How to Protect Your Appliances from an Electrical Surge

It is quite common for homeowners to experience unforeseen damages to certain utilities, one of which is electricity. An electrical or power surge is one of the main causes for damage to home appliances that can end up costing homeowners a lot of money.

A number of things can cause these surges, such as unexpected power outages, lightning strikes, circuit breakers tripping and other malfunctions. While you cannot completely prevent electrical surges, there are certain precautions you can take to minimize the damage.

What is a Power Surge?

A power surge refers to a sudden increase in voltage, and it can happen due to a number of reasons. The most common reason is  when an appliance that consumes a lot of electricity is turned off, and the huge amount of electricity from it has nowhere else to go, so it diverts itself to other appliances on the same network. This sudden spike in voltage is often referred to as a power surge, and can damage any electrical components in your home.

Here is how you can protect your appliances in a situation like this.

In case of a storm, unplug everything you can

This one goes without saying, but unplugging your appliances when you sense a thunderstorm approaching is one of the few foolproof methods to ensure their safety. This is because during storms, lightning strikes are quite common. These strikes don’t necessarily have to hit an appliance for it to stop functioning; they can be anywhere near a power line, causing a sudden spike in voltage, which then travels to the appliances within your home. Keep in mind that this precaution is only applicable when you’re in a thunderstorm.

Upgrade heavy appliances

An outdated model of an Air Conditioner or Refrigerator is much more likely to be impacted during a surge than a newer version. This is because newer models are better equipped to deal with issues like this, whereas old ones give out almost instantly if there are any complications with the power distribution or circuits.

Another thing you can do to ensure protection during surges is making sure you have insurance for every appliance you buy. This will mean that even if your appliance gets damaged due to an unforeseen accident, you will not have to spend too much money trying to replace it. This especially applies to bigger appliances that may be harder to replace.

Monitor your wiring

Faulty wiring is one of the most major causes for electrical surges that inflicts more damage in your home than is due. Faulty wiring is not only bad during power surges, it can also be generally harmful to your circuits and the people in your home. For this purpose, getting an annual or biannual inspection of your electrical system by a licensed professional is a good idea; they can easily detect anything that may be wrong with your wiring and immediately fix it, avoiding any potential mishaps. This may even end up saving you a lot of money in the long-run by avoiding big appliances being damaged.

Get power surge protectors

While they may often be confused with power strips, surge protectors are different. Power strips are like an extension of outlets, they simply allow you to break the circuit without accessing the main power supply. Despite the misconception, however, they do not provide any sort of insurance against power surges.

The device you’re looking for if you want your appliances to remain safe during a surge is a surge protector. This is a device that prevents appliances from short circuits or overloads in case of an electrical surge. While they do not guarantee complete protection, they come with different thresholds and can take a certain amount of voltage spike with ease; you may want to use these specifically on your most vulnerable appliances.

There are also sources that provide a full-house surge protection service, something you may want to consider if you live in a place with either too many storms, or just generally unstable electrical connectivity.

Get your electrical system professionally inspected

Electric wiring, like everything else, has a life. It can go bad over time, which can be really harmful to not only your appliances, but also to you, if not taken care of at the right time. An issue like this can be especially harmful during power surges, and can even cause them.

A bad wire refers to one that has lost some insulation, or maybe it can’t distribute electricity like it used to; it goes without saying that both of these issues are very dire problems that need to be tended to at once. You can make sure that everything is in good condition by arranging for annual or biannual inspections of your wiring system by a licensed professional.

To Conclude

A power surge can cause more damage than anticipated if you’re not prepared for it. While there are things you can do to prevent that, you may want to opt for a professional service to deal with the damages if it starts happening too frequently. If you have any further queries regarding electrical surges or how to deal with them, you may contact FirstEnergy Customer Service assistance.