Surge Protection 101: A Primer For Homeowners

As a homeowner, the integrity of your home's electrical system should be a priority for you. What many homeowners don't realize is that, even if your home's wiring is in good shape, you may still have electrical problems that you aren't aware of. One of the most common electrical issues that your home might encounter is problems with power surges. Here's a look at some of the things that you should know about electrical surge threats and how to prevent them with a whole-home surge protection system.

Common Power Surge Threats

In order to adequately protect your home's electronics and electrical circuit from power surge damage, you first need to understand what types of things can cause a power surge in your home. 

Power surges can come from outside your home as a result of lightning strikes, work being done on electrical lines, damage at the power substation, and a variety of other external reasons. Additionally, many power surges come from inside your home. These come from broken electric motors, such as those that drive your heating and cooling system, overloaded circuits, or damaged electronics.

Risks Of Power Surges

Once you understand what causes power surges, it's important to know why those surges are a concern. Power surges can be damaging to your home's wiring, power grid, and even your electrical appliances and devices. 

When a power surge flows through your home, it can put your home at risk for electrical shorts, which may cause a fire. It can also cause an overload on the circuit boards of your appliances and electronics, potentially rendering them unusable. These types of damage can be not only dangerous but costly as well.

Preventing Power Surges

The most effective way to prevent power surge problems in your home is by working with a local electrician to install a whole-home surge protection system. You may think that you can just install an external surge protector on the main power line coming into your home, but that single surge protector won't be enough.

Remember that many power surges come from within your home. As a result, you'll want to work with your electrician to determine where surge protectors should be placed inside your home as well. This ensures that you're getting protection no matter where the power surge may come from.

If you're concerned about power surges in your home, talk with a local electrician today. He or she can assess your home's wiring, electrical system, and usage to help you determine what kind of surge protection is the best solution for you.

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