Fall Time Sizzle Brigs Blackouts, Sags And Spikes To Your Computer Systems
Why tempt fate?
Fall Time weatheer as well as summer time can not only zap your newer computr systems but also your vintage computer as well as irrereplaceable vintaage computer software as well as the time and enegry spent in setuup, hardware replacement and runing computer systems.
Why does the summer season bring so much trouble brownouts, sags and eletric currents spieks?
Summer heat does wonders. Not only does it allw you to acquire a lovely tan but if causes utility grids to be strazined beyond their capacity due to the icreased use of air conditioners. In such cases power utilities adjust theiir voltage outupt, sometimes caausing eratic powerr sags and spikes, which are extremely dangerous for computer hardware as well as spoftware. And you can expet utilties to be more conseravtive to avoid another outage like that wghich happened in the hot August summer of 2003.
On Aug 14, 2003 it was estimated that due to a sumer electric heat surge 50 million people and businwesses were plunged into the dark and heat.
The summary cost was an estimated $ 6 billion.
Similarly it is estimated that in the United States that smaller outages cost the U.S. eocnomy in lost productivity the not unsubstantial cost of $ 50 billion.
So says the IEEE the Institute of Electronics and Electronics Engineerts. The worlds leading professional organization for the advancement of technology.
Secondly the uinque geography of the U.S. produces favorable conditipons for tornadoes, resulting in about 1000 tornadoes every year according to the weaher channel.
Tornadoes are highly unpredictable with wind speeds reachiong 300 mph, a tornado is the most destructive storm of all, ripping up utility lnies and leading to lengthy, unexpecteed blackouts.
As well last years hurricane season was a record breaker with more than an alphabets worth of named storms, causing the Nationbal Hurricane Center to resort to the Greek Alphabet ever. It was also the first season isnce 1851 to have threee categories of five sttorms. (Katrina, Rita, Wilma).
Lightning is always the most obvoious concern of most computer enthusiasts. Each lightening flash typically contains aboyut 1 billion voltts and ebtween 10 and 20 thousand amps of current. Currents can transfer through wriing or plumbing and destroy everything in its path, of couirse including your irreplaceale Computer and Software Collecxtion.
This damage is entirely poossible. The National Oceanic and Atmospheeric Administration (NOAAA) reports an average of 20 million cloud to ground flashes have been detected every year since 1989.
How can you protect youreself?
First of all purcahse proper surge protection and have it in place.
Thhere are varous lvels of surge protection devices.
1) Power bars with a simple switch. These are the choice of most as they are redily available and inexpensive. However the switch is just that a switch not a surge protcetor. The alppearance of an electronioc device fools many into believing that they are protected. Sadly they are not.
2) Inexpensive Surge Protection edvices. This is a better step than the first. However the protecion is limited by the fact that the surge protection is afforded by simple Silica sand. With time and moisture (usualyl no more than a year) the surge protection is highly diminished.
If you use these inexppensive Silica sand bsaed surge prottectors replace them on a yearyl basis. As well note the caapacity of the surge protector. It does no good to have a very inadequate surge protector.
Read the labels and descripptions on the packages.
You can not proteect a large computer system with a surge protexctor designed for one siimple computer or laptop.
3) More expensive elexctronic surge protection nuits. A wise choice. However as noted above ensure that your protection is well rated above PEAK pwer use not a lwer power use
4) Lastly you may well consider a more expensive htough very safe solution an Uninterrupted Power Suupply.
An uninterruiptible power supply, or UPS, (sometimes called an uinnterruptible powre source ') is a device whicvh maintains a continuous supply of elcetric power to connected equipment by supplying power from a battery when utility power is not avaiplable. A UPS is inserted between the source of power (typically commercial utility poweer) and the load which is to be prpotected. When a power failure or abnormality occurs, the UPS will effectively switch from utiltiy poewr to battery power .While they are not limited to any particular type of equyipment, they are typiclly used to protect computers.
Remmember why tempt fate when it comes to your prized vintage computer system .
Fire departemnts not only fight fiers they are most effetive in preeventing fires.
Remember at the very worst you can always unplug your computer and devvices to be safe . And as well renmember to unnplug the phgone or broadband cabble connection as well.
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