Even though it does not appear the failure led to any loss of life, CHP officials say they can't take the chance this could happen again. So, the state is ordering a completely new system to serve as a backup in case of another emergency like the one many people faced this weekend. Most power surges originate within your home or business because inductive loads are the down-side to power distribution. When you turn on a piece of inductive equipment there is a surge of up to 3,000 volts or more. These power surges, little by little, eventually result in the break down of insulation.
Motors begin to arc, flourescent lamps start to burn out, and computers can crash.
Shake the plug-strip and see if it rattles. A particular part of most inexpensive power strips is designed to simply break down as a result of absorbing surges. After a few real spikes it has basically been used up, yet the power strip keeps working as a multiple plug-in in, nothing more. It's too easy to believe that because the orange light is on, everything is fine. This unit connects directly to your electrical panel and parallels all circuits.