A surge suppressor, which is also commonly known as a surge protector, is an important equipment that helps prevent damage to electric components from an unexpected increase of voltage. Let’s assume that you are living in a county where the effective utility voltage is between 110 to 120 volts. Assume that the accepted peak voltage should not be anything higher than 170 volts. If there is a surge and this surge reaches peak levels of 170 volts and higher, surge suppressors should jump in and prevent the peak AC voltage from going above the threshold.
People tend to confuse line conditioners and surge suppressors. While surge suppressors protect components from surges, line conditioners are built to make up for the loss of voltage from the lines. It does so by storing some power energy. This stored energy can later be modified and used when the volts drops to the desired 110 volts.
A UPS has DC battery power that provides battery backup power when the electricity goes off or when the levels of voltage drop significantly. When the electricity goes off means that the voltage is at 0 volts and it is the work of the UPS to kick its backup power in.
