Within the quest for the final word mixture of battery backup and surge safety, the UPS-in-surge protector query has been requested for years, with no clear-cut reply. Many advocate plugging a UPS right into a surge protector; but, many others don’t. However which is appropriate? Learn on to search out out.
What Is a UPS?
An Uninterruptible Energy Provide (UPS) is a tool that gives battery backup to any linked gear within the occasion of sudden energy drops or a whole energy failure. It does this due to an inside battery that may energy your units anyplace from a couple of minutes to a number of hours, relying on their particular person and mixed energy scores. Most UPSes even have Automated Voltage Regulation to guard your units from spotty electrical energy, whereas some take this to a better stage by incorporating some type of surge safety.
What Is a Surge Protector?
A surge protector is an influence strip on steroids. On any given day, it serves as a a number of outlet receptacle for plugging in parts. Nevertheless, within the occasion of an influence surge, its major operate is revealed: to guard costly units like PCs, TVs, and extra, from harmful voltage spikes. Take a look at our information on one of the best surge protectors in your gear.
The Greatest Surge Protectors of 2022 
Greatest Surge Protector Total
Tripp Lite TLP1208TELTV Surge Protector
Greatest Wall Surge Protector (AKA Wall Wart)
LVETEK Surge Protector
Greatest Surge Protector for Gaming PCs
Furman Energy Station 8 (PST-8)
Greatest Journey Surge Protector
Tripp Lite Moveable Surge Protector
Greatest Battery Backup Surge Protector
APC UPS Battery Backup Surge Protector
$284.08 $316.24 Save 10%
Some Producers Say Sure
Common electrical gadget producers like Eaton and Alltec International say you’ll be able to plug a UPS right into a surge protector. In reality, they advocate it. Whereas that sounds opposite to standard opinion, their causes make quite a lot of sense.
UPSes are identified primarily as battery backups, however in addition they include some type of built-in surge safety potential to fulfill the IEEE Normal, which states that networked surge safety units (SPDs) are wanted for UPS battery backups. So that ought to imply {that a} UPS is sufficient in your units, proper? Nicely, not fairly.
In keeping with Eaton, the extent of surge safety offered by most UPSes is second-rate at finest and will by no means be thought-about the first surge safety gadget. However even when you took producer claims at face worth, most don’t even give sufficient values—let by voltages, joule score, and many others.—so that you can assess the adequacy of this built-in surge safety.
The overarching thought is {that a} surge protector will safeguard your gear and even the linked UPS from excessive voltage spikes. Simply be sure that by no means to exceed the utmost load of both strip (UPS or surge protector).
Others Advise Towards It
Producers like APC and Australian firm UPS Options don’t advocate plugging a UPS right into a surge protector. So what are their causes?
For starters, UPS Options mentions there’s nothing incorrect with plugging a surge protector right into a UPS if finished accurately. Nevertheless, UPS Options kicks in opposition to it for causes you’ll have heard earlier than, such because the UPS switching to battery energy even with out a grid failure as a consequence of uneven energy distribution amongst its shops—this can end in sooner battery put on. Nevertheless, this downside will seemingly solely happen when heavy home equipment are linked to the surge protector’s further shops.
Different causes identified embrace the ability strip doubtlessly overloading the UPS and subsequently growing the probabilities of an influence spike. It additionally would possibly simply void your guarantee. APC highlights related causes however says that your guarantee and Gear Safety Coverage shall be maintained provided that you employ an APC model surge protector together with your APC model UPS.
Ought to You or Ought to You Not?
So with these seemingly conflicting views in thoughts, are you protected to plug your surge protector into your UPS? Finally, the reply will depend on the precise UPS and surge protector you’ve got and what the producer has to say about it.
To be on the protected facet, examine the person guide and guarantee of your gadget for extra data on the dos and don’ts of that specific mannequin. In case your producer doesn’t present solutions and also you resolve to plug your UPS into your surge protector anyway, you need to at the very least keep away from connecting home equipment that demand quite a lot of energy. You may also think about shopping for UPSes and surge protectors from producers that do offer you particular solutions, since that indicators higher buyer help that gained’t depart you at the hours of darkness.
