Entertainment · Screen-free entertainment and protection · entertainment-21

Protect equipment from surges, damp and loss

Electronics and drives are hard to replace in a long outage. Protect them from surges, moisture and single failures.

How

Use point-of-use surge protectors on the media server, router and TV. ESFI notes not every power strip has surge protection and point-of-use units wear out over time or after a big surge.
Ask the electrician about whole-home surge protection with the earthing and lightning plan in power-19. ESFI notes no surge protector can handle a direct lightning strike, so unplug electronics when a storm is close.
Keep spare cables, chargers and fuses for every device, labelled in a box.
Keep at least one spare playback device (an older tablet or laptop) with the library apps installed.
Store spare electronics sealed with desiccant in a cool, dry place below the 75 percent RH damp threshold.

Safety: Unplug electronics when lightning is close; no surge device stops a direct strike.

Surge Protection: Keeping your Electronics and Home Safe. Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI), accessed 2026-11
Agent of Deterioration: Incorrect Relative Humidity. Canadian Conservation Institute, Government of Canada, accessed 2026-11