Electricity has become like a basic requirement that makes people’s lives complete today. Electric powers have their applications in different industries for different purposes. Same too in homes where electric power is used for different functions. It is used to run sound systems, to run kitchen appliances, to charge phones and so many other uses. Despite all these advantages of electricity, there are still disadvantages too. This article doesn’t talk about any other demerit of electric power rather than an electric surge. Electric surge is a situation where large electric currents flow to the electric devices than the required amount leading to the destruction of the device. This electric defaults normally arise from short circuits, lightning strikes, and several other electricity defaults. This surge problem has been solved with the invention of surge protectors that will prevent and redirect excess currents to earth and keep devices safe. Even though there exist so many surge protectors in the electric shops today, when buying one it is recommended to take note of some important factors. This article discusses some of the factors below.
Number one tip to consider when selecting a standard surge protector is the clamping voltage. Clamping voltage the amount of voltage that should be redirected by a surge protector to prevent it from damaging the device in use. Different surge protectors have different clamping voltage. various electric equipment can be damaged by different voltages. For instance, a surge that can damage a television maybe cannot damage a deep freezer. Therefore, when choosing a surge protector, it is advisable to note your device voltage rating. This will help one to know the clamping voltage the surge protector to select should have.
Factor number two to consider is surge protectors’ joule rating. Joule rating is the quantity of current that a surge protector can withstand or rather absorb as it is redirecting excess currents away from the device it is protecting. When selecting surge protector, select that which has high joule rating.
The third consideration to make when choosing an ideal surge protector is its response time. A time that a surge protector takes to identify a surge and offer protection to the device being protected is called the response time. A standard surge protector should take a shorter duration to respond to a surge and ensure safety to the device being protected. A good surge protectors should take seconds to respond to a surge.
The article has discussed some of the important factors to consider when choosing a standard surge protector that will protect any electrical surge and that which is safe to be used in homes, offices and many other places.