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November 10, 2016 Safety

Surge Protection – 3 Facts you Must Know to Protect your Home

You may think that whole house surge protection is only necessary to protect your home in case of lightning or downed powerlines. However, your home can see small electrical surges caused by your appliances. To protect your electrical system, appliances and electronic devices in your home, you need a whole house surge protection device (SPD).

A whole home surge protection device is installed at the panel and monitors the electricity powering your home. Any spike in electricity, whether coming from inside or outside the home, is filtered by the SPD to prevent damage to home appliances and electronics.

Why should you install a whole house surge protection devices in your home? Here are 3 essential facts that you should know about surge protection.

Essential Facts about Whole House Surge Protection

1. Homes use more devices

The number of electronic devices around the average person’s home today, compared to 20 or 30 year ago, has increased dramatically. Today, homes now have multiple TVs, computers and cell phones that are all connected to the electrical system. These devices and most electrical appliances have a sensitive circuit board that are easily damaged in the event of an electrical surge.

2. Appliances produce surges

The majority of surges that your electrical system sees, come from the appliances installed in the home, not from lightning.  When a large home appliance like your air conditioner turns on, it can produce a small surge as it draws power starting up.  These small surges over time puts stress and wear on your electrical system.

3. Protect your electronic devices

Whole house surge protection protects your home from any internal  or external surges of electricity. When a power line is hit and causes a surge, the SPD filters the surge at the panel.  If the surge is caused by an appliance, it will go through your panel and be filtered by the SPD, before going out to the rest of the house. Therefore, your home is always protected from any kind of spike in electricity with a whole house SPD.

How to Install Surge Protection for the Whole House

To protect your whole home with a SPD, it requires a qualified electrician as it is connected directly to your panel.  Surge Protection Devices come in a variety of shapes, sizes and protection capabilities including warranty on the devices and appliances in your home. Call us today for more information on selecting the proper SPD for your home.