Protecting Your Home From Power Surges | Teems Electric

Can you imagine a world without electricity? Perhaps when a storm rolls through, you think about the possibility of the power going out for a short time, but what would you do if something happened that led to a loss of electricity long-term?

While there are natural disasters that we can’t do anything about that could cause long-term power loss, we can still take steps to protect our homes from power surges.

Power surges can happen in a lot of ways, but with the right prevention tools in place and with a little understanding of warning signs to watch for, you can take care of your home and never miss a moment of binge-watching.

What Is a Power Surge?

A power surge happens when the electricity flowing in your house exceeds 169 volts, resulting in a potentially overwhelming amount of power. Power surges can be the result of line work near your home, a lightning strike or when internal demand reaches a high peak.

Small surges occur every time your larger appliances like the refrigerator or HVAC kick on, so how does a power surge become damaging? When a higher-than-normal amount of electricity flows through your home, it creates an arc of energy that generates heat. The bigger the surge, the more heat that is generated—which could lead to blowing your circuits or even starting a fire.

If your appliance clocks are blinking or you can’t get something to turn on, chances are your home experienced a power surge. A burnt odor can also be an indicator that things have gotten overloaded. Ahead of a surge happening, take note of blinking lights or switches you have to wiggle in order to make them work. Warm outlets are another sign that a problem could be close to occurring.

Protecting Your Home

We may not be able to prevent natural disasters that knock out our power, but there are steps we can take to protect our homes from other sources of power surges. Even in the case of lightning, ensuring your main circuit breaker is well-grounded or adding a lightning rod to your home can go a long way in protecting things.

Surge protectors are one of the most inexpensive and easiest ways to protect your appliances from surges. These strips absorb the surge and switch power off before it can potentially fry your belongings. You could also consider adding a whole-home surge protector to your circuit breaker box that will provide a more extensive range of coverage. These are particularly helpful in preventing electrical fires as they stop surges before they reach internal wiring.

Installing GFCI outlets in your bathrooms and kitchen is another way to protect your home. These trip the power flow when water enters the outlets or a surge happens near the outlet, and can protect anything plugged into them. If you have noticed lights flickering consistently or outlets that always seem warm, have an electrician come and inspect your wiring in order to make any necessary upgrades ahead of a problem occurring.

Preventing losses from power surges can be simple when you understand what they are and have the tools to protect your home. Pay attention to warning signs, add surge protectors and make sure you have the right outlets in the right places. Then you will never have to live without the electricity to watch seven more episodes.

Want a home inspection to make sure your wiring is safe? Contact us to schedule an appointment.