Protecting equipment from voltage spikes: which option specifically helps prevent power surges from reaching your devices?

Introduction / Context:
Power quality problems include surges (overvoltage spikes), sags, brownouts, and blackouts. Different tools address different problems. Selecting the right protection reduces the risk of damage to power supplies, motherboards, and storage devices.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Household or office AC mains environment with occasional transients.
• Goal is to attenuate short-duration voltage spikes.
• Normal computing loads (PCs, monitors, small peripherals).

Concept / Approach:
A surge suppressor (often with MOVs or more advanced components) clamps transient overvoltages, protecting downstream equipment. A UPS provides ride-through during outages and may include basic surge suppression, but the device explicitly dedicated to mitigating surges is the surge suppressor. A multimeter measures; it does not protect. The term “spike protector” is colloquial and often synonymous with a surge suppressor, but as a stand-alone answer it is ambiguous compared to the standard terminology “surge suppressor.”

Step-by-Step Solution:

Verification / Alternative check:
Review product specifications: look for joule rating, let-through voltage, and UL/IEC surge ratings to confirm surge suppression capability.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• Spike protector: Informal term; without specifics it is less precise than “surge suppressor.”
• UPS system: Primarily for continuity; may include limited surge protection but is not the primary surge-prevention device.
• High-grade multimeter: Diagnostic tool, offers no protection.
• None of the above: Incorrect because surge suppressors are purpose-built for this task.

Common Pitfalls:
Thinking a UPS alone protects fully from severe surges; in critical setups, use both a quality surge suppressor and a UPS with line conditioning.

Final Answer:
Surge suppressor