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Power conditioner -- when to replace?

I just bought a Furman power conditioner for my bedroom system to manage all my cords.  While investigating power conditioners, I came up on a couple of sites that suggested that they lose their effectiveness after as little as two years.  I have a beefy PowerVar 12 Power Conditioner that I have had in my main system  for maybe 10 years and I got to thinking that it might be at the end of its life.  

I welcome any thoughts on this longevity issue.  Thanks. 
whitestix
erik_squires
16,849 posts
 
The parts don't age, so much as surges age them, but this aging applies only to disposable units, which incorporate shunt devices like MOV's to short lightning strikes to ground, or neutral.

Furman conditioners which incorporate SMP can last decades, and protect your equipment from aging as quickly. It would take a pretty spectacular set of strikes to age them.

Best,
E



ebm
9,311 posts
 
2 years is a lie they last much longer id say 10 or 20 years depending on the unit.
schubert
7,386 posts
 
I have a Monster Power on my TV/DVD system that is over 20 years and hasn't been off in years ,
Post removed 
whitestix OP
733 posts
 
Thanks for all the input, it is very helpful.  To Elizabeth's last point, the usefulness of a "power conditione" includes both functions, typically.   Frankly, it the surge protection is kaput after a period of time, then one is left with only power conditioner and no protection for their gear in the event of a voltage surge.  I think both functions are equally important.  

Question:  is there a way to discover if the surge protection is still effective in a unit? 
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