Storm Season

Every year we get inundated with calls from customers with dead computers, victims of electric surges or lightning strikes. In most cases either the power supply or modem is damaged and fortunately these are easily and cheaply replaced. However, lightning damage can sometimes be much worse, I have seen cases where every single component in the computer is damaged.

Your household insurance will usually cover the physical damage but no amount of insurance can replace the data you may lose if your hard drive is damaged. So what can you do to prevent this?

The best way to avoid storm damage is to simply disconnect the computer from both the power and the phone line. Power surges, especially lightning, can enter your computer from either the power lines or the telephone lines so it's important to disconnect both.

However, sometimes it's not practical to do this as you may be out of the house at the time or it's just not convenient to unplug everything every time there's a storm. Surge protectors can help prevent many problems but there are many different types, some are better than others and few can prevent damage from a direct lightning strike. Some offer warranties of up to $50,000 cover for equipment damaged while connected to a surge protector. This is all very well but once again no amount of money can replace your lost data.

 

Powerware POD Portable Surge Protector
Power board style surge protector.


Un-interruptible Power Supply

 The most basic type of surge protector is about the size of a double adapter and simply plugs in between your computer power cord and the power socket. Power board style surge protectors provide protection for multiple devices. These will prevent minor spikes and surges but generally won't stop a direct lightning strike. Most good surge protectors also include filters for your telephone line protecting you from the two main sources of power surges. Again though, the smaller ones will not protect you from a direct lightning strike.

Another type of surge protector is a UPS (Un-interruptible power supply). This is really two devices in one, a surge protector and a battery backup. These are usually fairly large and heavy as they contain a battery which provides around 10-15 minutes of backup power in the event of a power outage. This gives you enough time to save whatever you are working on and shut down the computer safely. Many computer problems are caused because files are corrupted when the power is turned off un-expectedly and Windows has not shut down correctly.

Most UPS models tend to provide 2 or 3 battery backed, surge protected power outlets and the rest are surge protected only. Plug your computer and monitor into the battery backed outlets so you can shut down safely in the event of a power outage. Plug your remaining devices, printer, fax, scanner, etc into the surge protected outlets so all your equipment is protected.

For more information about power protection visit your local computer retailer or contact us on 0411 301 569 or robert@epsoft.com.au