Is my power strip a surge protector?

Look for UL 1449 on the label or the box. Surge protectors are listed to it, and plain power strips aren’t, whatever the box calls them.

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Plug either one straight into a wall outlet, not into another strip or an extension cord.

What the listings mean

UL calls a power strip a relocatable power tap, and the standard for it is UL 1363. Some strips also contain parts that protect against surges, and those are the ones listed to UL 1449. Surge protectors that aren’t listed may be a fire or safety hazard.

Tripp Lite’s manuals for its Power It! and PS-Series power strips say those strips don’t protect the equipment plugged into them from surges or line noise.

Most surge protectors use parts called metal oxide varistors (MOVs), which absorb the extra voltage in a surge and send it to the ground wire. To work properly, a surge protector has to be plugged into a properly wired and grounded outlet.

What the VPR measures

The VPR is the voltage a surge protector lets through in UL 1449’s test, which applies a surge of 6,000 volts and 3,000 amps. The test came in with the standard’s 3rd edition, replacing an older rating tested with a much smaller surge, and the 4th edition (2014) changed little about these ratings.

What to plug in

• Power strips are made for low-powered things such as computers, peripherals and audio and video gear.
• They’re not designed for space heaters, refrigerators or microwave ovens, which can easily go past the amp rating on many strips. See space heaters and extension cords.
• Don’t run a strip’s cord through walls, windows, ceilings or floors.