Posted on: Tuesday, August 26, 2003

Protect gear when lights go out

By A.S. Berman
Gannett News Service

Investing in a home generator may not protect your computer, DVD player or big-screen television during a blackout — even if it may keep them running.

Generators aren't designed to protect sensitive electronic components that can short out during a power outage, such as the recent one that paralyzed parts of the Northeast, Midwest and Canada, says PC World magazine senior technical editor Rex Farrance.

Experts say one piece of equipment is particularly vital — the uninterruptible power supply or UPS — to ensure that your tech gear will work after the lights come back on. Try to run that new high-definition television set directly off the uneven electricity pumped out by many generators and you could ruin the delicate electronics inside.

A UPS setup — typically a power outlet containing a large back-up battery — regulates the flow of electricity to any device plugged into it. A low-end UPS costs from $30 to $50 and will keep your devices running three to five minutes after you've lost power. More sophisticated systems run $100 or more and provide 10 to 15 minutes of backup power.

Oddly, there's something already in your home that's far more likely to damage your electronic equipment: your refrigerator. A study by the Consumer Electronics Association last year revealed fridges to be "the No. 1 source of power fluctuation that makes electronics go bad," says spokesman Stephen Gates. Every time the motor kicks in, the great intake of power causes a fluctuation in a home's energy output.