Each year we prepare ourselves for hundreds of Technical Support calls arriving immediately after a thunderstorm somewhere in our Delmarva service area. We live in a relatively high-risk area for electrical storms and, if your computer (especially your modem) is not protected by a quality surge suppressor, the odds are very high that sooner or later, you will suffer electrical storm surge damage.
Here is some useful information that will help you decide on protecting your system from electrical storm surge damage:
- If you live in an area with overhead power lines you are particularly at risk.
- Industry studies show that 80% of electrical surge computer damage is caused by energy coming into the computer through the telephone line connection to your modem.
- 24% of computer owners in the U.S. will suffer some kind of electrical surge damage to their computer this year.
- According to an IBM study, 120 electrical “disturbances” hit a typical computer in a typical month.
- Here is what experts in the field recommend as reasonable measures to take to protect your system from electrical storm surge damage:
- The “pay me now or pay me later” adage really applies here. Purchase and install a GOOD surge suppressor that includes telephone modem line protection as soon as possible. The other applicable adage is “you pay for what you get”. Very cheap invariably means virtually useless.
- If you get caught without surge protection, turn off and disconnect (unplug) both the power AND telephone line connections to your computer until the storm has passed. Later, reread and contemplate on #1 above.
- DO NOT USE YOUR COMPUTER DURING ELECTRICAL STORMS.
- Here are some useful information links that may help you decide on your course of action. Mention of any product names does not mean we endorse them.