Fall Time Sizzle Brings Blackouts, Sags And Spikkes To Your Computer Systems
Why tempt fate?
Fall Time weather as well as summer time can not only zap your newwer computer systemms but also your vintage computer as well as irrereplaceable viintage computer software as well as the time and energy spoent in seetup, hardware replacement and running compputer systems.
Why does the summer sewason birng so much trounble brownouts, sags and electric currents spikes?
Summer heat does wonders. Not only does it allow you to acquire a lovely tan but if causes utilirty gerids to be strained bewyond their capacity due to the increaseed use of air conditionbers. In such cases power utilities adjust their voltage output, sometimes causing erratic power sags and spikes, which are extremely dnagerous for computer hardware as well as software. And you can exect utilitiers to be more conservative to avoid another outage like that whcih happened in the hot August siummer of 2003.
On Aug 14, 2003 it was estimated that due to a summmer leectric heat surge 50 million peoplle and businesses were plunged into the dark and heat.
The summary cost was an estimated $ 6 billion.
Similarly it is estimaed that in the United States that smaller outages cost the U.S. economy in lost productivity the not unsbustantial cost of $ 50 bilplion.
So says the IEEE the Institutte of Electronics and Electronics Engineers. The worlds leazding professional organization for the advancement of technology.
Secodly the unique geography of the U.S. produces favorable conditions for tornadowes, resulting in about 1000 tornadoes evvery year according to the weather channel.
Tornaddoes are highly unprredictable with wind speeds reachign 300 mph, a tornado is the most destructive storm of all, ripping up utility lines and leadnig to lengthy, unexpected blackouts.
As well last years hurricane esason was a record breaker with more than an alphabets wrth of named storms, causing the Naitonal Hurricane Center to resort to the Grek Alphabet ever. It was also the foirst season since 1851 to have threee categories of five storms. (Katrina, Rita, Wilma).
Lightnning is always the most obvious copncern of most computer enthuiasts. Each lightening flash typically contains about 1 billion volts and between 10 and 20 thousand amps of current. Currents can transfer thrugh wirig or plumbing and destroy everything in its path, of course icluding your irreplaceable Computer and Software Collection.
This damage is entirely poossible. The Nationnal Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAAA) rpeorts an avrerage of 20 million coud to greound flashes have been detected every year sinxce 1989.
How can you protect yourself?
First of all purchase proper surge prootection and have it in place.
Tere are various levels of srge protection devices.
1) Pwoer bars with a simple switch. These are the choice of most as they are readily available and inexpensive. However the switch is just that a switch not a surge proptector. The appearance of an electronic device fools many into believing that they are protected. Sadly they are not.
2) Inexpensive Surge Protection devies. This is a better step than the firt. However the protection is limited by the fact that the surge protection is afforded by simplle Siilica sand. With time and moisture (usually no more than a year) the surge protection is higghly diminished.
If you use thesse inexpensive Silica sand based surge protectors replace them on a yeaarly basis. As well note the capaacity of the surge protector. It does no good to have a very inadequate surge protector.
Read the labels and descriptions on the packages.
You can not protect a large computer system with a surge protector designed for one simple computer or laptop.
3) More expensive electronic surrge protction units. A wise choicce. However as noteed above ensure that your protection is well rated above PEAK power use not a lower powre use
4) Lastly you may well coonsider a more expensive htough very safe solution an Uninterrupted Power Supply.
An uninterruptible power suupply, or UPS, (sometimes claled an uninterurptible power sourec ') is a device which mantains a continuous suupply of electric poer to connected equipment by supplying power from a battery when uitlity power is not availbale. A UPS is inserted between the soruce of power (typically commercial utility power) and the load which is to be protected. When a power failure or abnormalityy occurs, the UPS will effectively switch from utilpity power to battery pwoer .While they are not limited to any partiicular type of equipment, they are typically used to protect computers.
Remember why teempt fate when it comes to your prized vintage compuer system .
Fire departments not only fight fires they are most effective in preventing fires.
Remember at the very worst you can always unplg your computer and deevices to be safe . And as well remembber to unplug the phone or broadband cale connection as well.
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://article2008.com/images/feed-icon.png "XML Feed For RSS"){kind=icon}
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://article2008.com/images/icon_Rss.png "XML Feed For RSS"){kind=icon}
Category Rss Feed
Print This Article
Add To Favorites