When Electricity Ruins Your Computer

If you read the title of today's tip, you are probably thinking something like, "Doesn't my computer need electricity?"  Yes, of course, it does need electricity to function, whether the electricty comes from a wall outlet or a battery inside the device.  However, electricity can also ruin your devices if it is not handled properly.

Here are three ways that electricity can ruin an electronic device:

1) Static Electricity - Did you know that you carry electricity on you?  It's what makes your hair stand up when you rub a balloon on it.  It can also be what destroys your computer if you don't take adequate precautions before you work inside of it.

The exterior of your computer (and other exterior equipment, like a keyboard, mouse, or monitor) are designed to protect against static electricity, so you do not need to worry about static while you are using a computer.  However, if you decide to look inside the case (or underneath the plastic covering on a laptop) for any reason, then you need to be concerned about static.

When you can feel static electricity on you (or you experience the static shock when you touch another object), you are experiencing a minimum of 3000 volts.  Some of the components inside a computer can be destroyed by a shock of less than 1000 volts.  This means that you can destroy a component inside the computer without even realizing you had a strong static charge on you at all.

If you decide to do any work inside your computer, use an antistatic wrist strap.  You can purchase them almost anywhere for much less than it would take to replace a component inside your computer.  If you must work inside of it and you do not have a strap available, then touch a metal component on the case with one hand while you work with the other hand.

2) Power Surges - Small power surges occur on a regular basis.  While the electric company tries to keep the power at a constant rate, there are numerous factors that can impact the voltage you actually receive.  However, there can be occasional times when the power surges more than normal.  It could be caused by a failure at a power substation or a high-voltage line falling onto a low-voltage line.  It could also be caused by two wires inside your house inadvertently touching.

If your device receives too much power, it can damage internal components.  You can keep your equipment safe from power surges by using a surge protector.  Surge protectors will kick in when the power surges and ground the extra power.

It is important to note, however, that surge protectors are only capable of grounding a certain amount of power.  Once that amount of power has been grounded, the surge protector will stop protecting your devices (it will continue to function like any other power strip, but there will be no surge protection.)  Some surge protectors have an indicator light that will come on or go out when it has reached its limit, but not all do.  Therefore, it is important to replace your surge protectors on a regular basis.

If you know your surge protector has taken a hit (for example, you know that a high voltage line hit a low voltage line in your neighborhood), you should replace your surge protector right away.  Otherwise, you should replace your surge protector every two to three years, depending on the quality of the surge protector.

3) Internal Surges - Power surges from outside your home are not the only power surges you need to worry about.  A power surge can also come from inside your device.  Most electric devices use Direct Current (DC) power, but DC power cannot be transmitted over electric lines for long distances.  Therefore, power comes into your home as Alternating Current (AC) power.  Your DC devices need to convert power from AC to DC in order to work.

Desktop computers have a built-in power supply that does this conversion (and also converts power into several different voltage levels).  For mobile devices, this conversion is done on a small box along the power line.  If the power supply stops functioning properly, your device could get too much power.

For mobile devices, check the power supply for physical damage on a regular basis, and replace it if you notice any.  Also, check the wires leading to your device and replace them if they are damaged.  Finally, listen for any strange noises coming from the power supply.  If you hear one, then it is time to replace the power supply.  Even if it is still functioning now, it is probably about to go out, and a power surge could wipe out additional parts inside of your computer.

4) Lightening - A lightening strike on your home could result in 1,000,000 volts or more coming down your electrical lines.  No surge protector is designed to handle this amount of electricity.  (Your electric company does have a device that will completely shut off power in such an instance, but they are extremely expensive to have installed.)

However, unlike the other instances, we do have some advance warning for lightening.  If the weather forecast is predicting a storm, then it is probably best to unplug your computer.  When there is lightening in the area, then it is definitely time to unplug all of your devices from their charges until it passes.  If you are going to be away for a longer period of time, then unplug your computer so that a storm cannot hit it.

Yes, the chances of being impacted by a lightening strike are very small, but the damage they will do can be significant.  Don't take your chances if you can avoid it!