Everyone wants to protect their costly electronics. You may wonder, “does my home theater need a surge protector or maybe something more powerful?” Having your expensive devices last longer not only makes things easier for you but also saves you money. Many companies suggest getting a surge protector to provide this type of protection.
Yes, a surge protector is necessary to protect your home theater equipment. It can be the difference between your home theater system dying early because of a surge or lasting through many storms.
But there are many things you need to take into consideration. Not all surge protectors are created the same. You may still find your home theater damaged by power surges, even with one. Continue reading to figure out how to get the best for your system.
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Does Your Home Theater Need A Surge Protector?
For added protection, using a surge protector can be the difference between your home theater getting electrocuted during a surge or not. You can have the newest system, which will go out because a surge fried the electronics.
But it doesn’t always help. Here are some benefits and cons of having a surge protector in your home:
| Benefits To A Surge Protector | Cons To A Surge Protector |
|---|---|
| Protects home theater from surges. | Upfront costs. |
| Improves life expectancy of home theater. | It can get expensive for specific protectors. |
| Saves money in the long run. | Doesn’t protect from larger surges. |
| Wide variety of protectors you can choose from. | It may not provide everything you need for a home theater system. |
| Low cost to start. | Cheap design compared to power conditioners. |
| More plugins. | It doesn’t protect wires that connect from inside the home to outside the home. |
Remember that if you don’t find a surge protector that fits your home theater and other electronics, then it won’t be of much use. It may be able to protect from small spikes in electricity, but it may not protect from larger surges.
For the best protection, you will need to pay a higher cost. The best surge protectors aren’t the cheapest, but they will keep your home theater from getting fried by a random surge or a lightning strike. The worst experience is having your home theater suddenly stop working due to a surge.
How To Find The Right Surge Protector
There are many things you want to take into consideration when purchasing a surge protector. You don’t want one that you found randomly for your home theater. All surge protectors are not created to withstand the same surges.
You want a surge protector that will protect your home theater in its entirety. This includes wires that come from outside to inside your home. You don’t want one that only does a little bit of the job. Here are some features you need the device to have for the best results:
- UL information is available and rated.
- Outlets aren’t crowded for AC adapters.
- Quick response time to surges (usually 1 nanosecond or less).
- Provides spike protection.
- Provides surge protection.
- It can protect against lightning strikes.
- It has visual indicators to inform you of the status.
- It can protect other cables for phone, ethernet, and video connection.
- Meets current standards.
- Provides a warranty.
A surge protector that meets all these standards could be a little more expensive, but it is necessary. You don’t want lightning to go through your cables and fry your home theater or one of your other cables, like an ethernet cable causing your home theater to become damaged.
This is a necessary purchase for you and your home theater to continue watching your favorite shows and movies with the best sound. You don’t want to spend that entire time worrying if a surge will disrupt your entertainment.
Do Surge Protectors Have Warranties?
Oh yes! If they are a company that provides well made surge protectors, they more than likely have a warranty. This warranty even covers the costs of your home theater, and other electronics plugged into your surge protector.
Many of these warranties have caps on how much they will reimburse you. Ensure that you check the product’s warranty before purchasing to know precisely home much they will return to you and what the timeframe is. Each company has different stipulations for its policies.
Outro
Surge protectors are an excellent investment, especially if you are in an area that has unexpected surges and lightning storms. For a good one, you will need to pay a little more, but it is worth it.
Just ensure you are doing your research so you can get one that is perfect for your system.
