Home Surge Protection
A majority of household products require electricity to function. Unfortunately, electrical disasters related to power surges can compromise these susceptible belongings by frying or melting the items in an instant! Although these incidents can take place in a moments notice, you can protect you and your belongings by simply calling Mister Sparky to install and maintain home surge protectors.
Our professional electricians will arrive promptly to your property to not only implement the home surge protector, but examine your existing grounding system as well to make certain that your home will be fully protected. Contact Mister Sparky to secure your electronic valuables through home surge protector installation and services.
What Is a Power Surge?
Power surges, which may also be referred to as voltage surges, occur when voltage is elevated beyond normalcy for greater than 10 milliseconds.
Power surges may happen through two different types of cases:
- Spikes (elevations) or interruptions in the electrical current cause a boost in the flow of energy to electrical outlets
- An electrical source induces a back-flow of energy
Power surges can lead to a jolt of electricity increasing the electrical flow by as little as 5 volts to 1000’s of volts depending on the cause of the surge. Serious variations can cause electrical equipment connected to outlets “fry” and can blow fuses completely. Surges can affect sensitive electronic devices and microprocessors including but not limited to:
- Televisions and related equipment (DVD players and stereos)
- Computers as well as servers and modems
- Telephones and answering machines; faxing machines, laser printers and copy machines
- Kitchen and utility appliances such as refrigerators, dishwashers, and microwaves, washing machines and dryers
- Residential and commercial security systems
- Heating systems and air conditioning
- Automatic garage doors
Surges may also be a threat to smaller electrical devices such as hair dryers, electronic tools, and even electric razors.
What Causes Power Surges?
Lightning has a reputation of being a large contributor to power surges. Since lightning may strike power lines or transformers, these disasters rarely transpire but are generally the largest dangers. Other complications may arise from branches or debris coming in contact with power supply, restoration of electricity after power outages, and transfers of electricity performed by electricity companies. However, 60% of power surges are related to a range of daily activity causing energy fluctuation within your home.
For instance, any appliance that is turned on then shut off regularly such as washing machines and hair driers may provoke a power surge. Refrigerators and air conditioning or cooling systems are a couple of the most common sources of power surges. For commercial properties, elevators, vending machines, and large computers may be potential hazards. Because these appliances require high amounts of continual energy that is often interrupted or altered when changing from function to function, power may be diverted. The intensity of the surge depends on the amount of power that is being altered in the process. Luckily, household items generally cause much less severe forms of power surges.
Homeowners should be aware that errors in electrical wiring can also cause serious power surges. Systems that have not been installed correctly pose high risks for these electrical issues. It is important to have your electrical wiring installed and examined by professional electricians to prevent damage to your home.
How Can Home Surge Protection Prevent Surges?
Surge protectors allow electric currents to run through them to electronic devices. Once a voltage spike is detected, surge protectors take on the energy and transfer excess electricity to the grounding wire of the outlet. Surge protectors can sustain high amounts of voltage in order to absorb the energy released in a power surge. The most common surge protectors are whole-house surge protectors and point of use surge protectors.
- Whole house surge protectors prevent damage from transient surges or surges from outdoor sources which may affect the energy flow as it enters the service entrance or electrical panel of the house. This effectively minimizes the intensity of the power surge before reaching electronic devices. However, whole-house surge protectors are not designed to protect against power surges caused by electrical fluctuations within the home.
- Point of use surge protectors plug into wall outlets in order to defend electronics and items with microprocessors against power surges. This style of surge protector can endure approximately 6,000 volts.
Professional electricians typically recommend that property owners invest in both types of surge protectors for full coverage. Consult Mister Sparky for home surge protection advice, and for quality surge protector installation and repair services.
