In today's offices and industrial environments, having the best have the best circuit and surge protection is necessary for computers and computerized equipment. While these computers and equipment are time savers and very efficient, they are vulnerable to surges in power.

Making the most of circuit and surge protection means having the right circuit surge protection and surge protection device for the computers and computerized equipment. Browse through the information below to find information about industrial power surge protection, circuit protection, power protection units and surge suppressors.

1. Rely on industrial power surge protection in industrial applications.

2. Let power protection units protect your electronic equipment.

3. Employ circuit protectors to protect your electrical equipment.

Action Steps for Surge Protector Shopping
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Use industrial power surge protection guard against power surges

Industrial power surge protection is a must to protect computer systems, SCADA equipment, instrumentation and control equipment. These surge protection devices can guard against harmful surges cause by lightning strikes as well as switches made by substations--all of which can be extremely harmful to sensitive equipment. These power suppressors come in various configurations: rail mounts, shunt connectors, plug in and rack mount. It can also be a multiple outlet surge protector.

I recommend: The National Lightning Safety Institute provides informative "Guidelines For Providing Surge Protection at Commercial, Institutional, and Industrial Facilities." Two manufacturers of the industrial power surge protections are Citel and Eaton.

Take advantage of power protection units for sensitive electronic equipment

Power protection units are useful for protecting electronic equipment from over voltages as well as brownouts. These fluctuations in voltage can mean death for electronic equipment. Surge protection devices can also include component analyzers that further protect the equipment by providing you with additional information.

I recommend: Two noted manufacturers of power protection units are American Power Conversion and Wayne Kerr Test.

Provide circuit protection for your electronics with circuit protectors

Electronics don't mix well with over-heating, over-currents as well as over-voltage--any of which can lessen the effectiveness of the devices or ruin them altogether. Circuit protectors help to protect these sensitive electronic devices in cell phones, computers and cars.

I recommend: Some of the many manufacturers of circuit protectors are RTI Electronics and Tyco Electronics.

Tips & Tactics for Picking Surge Protectors

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Should you have questions about power protectors, circuit protectors or surge suppressors, contact the manufacturer for more information. Ask about pricing discounts as well.

There is nothing like the abrupt meltdown of a company's computer system to bring out the raging maniac in all of us. But before you take out your maniacal rage on the computer manufacturer, check to see if your system is connected to a surge protector. Computers, phones and other electronic equipment can be seriously damaged when a sudden change in electricity demand sends a surge of excess voltage through your building's electrical utility lines and phone lines. Surge protectors (also called surge suppressors-more on that later) connect to your equipment and your wall outlet. They save your devices by keeping most of the excess voltage from reaching the devices. The damaging surges and spikes (which don't last as long as surges) can happen when an air conditioner or other motor-driven equipment switches on or off. Surges and spikes can also be triggered by lighting storms and when your utility company switches power from one area of the power grid to another.

Although the terms surge suppressor and surge protector are often used interchangeably to refer to the same type of product, true surge protectors usually lose their surge-protection ability after they're hit by a single electrical surge. This guide doesn't cover that type of surge protector. To make sure you're getting the protection you need, check the product's capabilities before you buy.

Look for these important surge protector and surge suppressor features:

1. A high joule rating. The joule rating tells you how much energy it can absorb. When your suppressor reaches its capacity, it can't protect your equipment. The higher the rating, the longer the suppressor will last.
2. A low clamping voltage rating. That tells you how much voltage the suppressor will send to your devices before diverting the voltage to the ground.
3. An alarm or light that alerts you when your surge suppressor has stopped working and needs to be replaced.

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All-in-one surge protectors and surge suppressors

Save space and money by safeguarding several devices with a single, multiple-outlet surge suppressor. You can also buy a surge protector power strip, but make sure it offers sufficient protection. For the most versatile protection, install surge suppressors that protect your equipment from power surges that shoot through your phone, cable and data lines as well as your electrical lines.

I recommend: Look for a workhorse such as Belkin’s 8-Outlet SurgeMaster Maximum.

Specialized surge protectors and surge suppressors

If every outlet in your multiple-outlet surge suppressor is taken or you need to protect specific types of equipment, look for more specialized surge suppressors.

I recommend: At PhoneGeeks.com you’ll find surge protection to fit a variety of phone systems. Surgeassure’s SAV1 is designed to keep your cable modem service from conking out due to electrical skips and surges (it also protects your cable TV service, not that you’re watching “The Price is Right” at work). APC and ACData Solutions offer surge protectors for data centers and industrial equipment. Business.com also provides dedicated listings for fuses and circuit breaker accessories and enclosures.

Wild weather surge protectors and surge suppressors

Do your computers and lights often go 'poof' due to lightening or high winds? If so, you need an outside surge suppressor. These devices, also called surge arrestors, are designed to safeguard your equipment from electrical damage caused by the elements. Some also protect phone and cable lines. They don't replace your indoor surge protection however, so be sure you're covered from the inside out.

I recommend: NoOuttage.com offers a variety of outside surge protectors for commercial applications. If you have a home office, check out the Siemens Circuit Breaker and Secondary Surge Arrester. You’ll also find sources for outside surge suppressors at Business.com.

Surge suppressors that solve the space problem

It's can be tough to use all six sockets on a surge strip -- power adapters are often too large or angled in such a way that the take up two sockets. But some clever surge suppressors find a way around the problem.

I recommend: The Socket Sense expands to accomodate any adapter and the PowerSquid, with six wires coming out of a common base, keeps adapters separated.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  For maximum protection, look for power surge protectors that are equipped with power shut-down protection. This feature ensures that your equipment is protected even after your surge suppressors reach their capacity.
• •  It's not just devices such as computers, copiers and phones that need surge protection. Be sure to safeguard equipment like security systems and barcode scanners.
• •  Surge suppressors won't save equipment from major lightning strikes that hit close to your building. During a heavy thunderstorm, you're better off unplugging your computers and other equipment.

Power surge protection is an important aspect of protecting your company's computer equipment and electronics. A surge protection device or power suppressor can help prevent damage to essential systems during a storm or electrical malfunction. This type of protection is essential for businesses that rely on computer systems or other electronics to conduct transactions and keep records.

Circuit and surge protection can be provided in many different ways, from a circuit breaker to a surge protector. A combination of methods is best for making the most of circuit and surge protection.

1. Always check to make sure your industrial power surge protection can handle the maximum amount of voltage needed for your electrical equipment.

2. Using circuit and surge protection can provide additional benefits, like limiting line noise, providing additional outlets and stabilizing power consumption.

3. Circuit breakers and other circuit protection sometimes requires a manual reset after being triggered.

Action Steps
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Get industrial power surge protection for business and network use

A surge suppressor, or protector, defends computers and electrical equipment from voltage spikes. It does this by regulating the voltage a device is fed. If the voltage spikes to an unsafe level, surge suppressors will short or break the connection to the electronic device. This prevents damage to essential devices like computer and network systems, communications equipment and other important electronic devices. Larger models can often protect entire networks and devices that use huge amounts of power.

I recommend: Purchase an industrial network surge protector from CDW, or learn more about surge protectors from PowerSquid.com.

Use power strips that contain surge suppressors for added protection

Surge protection devices and other power protection units are often integrated into power strips to provide added functionality. This allows them to protect everything plugged into the power strip, and provides the additional outlets usually required for computer equipment. Most power strips include built-in surge protection, but not all. Always check that your power strip contains a surge suppressor before foregoing other security measures.

I recommend: Buy a power strip with built-in surge protection from Radio Shack, or SmartHomeUSA.com. LifeHacker provides some useful tips on using your power strips to their maximum efficiency. Cyberwalker.com has an article on choosing power strips to protect your equipment against power fluctuations.

Add circuit protection by installing circuit breakers

Breakers provide circuit protection against electrical shorts and overloads by disrupting the connection. This prevents electrical catastrophes in appliances and electrical devices. You can find circuit breakers in large industrial models, which are designed to handle multiple devices, and smaller models designed for protecting a single appliance. If you have more than one important electrical device, it's probably best to invest in a multiple-device circuit breaker.

I recommend: Get circuit breakers from Honeywell or Industrial Equipment Recovery. Electronic Design publishes an article on the perils of choosing the wrong circuit breaker. Home Depot offers a detailed survey of the circuit breaker types available to consumers.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Heavy-duty power protection units and circuit breakers may require permits and a licensed electrician to install and inspect them. Local regulations may vary, depending on where you plan to install your protection and whether the equipment will be used in a business or home.

Circuit and surge protection must be in place when working with or storing electrical wiring, equipment and local area networks (LAN). These devices protect electrical equipment from damage caused by overheating, power outages or lightning strikes. Circuit and surge protection devices are known for their automatic shutoff features, as well as monitoring, balancing and controlling capabilities that help to maintain electrical equipment safety. Whether you need switches, chargers or insulators, refer to circuit and surge protection key terms to find solutions for your company’s electrical safety.

Action Steps
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Auto transfer switch (ATS)

An auto transfer switch (ATS) automatically moves power from one source to another to prevent electrical overloads.

I recommend: Examine the features of various automatic transfer switches at Electric Generators Direct. General Electric has brochures and articles about auto transfer switches. More information about automatic transfer switches is available at Caterpillar. Read brochures, buying guides and other documentation on automatic transfer switches at Cummins Power Generation.

Circuit breaker

Also called a fuse, a circuit breaker device protects facilities from power overloads and short circuits.

I recommend: Study the different types, parts and features of circuit breakers at Tyco Electronics. GlobalSpec also presents basic information about circuit breakers. Steps for installing a circuit breaker can be found at HammerZone.

Electronic ballast

Electronic ballasts provide fluorescent lighting for commercial and industrial applications with the help of an electronic circuit.

I recommend: Advance explains different types of electronic ballasts and operating modes. Locate general electronic ballast specifications at Universal Lighting Technologies.

Digital multimeter (DMM)

A digital multimeter is an instrument that measures and displays electric current, voltage and resistance to ensure normalcy in automated and electromechanical equipment.

I recommend: Fluke Corporation describes digital multimeters at its website. Learn about digital multimeter accessories at Agilent Technologies. View handbooks about digital multimeters and other circuit and surge protection tools at Keithley Instruments.

Interconnection system

An interconnection system permits electrical energy to transfer between two power systems.

I recommend: Cisco features technical details concerning interconnection systems and standards. The site also includes information on operating procedures.

Surge arrester

A surge arrester protection device limits high surge voltages. Surge arresters are used in some underground and overhead applications.

I recommend: Cooper Power Systems features information on different surge arresters and components. ABB posts technical information about its surge arresters. Gain knowledge about surge arrester performance at the American Power Conversion website.