Did you know a silent killer is slowly sucking the life from your electrical appliances and devices? Power surges occur regularly without homeowners even knowing it. These intermittent small surges gradually damage electronics, reducing performance and shortening their useful lives. In addition, major power surges, such as from lightning, can destroy electronics in seconds.
Strips provide weak protection for just one circuit, leaving all your electronics vulnerable.
Real safety comes from the installation of whole house surge protectors.
What Are Power Surges?
Power surges are rapid increases in electrical currents caused by voltage oversupplies, large appliances turning off, and lightning. When they occur, huge amounts of electricity surge from wall sockets. These surges far exceed the tolerances of electronics, resulting in damage to critical parts and machine destruction.
Electric providers often cause power surges by pumping energy into the lines that far exceeds demand. In homes, heavy-duty appliances, such as refrigerators, create high demand while operating. When they turn off, other machines in the network suddenly receive a jolt. The jolt is usually not enough to cause damage, but on some occasions, the surge exceeds other appliances’ tolerances.
Lightning storms increase the air’s ionization. Higher ionization near power lines often causes power surges. In other cases, lightning strikes a power line directly, resulting in a massive surge.
The following causes of power surges are the most common:
- Inductive spikes
- Malfunctions caused by your power provider
- Power transitions in large equipment that shares the same power line
- Electromagnetic pulses with electromagnetic energy
- Short circuits
- Tripped circuit breakers
- Power outages
- Lightning
Why You Need Whole House Surge Protection
While surge strips help protect certain appliances, they are inadequate for stopping the gradual wear and tear of small power surges and the significant damage of massive surges from oversupply and lightning.
Whole house surge protection prevents major surges from devastating your appliances. In addition, it extends the life of all electrical devices in your home, including:
- Refrigerators
- Washers/Dryers
- Televisions
- Computers
- Lamps
- LED Bulbs
- Light Fixtures
- Dishwashers
- Any other device plugged into your home’s outlets
What Happens Without Whole Home Surge Protection?
Without whole home surge protection, homeowners stand to suffer the following:
Damage to Electronic Devices
Damage can be both gradual and sudden. Because most power surges are generated by large appliances shutting off, homeowners remain unaware of them. Over time, they result in damage to your computers, phones, and other devices, shortening their lives and compromising their performance.
Electronic Device Destruction
A powerful surge often occurs when the electric company restores power after an outage. These types of surges can destroy appliances. Powerful surges are also common during lightning storms, potentially cooking your appliances. Whole house surge protection ensures all of your electronic devices remain safe from both small and large surges.
Your Entire Electrical System Remains Vulnerable
Whole-house surge protectors keep your entire electrical system safe. Powerful surges can emanate from any circuit and travel through the whole network. As a result, every part of your electrical system can suffer damage.
When a whole-house surge protection system is in place, it sends the excess power back through the panel break. At that point, the surge is neutralized, and the rest of your system remains unaffected.
Pros/Cons of a Whole House Surge Protectors
Whole house surge protectors provide a host of benefits and very few drawbacks:
Pros
- Protects all electronic devices
- Prevents “smart home” features from being damaged
- Secures the entire electrical system
- No surge strips needed
Cons
- More costly than surge strips
- Large properties may require more than one surge protector
Why Whole Home Surge Protectors Are Worth It
Homeowners invest tens of thousands of dollars in their electronics, from big appliances to computers to smartphones. For a cost in the hundreds of dollars, a whole house surge protector safeguards these investments.
In addition, devices that store important data, such as computers, tablets, and smartphones, can lose crucial information due to a power surge. Many types of data are irreplaceable, making a whole home surge protector all the more valuable.
You never know when a power surge may strike. When they happen, those without whole house surge protectors lose valuable appliances and data. Also, intermittent power surges from large appliances cause gradual damage across the electrical system unless surge protectors are utilized. For minimal cost, homeowners can rest assured their appliances, devices, and data are secure.
Questions on electrical services for your home? We can help. Bratcher Electric is a full service electrical contracting firm that has been working with businesses and residents throughout Michigan for over 50 years. We take care of our customers by providing complete customer satisfaction for every job we perform; residential, commercial and industrial. Contact us today to learn more about our electrical services!