What’s the Difference Between a Power Strip and a Surge Protector?
If you have multiple electronic gadgets at home, at one point or other, you are sure to be concerned about keeping them running safely without running out of sockets to power them. If this sounds familiar, then you need to get your home a power strip or a surge protector. To begin with, the important part is to know the difference between the two. You must be aware of the plenty of options available in the market with respect to what your requirements would be. Based on your needs, you can go ahead with what is best for you.
It is difficult to distinguish between a power strip and surge protector. People often mistake power strips for surge protectors, merely because of the similarities in appearance. A power strip simply supplies power to your electronic devices. A surge protector also supplies power similar to a power strip, but additionally also protects your appliances against power surges. It takes a little bit of examination to differentiate between the two.
A power strip can act as an extension cord which can have two to eight sockets. The power input is divided uniformly between each socket. A power surge protector can also have multiple sockets but it also handles power surges at the same time.
When it comes to protecting your expensive electronics such as your refrigerator, computer, television and other devices – you must use a power surge protector. Surge protectors come with several sockets but you can also get single-outlet surge protector. Single-outlet surge protectors can be used for your heavy duty electronics such as refrigerator or oven. Power strips are suitable if you want to run your toaster or charge your gadgets.
When you have to identify a power strip from a surge protector, you must be careful to check what the packaging says, because of the similarities. Be sure to check the rating before picking up the right surge protector. The quality of surge protectors is measured by the capacity of its power absorption in joules. When it comes to understanding ratings, a surge protector rated at 1000-2000 joules is pretty good to protect your gadgets like printers, mobiles, etc. You should go for higher ratings if you wish to protect heavy devices like television, computers, etc.
Sometimes surge protectors also feature an additional LED light on them to indicate their functioning under a surge duress. So, if you are unsure whether you have a surge protector or a just a power strip at home, just search for that little LED light.
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