Every summer and autumn, storm season rolls across Moreton Bay, the lights flicker, and a few days later we get the calls: “The computer will not turn on since the storm.” Power surges quietly kill more computers around Bribie Island than just about anything else, and most of it is preventable.
What a power surge actually does
Your electronics are built to run on a steady flow of electricity. A surge is a sudden spike in that flow, lasting a fraction of a second. Lightning is the dramatic cause, but most surges come from mundane sources: the power grid switching, your air conditioner or fridge compressor kicking in, or power returning after an outage.
The spike races through your wiring into anything plugged in. Sensitive components, especially power supplies and modems, cook instantly. Sometimes the damage is sneaky: the device still works, but a little worse, until it dies weeks later for “no reason.”
Your first line of defence: a surge protector
A proper surge-protecting power board costs $30 to $60 and sacrifices itself to save your equipment. Look for ones labelled with a joule rating (higher is better, 1000+ joules is a decent board) and ideally a connected equipment warranty.
Important: not every power board is a surge protector. A cheap $10 board from the supermarket often just adds extra outlets with zero protection. Check the packaging.
What absolutely needs protecting
- Your NBN modem and router. The most commonly surged device we see, partly because surges also travel down phone and NBN lines.
- Desktop computers and their monitors.
- Your TV and anything plugged into it.
- Anything irreplaceable or expensive. NAS drives, POS terminals, camera recorders.
When a storm is actually overhead
Surge protectors help with everyday spikes, but a direct or nearby lightning strike can jump straight through anything. When a serious storm is rolling in, the truly safe option is boring but free: unplug it. Power point, and for NBN gear, the wall socket for the line too.
Consider a UPS for important gear
A UPS (uninterruptible power supply) is a battery box your equipment plugs into. It smooths out surges AND keeps things running through short outages and brownouts, so a flicker does not corrupt your files mid-save. For a small business POS system or a home NAS, a $150 UPS is cheap insurance.
After the storm: warning signs
Watch for devices that smell faintly burnt, a modem with fewer lights than usual, a computer that turns on but behaves oddly, or internet that drops out randomly. Surge damage loves to masquerade as random faults.
Insurance tip
If a surge does kill your gear, many home and contents policies cover it, but insurers often want an assessment report. That is exactly what our insurance report service provides.
