Editing Surge protector (section)

{{Short description|Protects electrical devices from voltage spikes}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}

[[File:IMO SPD 40-275 Surge Protection Device E-Magnetica.jpg|thumb|upright|Surge protection device (SPD) for installation in a low-voltage distribution system.]]

A '''surge protector''', '''spike suppressor''', '''surge suppressor''', '''surge diverter''',<ref>{{cite web|last=Energy Safe Victoria|title=Safety switches, surge diverters and circuit breakers|url=http://www.esv.vic.gov.au/For-Consumers/Gas-and-electrical-safety-in-the-home/Electrical-safety-in-the-home/Safety-switches-surge-diverters-circuit-breakers|work=Gas and electrical safety in the home|publisher=Energy Safe Victoria|access-date=2016-05-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160510035404/http://www.esv.vic.gov.au/For-Consumers/Gas-and-electrical-safety-in-the-home/Electrical-safety-in-the-home/Safety-switches-surge-diverters-circuit-breakers|archive-date=2016-05-10|url-status=dead}}</ref> '''surge protection device''' ('''SPD'''), '''transient voltage suppressor''' '''(TVS)''' or '''transient voltage surge suppressor''' ('''TVSS''') is an appliance or device intended to protect [[Electronics|electrical devices]] in [[alternating current]] (AC) circuits from [[voltage spike]]s with very short duration measured in [[microsecond]]s, which can arise from a variety of causes including lightning strikes in the vicinity.

A surge protector limits the [[voltage]] supplied to the electrical devices to a certain threshold by [[short-circuiting]] current to [[Ground (electricity)|ground]] or absorbing the spike when a transient occurs, thus avoiding damage to the devices connected to it.

Key specifications that characterize this device are the clamping voltage, or the transient voltage at which the device starts functioning, the [[Joule]] rating, a measure of how much energy can be absorbed per surge, and the response time.