Why you should replace old surge protectors

There’s nothing better than knowing your valuable electronics are safe. And surge protectors give you that peace of mind at a very low price—but only if you replace them every few years. While the old surge protectors in your home may seem to be working normally, they probably aren’t providing protection for your electronics.

How do surge protectors work?

Most people use the terms “power strip” and “surge protector” interchangeably. But a power strip is just a big plastic thing that gives you extra outlets. Surge protectors are far more useful—not only do they give you extra outlets, but they also regulate the amount of power your electronic devices receive.

Think of surge protectors like pressure relief valves. If the incoming voltage is too high, they send it to ground instead of letting it hit your electronics. And if the voltage is too low, your surge protector will increase the resistance to allow the electronics to function normally.

So, while a surge protector can keep electronics online during a “sag”, it’s most useful during power surges. As the name suggests, a surge sends a surge of voltage through your house wiring. This spike in voltage can destroy or damage electronic equipment, and unfortunately, damaged electronics are a common cause of home fires.

Surge protectors are an essential item in every home, and you should at least use them to protect valuable electronics from power surges. But you can’t use the same surge protectors for the rest of your life; They need to be replaced every few years.

Surge protectors wear out over time

When surge protectors receive an excessive current load, they shunt or “side-by-side” the extra current to ground using a metal-oxide varistor (MOV). But in diverting this power, the MOV is exposed to the surge. And over time it wears out.

Each surge protector has a rating that describes how much surge voltage the MOV can handle. This is in joules – most power strips are rated for 800 or 1,000 joules, while more expensive models can handle many times that amount.

But this rating is cumulative; It’s like health points in a video game. If a surge protector rated for 1,000 joules is hit during a 100 joules thunderstorm, it can only withstand 900 joules.

Once a surge protector’s “health points” drop to zero, it no longer provides surge protection. It becomes a simple power strip that doesn’t protect your electronics or your home.

Old surge protectors are a fire hazard

Once overvoltage protection has been “used up”, it becomes increasingly sensitive to undervoltages. And that’s a problem because it will still try to pick up excess voltage and send current to ground. If hit by a large surge, it may be damaged, resulting in a fire hazard. It could also overheat and catch fire immediately.

Also, an old surge protector offers little protection for your electronic devices. These devices can be damaged due to the lack of surge protection, and this damage creates its own risk of fire.

And even if we ignore surge protectors altogether, surge protectors tend to get crammed behind furniture and appliances. They’re in the nastiest parts of your home, collecting dust, crumbs, hair, and dead bugs — flammable stuff that slowly accumulates over the years.

These are not theoretical risks. As the Consumer Safety Guide explains, functional surge protection devices reduce the risk of an apartment fire. Old or defective surge arresters are also often the cause of fires. So please replace your old surge protector.

When should you replace a surge protector?

Unfortunately, you can’t really say when a surge protector needs to be replaced. Experts generally agree that you should replace surge protectors every two or three years, which is a good (if somewhat expensive) rule of thumb.

And while you might think that a failed surge protector “lasts longer” than one that’s only rated for 200 joules, that’s not the case Necessary the case. A large surge can exceed 1,000 joules and instantly wear out the more expensive surge protectors in your home. A high joule number simply provides additional security, especially with valuable or sensitive electronics.

Now you may notice that some power strips have a “Surge Protection” LED. This light will turn off (or turn on) to let you know that the surge protector is no longer working properly. This is a useful feature, especially in connection with sensitive electronics, but it is not 100% reliable.

When you buy a new surge protector, I suggest writing the date on the back. That way you’ll know to replace it when it’s two or three years old.

How to recycle old surge protectors

Unless you live in an area with strict e-waste laws, there’s nothing stopping you from tossing old surge protectors in the trash. But that’s pretty wasteful. Surge protectors contain several recyclable components, including copper, which can be reused in new electronics or house wiring.

But every city has its own recycling process. If your area doesn’t have dedicated e-waste facilities, you may need to call your city’s waste department for recycling instructions. Or you could use a website like call2recycle, earth911, or Greener Gadgets to find a recycling location near you.

My suggestion is relatively simple – go to Best Buy for electronics recycling. All Best Buy locations offer e-waste recycling and can give you a gift card if you recycle something of value.