It's not just your breakfast cereal going snap, crackle, pop. Sometimes it can be your electricity. A meter base surge arrester from the PUD can keep voltage problems on the power lines from entering your home through the electric meter. But that just takes care of half the problem. You also need to protect each device from power problems that come from inside the home. To do that, each piece of equipment needs to be connected to a plug-in surge suppressor.

Surge Suppressor Checklist
If you're in the market for good surge protection, here is what to look for:

• A UL label with a standard of 1449.
• A low voltage clamping level. The lower the clamping level, the better the protection. A clamping level of 330 volts or less is best.
• A high joules rating. The higher the joules rating, the better. A rating of 300 or better is recommended.
• A quick response time. The quicker the response time, the more protection for your equipment. Look for a response time of 50 picoseconds or less.
• Maximum surge current. 10,000 amps and higher is best, around 6,500 amps is okay. Less than that, your equipment may not be adequately protected. 
• A light or alarm that indicates the strip is working.
• A warranty for equipment damaged while connected to the device. Just make sure you fill out the warranty card and mail it in.
• You can good, high quality plug-in surge protectors made by Panamax at the General Store in Goldendale.