Originally Posted by
GingerK
One more thing--and this is for the protection of our machines themselves--even though we have a whole home surge protector, I have my machines plugged into their own surge protectors.
Just be aware that a surge protector is
a) a sacrificial device - its internal circuits will usually be destroyed by a significant power surge (that's how many work, actually), or at least rendered useless after a hit
b) inadequate in the event of lightning strike. The power and speed of a strike are far greater than the clamping voltage and reaction time of a surge protector's circuits
c) don't necessarily protect against voltage coming in on the "ground" wire
I there's an impending storm, it's always best to unplug as well and not rely on a surge protector.
Our greatest damage due to a power surge was lightning strike traveling up our phone landline.