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Both are fairly apt descriptions of the device's function, and are generally interchangeable. They "suppress" surges by attempting to regulate the power flow to devices connected to them. They "protect" the devices from destruction up to and including its own demise.
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Is a surge protector used for electrical fouls?
a surge suppressor or protector protects your equipment from spikes on the electrical line.
What is the purpose of a surge suppressor?
A surge suppressor or protector is used to protect electronic devices in case of voltage spikes. A surge protector works by limiting the amount of voltage supplied to the plugged in electronic devices by blocking or shorting to ground any voltage above the safe threshold.
What device protects a system against lighting strikes but does not protect against sags and brownouts?
A surge protector, also called a surge suppressor.
What is minimum recommended surge protection for an iMac?
First of all look for a surge protector with a UL (Underwriters Laboratory) rating. If it does not have one you can rest assured is junk. But just because it has one does not mean is an excellent surge protector. Be sure that the product is listed as a transient voltage surge suppressor. Get a surge protector with a minimum of 1200 joules. Normally the more money you spend the better protection you get but, that is not necessarily always the case.
What is a surge protector used for?
A surge protector (or surge suppressor) is an appliance designed to protect electrical devices from voltage spikes. A surge protector attempts to limit the voltage supplied to an electric device by either blocking or by shorting to ground any unwanted voltages above a safe threshold. This article primarily discusses specifications and components relevant to the type of protector that diverts (shorts) a voltage spike to ground; however, there is some coverage of other methods
How surge suppressor are rated?
In joules
Why is it important to have an indicate light on a surge suppressor for your computer?
Answer Most of the surge suppressor indicator lights only show if the power is present and turned on. It does not add any other functionality in terms of surge suppression. Only if a particular model indicator shows that there was a surge on power line, it makes it more useful for the user as person can investigate reason or surge if it is happening repeatedly. Iindicator should be clearable manually by user. - Neeraj Sharma "...it's important a surge supressor has a light indicator that says the supressor part of the device is still working. Otherwise, you might not have protection" A+ Guide to Managing & Maintaining your PC (page 161) -MonkGizmo That indicator light cannot report all failures. Normal failure mode for a protector is to degrade. That light cannot report a degraded protector. That light only reports that a surge, much too large for the protector, caused its thermal fuse to disconnect protector parts as fast as possible. To avert a fire. That light can only report a type of failure that says a protector was grossly undersized. And a potential threat to human life if that fuse did not blow fast enough.
What is the difference between spike and surge in electrical systems?
Surge suppressor, as name suggests suppresses and regulates the voltage and makes the power constant in a case of a spike or surge. While a protector simply detects the surge and turns the unit off. Suppressor is good for things like computers, where you don't want to keep turning on and off.
What if surge protector had high resistance?
If a surge protector had a very high resistance at all voltages, the wires in the surge protector would short out. It would kick off the protector and make it useless. A new surge protector would need to be purchased.
Once a surge protector has done its work how do you reactivate it after a surge?
Reactivation of a surge protector is normally not necessary if your protector has taken a hit. Typically a protector will continue to work without the ned to reactivate it.
How much is a surge suppressor?
It really does vary as to how much a surge suppressor costs depending on where you buy it from. They usually range from $15 to $25. Here is one site you can buy them: www.tigerdirect.com/.../category_slc.asp?...Surge%20Suppressors
What would be a typical joules rating for a surge suppressor designed for home use?
Destructive surges can be hundreds of thousands of joules. A protector rated for hundreds of joules does not claim to protect from the other and typically destructive surge. In fact, a 250 joule surge will simply be converted by electronics into low voltage DC to safely power its semiconductors. A destructive surge may be 20,000 amps. So a minimal 'whole house' protector for all homes should be at least 50,000 amps. Any protector that fails on a surge did not provide effective protection. And was a potential house fire.
