Mounting a surge protector under your desk is one of the most practical ways to protect your electronics from power surges. It is important to protect expensive items from voltage spikes and power outages. That way, they will not be destroyed.
There are many options for mounting a UPS (uninterruptible power supply) or surge protector under your desk. But not all techniques will provide the best protection.
However, few people know how to mount a surge protector under a desk properly. In this guide, we outline three simple steps that can help you mount a surge protector safely and effectively.
Steps to Mount a Surge Protector under a Desk
Mounting a surge protector under your desk is quite important. Because it will ensure your proper cable management. To be honest, you can easily mount a surge protector or a power strip on the wall or under the desk. However, to do that you have to follow these simple steps properly.
Step 1- Take the Right Decision
The first step in the process is deciding whether your desk will be the best location for mounting in your room. At this point, there are a few factors to consider:
Trust me, it is a very important step and you can’t ignore that. Because if you don’t have a crystal clear idea about the size of your desk, you may not plan properly when it comes to mounting a surge protector.
Besides, you should also consider whether you are going to use other electronic devices on your desk along with your computer.
Once you’ve decided where it’s going and have all questions answered, then go to the 2nd step.
Step 2- Find an appropriate location on your desk for mounting
Generally speaking, this should be somewhere near either side of your computer or at least out of the way so that cables can easily reach it.
To do this accurately and damage nothing in the process, you’ll need to use a level and measure the distance between the two mounting holes on your surge protector. Many people spoil the entire process if they can’t locate the right spot for mounting the surge protector.
Step 3- Drill into Your Desk
The third step is drilling into your desk to create a hole in which the outlet can be mounted.
This should take place where it was measured during the second step. This hole mustn’t go through any part of the desk that will be used to put things on.
Once this is done, it’s time to put in the surge protector and connect the power cable.
To do this, use a drill bit just slightly smaller than your cables, then feed them through from the inside out before screwing them into place.
Don’t forget to take proper safety measures at this point. Especially, when you talk about connecting the power cable, you must ensure that you know well what you are doing.
Step 4- Put the Cover Back
Now that you have already mounted the surge protector under the desk, it is high time to put back the cover. Once you do that, you will be completely done with this process.
However, you need to make sure to screw up the brackets properly. After completing this process, you must test whether the surge protector is properly working or not.
Now, you can use a plastic basket to cover up the wiring and the surge protector. The basket should be large enough so that it can handle all of the wiring and other staff. Just put everything inside the basket.
Now, you have to mount the basket under the bottom of your desk. For this mounting process, you can use either mirror hangers or hooks. You should be able to do perfect cable management when you mount the basket under your desk.
Nonetheless, try to use a plastic basket instead of a metal one. Otherwise, you might end up getting electric shocks accidentally.
A Quick Summary:
Below I am giving you a quick summary of the entire process so that you can easily mount a surge protector under your desk. Just make sure to follow every step properly to complete the process successfully.
How to Mount a Power Strip to a Desk without Screws?
The great thing about power strips is that they let you plug in all your devices. But the bad news is, some desks have no built-in mounting system!
Thankfully, with a little elbow grease and creativity, this problem can be solved pretty easily.
The mounting process isn’t complicated, but it can be fiddly. It’s important not to cause any damage. If your power strip comes without screws, you can follow the above-mentioned steps. Many people may get confused about what to do when the power strip has no screw. In that case, these tricks may help you to get the job done.
Is Cable Management Important?
Think about the situation of one decade back. You have desktops or laptops and other wired devices. It was quite easier to create a mess with the cables. The entire situation has changed these days. Most of the devices available in the market are wireless nowadays.
Still, it is very easy today to create a messy situation with many laying cables if you don’t know how to manage cables properly. Although most of your devices may be wireless nowadays, you will have a laptop or mobile charger, a table lamp or fan, and other things.
So, you need to know about proper cable management. Besides, it is not a wise decision always to go wireless. Because sometimes, you may need some electronic devices which come with messy wires. That is why you should know how to manage cables effectively.
Does Cable Management Affect Productivity
When it comes to productivity, without any doubt proper cable management plays an important role there. If you can manage your wires and cables properly, definitely it will increase your overall productivity.
Because a clean and tidy working desk will create a positive vibe in your mind. And, needless to say, a positive mode will rise your overall productivity level.
Below I will discuss some points for which you should know how to do proper cable management.
For Safety:
There is no doubt that loose cables under your desk can become so much harmful to you. It can create a serious safety issue at your home. For instance, you may fall by tripping on the wrong cable. Besides, a heavier item can crash on your head due to wrong cable management under your desk.
For Saving Valuable Time:
Proper management of wires and cables will increase your overall efficiency and productivity by saving time. For example, it may become a perfect reason for wasting your time if you can’t recognize the right cables under your desk.
In that case, you may unplug the wrong cable from the power strip. But, when you have a proper idea about the cables as you can manage them properly, you will be able to trace the right cable easily.
For Saving Money:
Another thing to consider is proper cable management can save your hard-earned money. If you have a lot of loose cables at your home, the messy situation can damage the wires or even the devices. In that case, you may need to replace that item which will cost you some extra money.
Some Tips for Installing a Surge Protector or Power Strip
You may already know that a surge protector will give your electronic devices and gadgets proper protection during a power surge. If you run your important electronics by plugging in a surge protector, they will be protected in most cases.
There is no denying the fact that a surge protector and a power strip may look like same. But, it’s your responsibility to make sure that you have bought the right unit. I meant you must check that it is a surge protector.
Otherwise, you may end up buying a power strip without an option for surge protection. Because, if your power strip comes with the surge protection option, your will leave your valuable electronics in a vulnerable situation.
A simple power surge at your home can harm your valuable devices. Now, whether you have a power strip or surge protector, mounting it on a flat surface like the wall is not an easy thing to do. To mount that successfully on your wall, you can follow some tricks as I mentioned below.
First of all, you must find out where you should mount it. Finding out the perfect spot for mounting a surge protector is quite important. Because you should mount it on a spot from where it is quite easier to run all related devices.
The tough job here is locating the position of the mounting screws properly. Sometimes, you may get a pattern from the manufacturer which will make your life easier.
However, it is also true that you may not get a pattern. In that case, you can make the entire process easier by following a simple trick. First of all, you need to choose the right surge protector so that all of the mounting work can be done without any hassle.
If you don’t get the pattern from the manufacturer, you can use a piece of paper and chalk to get a pattern from your surge protector. Mark the screwing points in your paper. Now attach the paper to the selected spot on the wall.
Now that you know the screwing points, you have to drill in those points. After drilling there properly remove the paper from the wall. Now, you have to set the surge protector on the wall. Install all of the screws to the respective holes.
Screw them tightly so that the surge protector can remain attached to the wall. That’s how you can easily mount a surge protector on a wall or any kind of flat surface. To ease your working process, you can use a wall mount surge protector which will be more convenient.
Check out the following video for a better understanding.
Do you see that? Mounting a surge protector on a flat surface is as simple as that. However, you should follow the steps properly for the successful completion of the mounting process.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Should you have further questions, here are the answers to some commonly asked questions to give you a proper clarification.
It depends on where you place the basket under your desk. You should always mount the basket in a far and higher spot so that your knee can’t reach it easily. If you complete the mounting process without proper planning, yes, there is a chance that you will bump into the basket.
Yes, it is pretty much possible. But, you should keep proper space for plugging in purpose. Still, it might seem a little bit challenging to you. But trust me, with proper practice and regular use, you will be able to plug in staff conveniently.
Yes, you will need to make some holes under your desk for the mounting process. Because without drilling those holes, it will not be possible for you to mount the surge protector and the basket under your desk.
To be honest, this mounting process will ensure proper safety at your home. That said, still there can be a potential fire hazard. If you put a wiring or staff in the basket that can run extremely hot, it can damage your devices. Besides, there can be a potential fire safety issue. So, you must know what you are putting in the basket.
For ensuring a clean and tidy working place, the cable should be managed properly. Otherwise, it may create safety issues at your home. For example, you can suddenly fall due to loose cables. Besides, it will waste your valuable time if you can’t trace the right cable.
Wrapping Up!
There is no doubt that loose cables around your work tables can create a messy situation at your home. It will kill your productivity and can create negative vibes. That is why you should know how to manage wires and cables properly.
You must ensure that there are no loose wires at your home. Otherwise, your overall safety will be at stake. If you have a surge protector, you should try to mount it under the desk. Now, installing a surge protector or a power strip under your work desk is not rocket science.
You just have to know how to mount the surge protector under the desk correctly. In this article, I tried to give you in-depth and step-by-step instructions so that you can complete the task properly. I hope it was helpful. Now you should be able to mount a surge protector or other staff very conveniently under the desk.
