![]() Surge protection only on one side, battery backup + surge on the other side. There are 2 types of plugs on a battery backup UPC. Should I plug everything into the battery backup? Get a high quality surge protector which also includes phone line protection as well as the main power. So do not underestimate phone line protection, it is most important. In fact nearly 90% of the time the damage from a strike travels through the phone line NOT the main electrical path. Phone lines although to a much lesser degree, also carry electrical current. Most people do not think about the phone line assuming the electrical current always comes through the main power circuit, not true. And since you phone line is connected to modem in your computer, you have just given that lightning the ground that it is looking for, at the expense of your computer. What about my phone line?Ĭontrary to popular belief the majority of damages finds its ground through the path of least resistance…your phone or internet line (CAT 5/6) usually since that is the thinnest wire. Spend $40-$80 on a good quality battery backup and you will be glad you did. APC by far is the most popular and probably the best choice hands down. Stick with the name brands when it comes to battery backups. If you have six plugs probably only two or three will provide an uninterruptible power source, the other three only act as a surge protector ONLY. It has probably saved you hundreds or thousands of dollars in potential damage.Īlso note that on the battery backup up, not all of the plugs are backup up with the battery. Again, that is exactly what these devices are designed to do so don’t get upset when they seem to stop working. Most manufactures have a lifetime warranty on them so if you take the time to fill out their paper work, you could mail the old one to them for a full replacement at not charge! This is in addition to replacing your damaged equipment if that is the case.īattery backups will hold up quite a bit longer but will also fail or drain the battery after so many power hits. Your surge protector did its job, it protected your equipment. So if you come in to your office one morning after a night of lightning and the computer that was plugged into a surge protector will not power on, count your blessings. IMPORTANT! Surge protectors are designed to sacrifice themselves to save the equipment that it is protecting. In the case of a television or other equipment it will give you enough time to turn it off. Continuous off and on surges to your computer is very damaging. If you think that it may go out again, shut your computer down and wait for it to pass. You have to make a judgment call at that point depending on how bad the storm is. Sometimes the power only goes out for a few minutes and pops right back on. Stop, save whatever you have open, and shut the computer down. Remember, it is only temporary so do not keep on working…it will only last for a few minutes. A battery backup allows you just enough time to close all programs, save your work and shut down properly. The length of time depends on the type of UPS. ![]() Both will provide surge protection but a battery backup (also called an uninterruptible power supply or UPS) has a battery inside which will keep your computer running for 7, 10, 15 minutes etc. What is the difference between a battery backup and a surge protector? ![]() With a high quality battery backup or surge protector, you can protect your valuable equipment at very little cost. The unfortunate part is that it usually finds that ground in your unprotected computer, television, stereo, or other equipment. Simply put, lightning is an electrical circuit seeking a ground. This unit is vertically oriented, so while it doesn't have a large footprint, it will resemble a computer tower.Battery Backups vs Surge Protectors What happens when lightning hits? We feel five outlets should cover most setups adequately. While this APC model has ten outlets, only five are connected to the battery (the other five have surge protection, though). It's a bit expensive but a great battery backup for medium applications. This device can also deliver over 800 watts of power, so you can safely charge any device at the speed you typically experience by plugging the same charger directly into a wall outlet. While simulating a power outage by flipping a circuit breaker in the house, the UPS immediately kept our test computer running with plenty of time to save my work and shut it down. The APC Back-UPS Pro 1500 is a utilitarian device, but it has a little LCD screen showing vital information like input voltage, battery status, and the current load, which is a nice touch. ![]()
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