Power surges have always existed, but the need for effective whole house surge protection is greater than ever. It’s not always thunderstorms or other external activity that cause power surges, some of the largest power surges come from within your own home! 

What is a power surge? A power surge occurs when the voltage exceeds the normal flow of electricity. Surges differ from power spikes because the uninterrupted voltage increase lasts for more than a few seconds. Unexpected voltage surges may have devastating consequences, so preventing power surges is vital to the safety of your family and home.

When thinking about options for an electrical wiring upgrade in your home, the issue of adequate surge suppression is an important consideration. Inexpensive plug-in surge suppressors offer some protection, but individual suppressors function best as a second layer of protection after a whole-house surge suppressor installation. We have more electronic devices in our homes than ever before and those devices typically incorporate circuitry and microprocessors highly sensitive to voltage fluctuations. Power surges are transient spikes in voltage that usually last only a few millionths of a second but can permanently damage your vulnerable electronics.

What causes a power surge? Power surges may result from sources like lightning strikes or spikes in voltage due to widespread events on the grid. A common example is when normal power returns after a blackout, something that happens a lot in our area. Most surges (up to 80%) actually come from within your home. These are known as “switching” surges. When a large appliance (like your air conditioner) switches on it draws high amounts of amperage and when it cycles off, the need for power is gone. This constant surge and release doesn't cause instantaneous damage like a lightning strike, but accumulates damaging sensitive electronics over time shortening the life of TVs, microwaves, home theater components, pool heaters and smart appliances.

What Causes Whole House Power Surges?

• Power line surges

• Lightning strikes

• Faulty or old wiring

• Short circuits and tripped circuit breakers

• Normal operation of appliances and household equipment

Lightning is the most frequent cause of damage to central air conditioners and generally requires replacement of the entire unit. Lightning doesn’t even need to directly strike your house to inflict damage. A nearby strike can send an intense surge through power lines and into your home circuits.  Cloud-to-ground lightning strikes several miles away from your home even have the potential to do damage. 

Other outside sources of power surges also require protection at the main electrical panel. These include voltage spikes that frequently occur when grid power is restored after a blackout, as well as surges due to downed power lines in a storm. Both are common occurrences here in Oklahoma. Plug-in suppressors alone are often insufficient to guard against voltage spikes like these.

Do Whole House Surge Protectors Really Work?  A whole-house suppressor instantly blocks the surge from entering home circuits to provide comprehensive lightning and other surge protection. Keep in mind that Individual plug-in suppressors can’t protect electronics that are hard-wired into your house because they aren’t plugged in.  Many expensive electrical devices, including major appliances like stoves, washers and dishwashers, as well as garage door openers and HVAC equipment, are hard-wired directly into your house electrical circuits.  Security systems, sprinkler systems, and exterior lighting are also hard-wired. Only a whole-house suppressor which protects all circuits from exterior-originating surges protects hard-wired devices. 

If you’re interested in Whole House Surge Protection please give us a call. We’d be happy to give you a free estimate and talk you through your options.