Agency Tech Tips: Stop Surges Now!
Computers, scanners, printers, copiers, fax machinesall that technology has undoubtedly cost your agency a lot of money to purchase, not to mention the ongoing expense of upkeep.
Naturally, you want to protect your investment, yet I am still surprised at the number of offices that neglect to purchase a simple $30 device that could literally save them thousands of dollars in damage.
Im talking about a surge suppressor.
If you do business in an area that experiences frequent lightning strikes, youre probably already aware of the benefits of surge suppressors, which work to prevent harmful voltage surges from reaching your equipment and frying its circuits.
But lightning isnt the only danger to your systems. Smaller surges and spikesknown as "noise"are a normal part of what comes out of most electrical outlets. Theyre usually harmless in themselves, but over time their effects can accumulate to the point where sensitive circuitry is damaged.
Small fluctuations in power may also be caused by interference from nearby elevators or construction equipmentor even a squirrel stepping on the wrong wire overhead.
A good surge suppressor can protect against both major and minor surges. Look for a unit that features a peak transient suppression voltage of no more than 330 volts (youll find these numbers on the package, or on the unit itself). The peak voltage is the maximum amount of surge the device will allow to come through to your equipment.
Surge suppressors usually allow anywhere from four to six connections, so several pieces of equipment can be plugged into the same protected line.
Some surge suppressor companies also offer down-line guarantees, meaning that if any properly-connected device is damaged by a surge while connected to the suppressor, the company will pay to replace the damaged equipment.
In any case, all of your sensitive electronic equipment should have a surge suppressor in place between itself and the wall outlet.
One final caution. Dont be tempted to purchase much less expensive "power strips" that look like surge suppressors but provide no protection. Carefully read the label and make sure the device you get does indeed suppress high voltage and noise.
Reproduced from National Underwriter Property & Casualty/Risk & Benefits Management Edition, July 22, 2002. Copyright 2002 by The National Underwriter Company in the serial publication. All rights reserved.Copyright in this article as an independent work may be held by the author.
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