Whole-home surge protection keeps the power running in your house, even when a storm outside threatens to prevent you from using your most essential appliances. Every year here in Florida, storms cause power surges that can damage your electronics and potentially cause damage to your central A/C unit, leaving you to spend more money on electrical repairs and replacement.
If the damage occurs in the middle of a hot summer, it also increases discomfort for your whole family. You may also experience damage to electronics, including computers. Even if your computer is plugged into a power strip, it can still become damaged during a power surge or if lightning strikes your home. It may seem a little too over-the-top to suggest that a lightning bolt can do serious damage to your home, but it’s true.
Lightning can even fray wiring, and lead to spending more money on electrical rewiring services. Are you wondering if a whole-home surge protector is necessary to keep a steady flow of power on your property? While weighing the factors to determine if you need surge protection, it’s important to ensure you are getting your money’s worth and that the system will meet all of your electrical needs.
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Do I Need a Whole-Home Surge Protector?
Before you make any installations, please consider these 5 factors that will influence what type of surge protection you purchase:
1. Your Electrical Needs
Remember: the more we add to our homes, the more we need surge protection. When you consider the fact that most of what we add to our household is electronic, you need to seriously factor in how you can find surge protection to effectively meet your electrical needs.
You may use green tools like smart thermostats that help to regulate your home, or own amazing electronic entertainment systems with surround sound and theater-like lighting. Of course, you cannot leave out the power needed for computers, tablets, and other smart devices that are central to your daily activities. You even need to consider appliances like coffee pots, washers, dryers, and refrigerators.
2. Interior Power Surges
Even if a lightning storm can prove to be the cause, 80% of power surges come from inside the home. Internal power surges are caused when a large appliance shuts off.
Even something like your HVAC system shutting off can cause a power surge inside of your home, mainly due to residual power in the line not having anywhere else to go. This results in the electricity being distributed through your home’s wiring because it’s looking for an exit route.
If it hits electronics like your laptop or big-screen TV, it can cause serious damage and cause you to spend more on electrical repairs. Since electricity always looks for the path of least resistance, your appliances are immediately at risk. If you own a large number of electric appliances, you may need a whole-house surge protector to prevent damage.
3. Protecting Your Home’s Infrastructure
You need a whole-home surge protector that will protect the property’s internal wiring and outlets. The massive increase in electricity being channeled through your wiring during a power surge is much hotter than the regular electrical load.
It can melt wiring or damage outlets. It is a big expense to have to test and replace the electric wires throughout your home, as it may require an electrician to pull the wire through walls to reach outlets or threading wiring through conduits.
Read More: What Are the Differences Between Portable and Standby Power Generators?
4. Layer Surge Protection
Some electronics in your home should require layers of surge protection. These appliances include home theaters, computers, and big appliances.
Electronics not covered by insurance should definitely have layered production, or else it may cost you $200 to replace. Some electronics may even hold information that cannot be recovered or replaced. For example, your home office makes layer surge protection necessary, especially for computers where data is difficult to replace.
5. Quality, Quality, Quality
Not all surge protectors are created equally and you need to make sure you are getting the one best meeting your needs.
Some brands and models of whole-house power surge protectors offer reduced coverage during a power surge, but others may charge more for the same coverage. Please consult with one of our residential electricians about how you can land a high-quality surge protector before you waste a significant amount of money.
Don’t Let A Power Surge Sneak Up On You – Schedule A Whole-Home Surge Protection Service Today
Look no further than Reliable Power Systems to install high-quality whole-home surge protection. Our surge protection helps homeowners protect electronics from electrical surges and gives them a longer lifespan with less wear and tear. It can also help reduce the expense of replacing big appliances, big screen TVs, and computers.
Our team of electricians can also consult with you in ensuring you install the right type of surge protection for your home so you are getting your money’s worth. As an added benefit and because not all electronic equipment is created the same, you can layer whole-house surge protection across your property to give extra coverage to special electronics. It even helps decrease the risks caused by lightning storms. Just by calling us for service, you can expect to rest so much easier in your home.
You can also prepare for future storms and power outages by working with our team of professionals to perform a whole-house generator installation. Our technicians provide reputable backup generator repair and replacement services for homeowners in South Florida to help you keep your lights on. We offer Generac generators along with other brands such as Briggs & Stratton, and Kohler. Contact our team today to learn more about your options for surge protection and power generators.
