/Para Systems

To learn more about all of Minuteman’s surge protectors, click here.