Most people equate lightning strikes with power surges. And while lighting is the culprit for really massive power surges, power surges of varying intensities are happening both inside and outside your home all the time - and it could mean some pretty heavy stress on the wiring and circuits in your home.
Now, you may be thinking that surge protection is only for families with a lot of electronic equipment, like computers. While it's true that computers are definitely susceptible to power surges, this is because it contains small microprocessors that will malfunction if the delicate circuitry experiences fluctuations in power. But consider this: today's washers, dryers, refrigerators, microwaves, and even LED lights also have circuit boards built inside. We have more electronics than ever plugged into our home's electrical system and each of these can "fry" if they experience frequent or intense power surges.
Frequent Power Surges
80% of all power surges are generated within the home. That's right: when it comes to power surges, we create most of them ourselves. The most common culprit is one of the most essential during the summer: the air conditioner. Perhaps you've noticed that, when the air conditioner kicks on, the lights in the house might dim or flicker or household appliances might lose some power. Conversely, when the air conditioner shuts off, the lights might shine a little brighter or your appliances might get a surge in power. This can happen on a large scale with a major appliance like an air conditioner, generator, or clothes dryer, or it can happen on a smaller scale, with blow dryers, microwaves, or vacuum cleaners.
Each of these surges in power puts strain on the delicate circuitry in your appliances and electronics, but it also puts a strain on the wiring in your home. Depending on the size of surge that takes place, it can completely destroy wiring in the home in one swoop. Over time, small but frequent surges can and do break down the integrity of the wiring (like outlets, switches, light fixtures, meters, panels, breakers, and ect.) in the home.
Massive Power Surges
While there isn't a surge protector that will protect your house against a direct lightning strike, a surge protector will guard against overvoltages from the lines feeding into your home. Whether they are struck by lightning or compromised in other ways, such an overload wreaks havoc on your appliances, electronics, and your home's wiring.
So, whether your surges in power are caused by nature or by your own appliances, surges are common in most every household. However, a whole-home surge protector can protect your home and your appliances against these regularly-occurring surges. While surge protection power strips are effective for local electronics, it's almost impossible to protect every appliance in the house. When you consider fridges, washers, dryers, microwaves, not to mention personal computers and laptops, modern homes can easily have around $10,000 in unprotected electronics. A quality whole-home surge protector essentially allows only the necessary voltage in the home and keeps the surges at bay, protecting your home's wiring and all the expensive electronics inside.
Ask your licensed electrician about whole-home surge protectors that might make the most sense for your needs.
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