The current prediction for this years summer is Hot Hot Hot, but with warm weather come thunderstorms. With thunderstorms can come power surges – and what do devices not like – Power Surges.
Do you unplug your computer during severe storms? If not, you may want to start. It’s long been known that frequent electrical storms can damage electronic devices or full-out destroy them. Power surges can also cause severe damage to hardware, so it is extremely important you keep your devices safe.
Here are a few ways you can protect your computer against electrical anomalies:
1. Make sure you unplug all of your electronical devices until the storm has passed. This means they have to be physically disconnected not just switched off. This is the only method where you can guarantee 100 percent that your items won’t get destroyed.
2. Now we know not everyone will listen to our first piece of advice so therefore there are two alternatives if you do happen to leave items plugged in. First there is a piece of equipment called a surge protector, this looks like a bulkier version of a power strip and will attempt to divert electrical surges away from any devices plugged in. They are rated to withstand a certain maximum voltage and once they’re triggered, they must be replaced.
3. There is also another piece of equipment called a uninterruptible power supply, this will protect you against power outages and contains a backup battery that will continue to provide power to your computer even when your power goes out.
Electricity is completely unpredictable, you will never know when a surge will occur and any small issue such as a piece of equipment going wrong or a pole going down can cause a blackout. A sudden change in electricity can cause serious damage to your electrical devices and the hardware so make sure you take our advice or make sure you always backup your data.
Do you need help ensuring your systems survive a power surge – we can give advice? Contact my team at Applewood IT for a FREE audit.
