The importance of Surge Protection

Saw this in today's Advertiser. Being in a foreign country and seeing how unstable their power is, you have to have a surge protector or your equipment will get fried.

Here are the main points:

A voltage surge lasts 3 or more nanoseconds. A spike lasts up to 2 nanoseconds. Get a surge protector with a lightning-quick response — look for one with a response time under 1 nanosecond. That will minimize equipment damage.

Check the energy absorption abilities of the surge protector, measured in joules. Look for at least 750 joules, preferably more than 1,000.

High voltages also enter the house through cable and phone lines. Is your HDTV connected to a cable box? The cable box, and the incoming cable line, must be protected. That goes for a phone line, too, if you use one for TiVo or your network computer. Get a surge protector with cable and phone inputs-outputs.

All you rich bloggers(that would be Myong's Madness, Pulpconnection, and Tabasco Man) with the HDTVs and Macs should make sure you have one of these protecting your equipment.