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You’re probably aware that lightning and power surges can damage electronic devices such as computers and TV sets.
I’m also guessing that you have your expensive tech gear plugged into surge protectors.
But did you know that surge protectors don’t last forever?
Question from Mickie: My husband built me a small office in the corner of our basement so I can work down there away from the noise and commotion from the kids and the TV.
The problem is he didn’t install any electrical outlets in the new office and the closest existing outlet is about 70 feet away from it (there are only two outlets in the entire basement).
My question is would it be safe to run a 75 foot extension cord from that outlet into the new office? [Read more…]
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Question from Jeannie: Hi, Rick. I live in an area that’s prone to frequent electrical storms so I’ve always been fanatical about keeping my electronic stuff plugged into surge protectors.
But I heard the other day that surge protectors can go bad after a while. Is that true? All of mine are several years old.
Rick’s answer: [Read more…]
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Question from Ana: I bought a new iMac from Best Buy a couple of years ago.
I also bought a surge suppressor to go with it because the salesman said it would prevent the computer from being damaged by lightning.
We had a thunderstorm last night and our power went off. It came back on a couple of hours later but now my TV, dishwasher and iMac are all dead. None of them will do anything when I turn them on.
My question is, do surge suppressors really work?
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Question from Shelby: I bought a new computer the other day.
The salesman told me I won’t need to plug it into a surge protector because the power supply automatically protects it from over-voltage.
I don’t want my computer get damaged by lightning but I also don’t want to buy something I don’t need.
I’ve always heard that we do need to use surge protectors but now I’m not sure.
Is the salesman right?
Rick’s answer: [Read more…]