Imagine enjoying a quiet evening at home, watching a movie, playing a game, and the power flickers. In the blink of an eye, your television and game console have gone off. If you’re lucky, everything turns on and works correctly when the power returns. If luck isn’t on your side, however, a power surge just might ruin your electronics and your evening.
A power surge occurs when too much electricity reaches the outlets in your home. Normally, your home receives a steady flow of electricity that provides just the right amount of power for your devices. But if something causes the electricity to spike, an excessive amount of power can surge in through the wires in your home.
A power surge doesn’t always cause serious damage. It might not even cause damage at all. But when it comes to electricity, being safe is better than being sorry. Here are five reasons every home should have some form of surge protection.
1. Protect Electronic Items From Damage
You probably have all kinds of electrical gadgets and gizmos in your home. That’s common for most modern homeowners. A typical home in the United States will have at least one television, a computer, and several appliances like a stove, refrigerator, washing machine, or microwave. Then you’ve got your cell phone, electronic tablet, game console, and various other devices, and so do your family members.
A power surge happens quickly and can destroy all your electronic items in the blink of an eye. The surge sends a jolt of electricity into your items, and their internal parts can fry like an egg. At that point, all of your electronic items are useless. Surge protection is one way to stop the electricity before it does any damage.
2. Save Yourself From Buying New Electronics
You’ll likely need to replace anything that the power surge cooks. Depending on what took the damage, it could cost a small fortune to replace everything. Imagine having to replace items like your television, game console, laptop, or even something more expensive, like an appliance, all at the same time. You might end up spending thousands of dollars. Even if repair is an option for some of the items, you’ll still have to pay for it. Getting surge protection for your home costs much less than paying for repairs and replacements.
3. Reduce the Risk of Electrical Fires
A power surge can cause an electrical fire. The surge of power can cause wires to spark and start a fire. An electrical fire is dangerous, no matter how it starts or its location. An electrical fire within the walls is even more dangerous because it might not be immediately obvious.
A smoldering fire within a wall can remain hidden. And early detection isn’t possible without visible flames or smoke. After a period, you might see burn marks around an outlet or outlets with discoloration. An area of a wall might even feel hot to the touch. The best way to reduce the chances of this happening is to make sure your home has surge protection.
4. Stay Safe During Lightning Storms
If you’ve seen the aftermath of a tree hit by lightning, then you know that lightning is powerful. When it strikes power lines or anything nearby, lightning can send electricity straight through the power lines.
The National Weather Services says a typical lightning strike is about 300 million volts and 30,000 amps. Compare that to your household current, which is 120 volts and 15 amps. A power surge resulting from lightning can destroy or seriously damage anything inside your home that’s plugged into the electrical system. Surge protection can help protect your belongings from the damage a lightning power surge can cause.
5. Extend the Life of Your Appliances
Power surges can often occur without obvious signs. The large surges might be noticeable, but smaller surges can fly under the radar. For example, a power surge can happen when your cooling system switches on or when you turn on a vacuum cleaner. These small surges can take a toll on your appliances and make them wear out faster than they normally would. Surge protectors help manage these small surges so that your appliances can work longer.
How to Protect Your Home From Power Surges
You probably know about power strips that are made to provide surge protection. This is an important distinction because not all power strips are also surge protectors. The strips that are surge protectors absorb excess electricity before it affects anything plugged into the strip. Plugging your devices into one of these strips is better than no protection at all, but it’s not the optimal solution.
At Bryant Heating, Cooling, Plumbing & Electric, we often suggest a whole-house surge protector. This protector connects directly to your home’s electrical panel. It’s a desirable option because the power surge never even reaches the outlets in your home. A whole-house surge protector also makes it possible to protect everything in your home and not just items that are plugged into a power strip.
A professional electrician from Bryant Heating, Cooling, Plumbing & Electric is all you need to get the job done. Working with electrical issues is not a DIY project. There’s just too much that could go wrong when you don’t have the proper training. Even if you think you can do the job yourself, there are numerous benefits to getting help from someone who specializes in working with electricity.
Benefits of Professional Electrician
Professional electricians have licenses and certifications that prove they’ve had the training to perform electrical work, such as installing whole-house surge protectors. These documents are important because they show that the electrician has taken the extra steps to show their dedication to the profession.
Another benefit is that local electricians know the electrical codes in your area. Not only do they know the codes, but they also know how to comply with these codes. Failing to stay on code can lead to hazards like electrical shock, fires because of faulty wiring, and additional damage to your property or body. And if your home has to undergo a building code inspection, you could face fines or legal action.
The bottom line is that you need someone reliable and professional to handle surge protection for your home. The job of any surge protector is to absorb or block excess electricity before it does any damage. Parts inside these devices either direct the excess electricity into the ground or soak up the electricity sort of like a sponge. And you want to make sure whichever method of protection you choose works exactly like it should.
Contact the Electrical Experts
Protecting your Lexington, KY home from power surges is a wise decision, and Bryant Heating, Cooling, Plumbing & Electric is ready to get the job done. We take our job seriously because we know you are relying on us to keep your home safe. Our professional electricians have the training and expertise to provide the surge protection you need. We also offer many HVAC system services for your other household needs, including HVAC installation and repair, water heater services, whole house installation, smoke detector services, duct cleaning, and indoor air quality services. Contact us today!
