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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
whitestix OP
386 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? 
schubert
4,867 posts
 
Push two wires together .
elizabeth
6,726 posts
 
Sadly MOV are not easy to check if they are any good. Best bet is to just replace them. They are dirt cheap. and a whole pile are usually stuck in the spot. Just replace them and even add a few more.There ARE other kinds of surge protection. You would need to ask the maker what sort your unit has (if any)If you do not know what they look like, very distinctive blue flat disc. Google "images" MOV and you can see hundreds of them.
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