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What is a power surge?

Power surges are characterized by a brief increase in the voltage that powers your electrical equipment.

Surges often go unnoticed, often lasting only 1/120th of a second, but they are much more common and destructive than you might think. Your electrical equipment is constantly experiencing surges of varying power. The most destructive power surges will wipe out anything that gets in their way!

Where do surges come from?

In this power-hungry computer age, utility power systems are often pushed beyond their capacity, resulting in unstable, unreliable power for consumers. Overburdened power grids can generate powerful surges as they switch between sources, or generate "rolling surges" when power is momentarily disrupted. Local sources can also generate surges. For example, if your neighbor starts up an electrical motor or the office on the floor below you blows a fuse, a surge could result.

What about lightning?

A lightning strike can send a spectacular surge along power lines, damaging equipment that is plugged into nearby AC and phone outlets. The severity of these surges can only be neutralized by a quality surge suppressor.

How can I protect against surges?

Power surges are a fact of life, but protecting yourself is relatively easy with Tripp Lite power protection. All our high-quality Surge Suppressors, Line Conditioners and UPS Systems feature exceptional surge handling circuitry. Our systems come with up to $500,000 Ultimate Lifetime Insurance covering all your connected equipment - even against direct lightning strikes! With Tripp Lite Ultimate Lifetime Insurance, if your connected equipment is ever directly damaged by a power surge from any source, Tripp Lite will pay up to the level of the unit’s policy to have it replaced or repaired.

How can I compare and choose the level of protection I need?

There are many rating systems that measure surge protection:

Joule Ratings - Joule ratings measure a surge suppressor's ability to absorb surges. Joules are a way of measuring energy. In general, 200 joules will give you basic protection, 400 joules provide good protection and anything with over 600 joules can be considered exceptional. Tripp Lite surge suppressors boast ratings of up to 5700 joules and have the advanced circuitry to back them up!

Surge Amp Ratings - higher ratings offer more protection. Although often replaced by Joule ratings, Amp levels are another important factor in determining surge strength. Once again, you should go for the highest amp protection levels you can find.

UL 1449 Voltage Let-through Ratings - 500, 400 & 330. Underwriter Laboratories tests each surge suppressor and rates them according to the amount of voltage they "let-through" to your equipment. The lower the let-through voltage, the better the surge suppressor is. UL established the 330 volt let-through as the benchmark because lower ratings added no real benefit to equipment protection, while surge components, forced to work harder, failed prematurely.

• UPS System Selector Guide
• Surge Suppressor Selector Guide
• Line Conditoners
• Isolation Transformers