Power Protection Devices

-Copier machines

-Air conditioners

-Vacuum cleaners

-Space heaters

-Power tools

-Teletype machines

-Adding machines

-Laser printers

-Facsimile machines

-Any other motorized equipment

Besides these appliances, the greatest threat to a system's supply of power are surges or blackouts caused by electrical storms. Whenever possible, turn off the computer and any peripherals and unplug them from their power sources during thunderstorms.

If a blackout occurs-even a temporary one-while the system is turned on, turn off the system immediately and disconnect it from its power source. Leaving the system on may cause problems when the power is restored; all other appliances left on in the area can create large voltage spikes that can damage the system.

A number of devices are available that protect against power problems, such as power surges, transients, and power failures. The following subsections describe some of these devices.

Surge Protectors

Surge protectors are available in a variety of types and usually provide a level of protection commensurate with the cost of the device. Surge protectors prevent voltage spikes, such as those caused during an electrical storm, from entering a system through the AC power source. Surge protectors, however, do not offer protection against brownouts, which occur when the voltage drops more than 20 percent below the normal AC line voltage level.

Line Conditioners

Line conditioners go beyond the overvoltage protection of surge protectors. Line conditioners keep a computer's AC power source voltage at a fairly constant level and, therefore, can handle brownouts. Because of this added protection, line conditioners cost more than surge protectors-up to several hundred dollars. However, these devices cannot protect against a complete loss of power.

Uninterruptible Power Supplies

Uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems offer the most complete protection against variations in power because they use battery power to keep the system running when AC power is lost. AC power, while available, charges the battery; when AC power is lost, the battery can provide power to the system for a limited amount of time-from 15 minutes to an hour or so-depending on the UPS system.

UPS systems range in price from a few hundred dollars to several thousand dollars, with the more expensive units allowing you to run larger systems for a longer period of time when AC power is lost. UPS systems that provide only 5 minutes of battery power let you conduct an orderly shutdown of the system, but are not intended to provide continued operation. Surge protectors should be used with all UPS systems, and the UPS system should be Underwriters Laboratories (UL) safety-approved.