A surge protector might cause such a problem, rather than solve it. Not sure why, perhaps it's only a problem if there are other electrical devices sharing the same surge protector. Basically, if it's a power problem, the power to the printer is fluctuating between "enough" and "not enough". It's not "too much", that would simply blow the fuse.

That's really strange that your usb responds to electrical devices, and is something I'd be concerned about. Maybe you need your house rewired. I'd definitely want to talk to an electrician about that, at the very least.