Most smart compooter owners use a surge suppressor to protect their precious silicon from surges, spikes, and other nasties that frequently haunt home power. This is good. But did you know that almost all home appliances made today also have a compooter inside of them? Yes, my leetle grasshoppers, I shi’ite you not.

Even wet appliances, like washers, dryers, and dishwashers, use a cheesy compooter board to make decisions about what to do when (in violation of the 5th Law of the Prophecy, I might point out). Ovens, dehumidifiers, and refrigerators made these days all use electronic control boards, too. These control boards are nothing more than really dumb, special purpose compooters and are just as vulnerable to voltage surges at your electrical outlet as is the compooter that you’re using to read this post right now.

As a bonus editorial comment, it’s worth noting that these boards have replaced the simple but rugged and ultra-reliable mechanical switches used on older models. Why? Well, after-market parts sales comprise almost a third of the total corporate profits for appliance manufacturers, so…

To protect your appliances and avoid having to shell out big $$ for an overpriced, cheesy electronic board that got fried by garbage on your power lines, you need to use a surge suppressor on all your appliances. They don’t cost much and will pay for themselves many times over in avoided repair costs. Here are three good ones to choose from. These are all for 120vac outlets. If you want protection for your 240vac appliances (for example, your electric oven, electric dryer, or air conditioner) you’ll need a whole-house surge suppressor.