The Evolution Of Surge Protection

Many people do not think about the devices that act in the background to protect us or our assets every day. Surge protection devices are one of those devices that simply exist in the background quietly doing nothing for the majority of the time they are in use. Their sole purpose is to act in the case of a power surge that would allow more electricity than a device can handle to flow across it. Computers and other data processing equipment utilizes circuitry that can easily be damaged by an overload of electricity in the form of a power surge. There are small types of damage that happen each time a small surge is allowed to contact circuits, like switching on and off, and there are larger types of damage that occur when a large scale surge is allowed through. The job of the surge protection device is to sit dormant on the line that the electricity is flowing until the time when that electrical flow exceeds a level that is safe for the attached equipment. At that point, the surge protection device instantly creates a gap that the electricity cannot flow across, effectively cutting power to everything beyond it. Any attached system that relies upon that power will be shut down until which time the gap within the surge protection device is closed or restored, and power is once again allowed to flow across it.

As surge protection devices evolve, we find them being able to be reset easier so as to restore system functionality with less time and effort, and we find them being made of more robust materials that allow them to be more effective by not being destroyed in the process of doing their job. In many cases, the switch that is triggered that creates the gap must be replugged in order to restore the electrical flow, which takes man hours and labor to accomplish. The new and more technologically advanced devices not only have the ability to be reset easier, but they can actually continue to function even after they have cut the power flow and then it has returned to normal. This is important because a hazard of surge protection involves multiple surges or lightning strikes that leave systems vulnerable after the first protective measure is taken. The multiple-strike possibility always exists for equipment in the field, and in more basic surge protection systems once the system has been triggered it is no longer functional. This flaw cost millions of dollars every year in damage to equipment, and ultimately is being improved upon through the technological evolution of the surge protection devices themselves. Combined with more robust housings and components and we have surge protection devices that are capable of doing their job faster and more effectively than ever before, thus saving millions of dollars in damage and also keeping productivity at all time highs.