How To Protect The Home Against Power Surges

Protect the Home’s Appliances With a Whole House Surge Protector

In today’s world, electricity is a necessity. Every home relies on a steady supply of electricity nearly as much as a steady supply of clean water. But like anything else, too much electricity can be a bad thing. A sudden increase of electrical current exceeding a specific threshold (usually 169 volts for a typical home) is known as a power surge. 

Power surges occur for various reasons, but when they do, they can seriously damage the home’s electrical system and any devices plugged into it. This article will discuss the basics of power surges and how they can protect the home.

Causes and Dangers of Power Surges

There are many causes of power surges, but they can generally be divided into two categories: those originating inside the home and those that come from outside the home. 

Power surges can occur inside the home due to faulty wiring, circuit overloads (plugging too many devices into a single circuit), and turning on large appliances (air conditioners, refrigerators, etc.). 

Outside the home, they may occur due to lighting striking too close to electrical infrastructure, tree limbs or vehicle crashes, downing power lines, power being restored after an outage, or utility company issues.

No matter the cause, power surges send excessive electrical current into the home’s circuits. This can gradually degrade the home’s electrical equipment and damage or destroy any electronics or devices plugged into the affected circuits. In some cases, devices can even overheat and ignite, potentially starting an electrical fire.

Whole Home Surge Protector Benefits

Homeowners can employ some form of surge protection to protect against the dangers of power surges. Simply put, a surge protector absorbs any excess voltage detected in a circuit, preventing it from reaching the devices plugged into it. 

A power strip surge protector is the most commonly recognizable form of surge protection. However, as helpful as these are, they can only protect a few devices on a single circuit. Therefore, homeowners must have surge protector power strips at nearly every outlet in the house to protect all of their devices.

Alternatively, they can opt for a whole-house surge protector, typically installed at the main electrical panel or circuit breaker. As the name suggests, these protectors can shield every circuit in the home from sudden spikes in voltage. 

Whole-house surge protection doesn’t just help prevent damage to electronics plugged into ordinary wall outlets. Still, it also protects larger appliances that can’t be plugged into power strips (laundry machines and HVAC systems, for example) and the home’s built-in electrical hardware.

Signs an Old Surge Protector Needs Replacing

Surge protectors are designed to absorb joules of electricity, but they eventually reach their limit (different models have different capacities). When that happens, they no longer provide protection, exposing devices and circuits to surges. Unfortunately, it’s not always easy to tell when a surge protector has “expired.”

Some power strip surge protectors will stop providing power when they stop working. Some power strips and whole-home surge protectors have indicator lights or alarms to alert homeowners when they stop working. However, not all models offer these helpful indicators.

Generally, a whole-house surge protector should be replaced every 2-5 years. However, if homeowners have experienced outages or multiple thunderstorms, it may be better to replace it sooner. When in doubt, it’s best to have a qualified electrician perform yearly electrical inspections to protect the home against unexpected power surges!

About The Bosworth Company

The Bosworth Company has been the go-to resource for plumbing, heating, and electrical services in Midland, TX, since 1949. They offer 24/7 emergency services, up-front pricing, financing options, and a 100% satisfaction guarantee on every job. They are an award-winning, BBB A+ rated business with thousands of 5-star reviews, so homeowners know they’re in great hands when they call The Bosworth Company for surge protector installation in Midland, TX!

• 
  +