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How to Get the Right Protection from a Power Surge


Power surges are avoidable, but there are times that you’ll get caught by surprise. This phenomenon is caused by multiple reasons with lightning being the least common and the operation of high-power electronic appliance being the most usual.

A concrete example of this is after blackouts when power goes back on and voltage surges through your appliances. You may notice that some of your appliances may operate faster or more powerful than usual.

That event is a power surge and it can damage your appliances. To prevent that, you’ll need a voltage surge protector.

See: Panther Voltage Surge Protector

What’s a Voltage Surge Protector?

A voltage surge protector is a device with multiple outlets that has a mechanism inside that prevents your appliances from getting damaged by voltage spikes and surges. In our case in the Philippines, when the voltage spikes higher than 220 Volts, it’s already unsafe for our appliances as they may overload appliances.

One good example is a network router. If it’s plugged in an ordinary outlet, it would get fried by a power surge. This is why in most cases a voltage surge protector is a must have for sensitive equipment such as a computer.

Cord Confusion

A voltage surge protector may be taken for an extension cord as they look alike, but they do things differently. An extension cord does its job by giving you multiple outlets to plug into and giving your appliance access to a power source in locations far from your power outlet. It has some form of protection on its plug, terminals, or insulation, but it can’t protect your appliances from power surges and spikes in the same way a voltage surge protector can.

Which Should You Get?

It depends on what you’re going to use them for. You should only use a voltage surge protector for sensitive equipment and appliances (e.g. routers, computers, entertainment components, microwave ovens, and etc.) and extension cords for general appliances except for bigger ones which may require a heavy duty extension cord.

Each equipment has its own intended purpose. You don’t have to protect everything from a power surge so keep all of this in mind.

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