Many, if not most, homeowners assume that power surges come from stormy weather, and that alone. But this is not actually the case. Power surges come from the appliances in your home, and in recent years, as we have become increasingly reliant on electronic devices and high efficiency appliances, we’ve increased our own risk of power surges. And they post a more serious threat than many realize, to appliances, electronics, and homes in general.
You probably think you’re just fine depending on the small, portable surge protectors you can et at any hardware or office supply store (these are referred to as power strips). Hey, you can plug your stereo, television, lighting, and more into it—convenient, right? Well unfortunately, power strips are not enough to provide the level of protection needed for you home. Rather, you need a whole house surge protection system installed by a professional electrician in Cedar Falls, IA.
What Appliances in My Home Need Surge Protection?
Anything with a circuit board. This includes your cooling and heating systems, your clothes washer and dryer, entertainment equipment and appliances, and even your LED lighting. There is increasing technology that we are all plugging into our homes, and it all needs protection.
Another thing to consider is even if you have the above-mentioned power strips in place, it’s practically impossible to get every single electrical component in your home plugged into them—nor should you be! It’s estimated that the average home may have as much as $10,000 worth of unprotected electrical equipment, without the right amount of surge protection.
You Could Be Experiencing Power Surges without Realizing It
As we mentioned above, most people associate power surges with lightning. And yes, the biggest and most noticeable power surges due occur with lightning storms. But it’s actually pretty rare that just one large surge will take out your appliance all at once.
What you should be more concerned about is the accumulation of mini-surges that happen, due to appliances such as your generator and air conditioning unit—these appliances introduce small surges into your home’s electrical lines over time, until eventually they cause other appliances to fail.
With whole-house surge protection installed right at your circuit breaker, you can make sure that your entire electrical system is wholly protected. When an HVAC system or generator sends a surge back to your electrical pane, it could result in damage to the whole panel, and therefore all the systems attached to it.
Protect Your Electrical System, and Your Home
Surge protection systems can be installed directly into your electrical pane, stemming the flow of electricity when power does surge. This makes for a convenient installation that doesn’t take up much space in your home.
There are also larger, more powerful surge protectors if needed. They are installed outside of the electrical box. But no matter what type of whole-house surge protection you end up with, it must be professionally installed by trained electricians, for your physical safety and the integrity of your home.