High-tech gadgets, entertainment equipment and appliances are investments that contribute to making your house a fully functional home. We’re talking fridges, freezers, ovens, dishwashers, washing machines and dryers, computers, TVs, game consoles, thermostats, air conditioners, and components of your home’s electrical system.
That’s why it’s important for homeowners to realize that all these items can be sensitive to power surges. But there are measures you can and should take to protect your valuable electronics.
What Is a Power Surge?
Power surges occur when the flow of electricity is interrupted and then started again or when something sends a boost in the electrical charge through wires.
Surges can range from just a few volts when you turn on a hair dryer to thousands of volts if lightning hits a transformer. They can even be caused by faulty wiring behind a home’s walls or by overloading an electrical circuit, such as plugging an iron into the same circuit that feeds a computer or home theater.
So what are some ways you can protect your stuff from getting sizzled by surges?
Point-of-Use Protection
Power strip surge protectors with multiple outlets and wall-mount devices for tight spaces, like behind a refrigerator, provide point-of-use protection.
Put one on anything that’s expensive to replace and has sensitive electronic microprocessors—especially home theater and computer systems. There are specialized devices for these that include Ethernet ports and TV connections.
Since communication and data cables can also carry surges, it’s important to protect everything that’s wired together. They provide the best protection when used in conjunction with whole-home surge protection.
Whole-Home Protection
These devices are installed by an electrician and can reduce the risk of a surge damaging your appliances and other valuable electrical equipment by limiting the amount of electricity coming into your home or preventing the surge from entering altogether. This makes it the most effective protection.
These devices are wired directly to your home’s main electrical panel. By prohibiting surges from entering your home, they help protect your electrical wiring, sockets and circuits as well as your appliances and electrical equipment. Whole-home surge protection can also help reduce the risk of electrical fires due to power surges originating from outside the home.
Other Things to Know
Power strips and point-of-use surge protectors aren’t interchangeable. A true surge protector includes internal components that will divert or suppress the extra spike from surges. A power strip only provides more outlets for an electrical circuit.
If an interruption in power will pose a problem such as losing valuable information on your computer, look for a surge protector with an uninterruptible power supply. If the connecting surge protector disconnects electrical usage, it’ll provide backup battery power for a short period so you can save your work.
Replace any surge protectors that are discolored, overheat, look melted or have an indicator light that doesn’t work.
