Thanks to the aging infrastructure, grid disruptions, and power surges are rising across homes in the United States. Other reasons can be attributed to increased dependence on technology and electrical equipment and increased frequency of severe weather, among other things.
As a result, these sudden spikes and surges are putting considerable pressure on the electrical grid and your home’s internal wiring. It is a common occurrence these days to lose your expensive electronics to these surges, making people wonder if the whole house surge protector is a worthy investment.
To understand why you need a surge protector, let us first understand the root cause of these surges.
Common Causes Of Power Surges
Here are some of the most common reasons:
- Inclement weather: Strong winds and a blizzard can knock down your power lines that cause surges. When the lightning strikes, thousands of volts of electricity get introduced to your home’s wiring.
- A brief spike in voltage: Not many people know this, but your appliances and electronics experience several voltage shifts throughout the day. These are usually small bursts of 100-500 volts at a time. Over a period of time, this constant shifting in power can impact the integrity of your wiring and allow surges to seep in.
- Backup generators: Generators are a great solution if you live in a place where power goes out frequently. However, if it has been programmed to turn out immediately after a power outage, then it could send surges that could overburden the circuits. But you can combat the problem by installing a whole house surge protector to prevent that from happening.
Are Power Surges Common?
Investing in a whole house surge protector is a huge cost. But the question is whether they are worth the money. The average household in the US experiences as many as 20 power surges a day, at least half of which are initiated from within the house.
Furthermore, over 20 million lightning strikes occur on an annual basis. Any losses resulting from this natural calamity remain uncovered by your insurance company.
Benefits of Installing a Surge protector
When you get a whole house surge protector installed in your property, it literally pays for itself by saving you thousands of dollars over a period of time. Additionally, you also qualify for discounts from your insurance provider.
Needless to say, the surge protection devices save you replacement costs of many expensive electrical pieces of equipment that you may otherwise sacrifice to power surges!
But how does a surge protector help against surges? Let us talk about the technicalities of it. Electricity seeks a path of least resistance to flow to the ground. When you install a surge protector, this device is hardwired to your home’s electrical panel that redirects all excess current to the ground, impeding it before it can escape to your main circuitry.
If you want the utmost protection of your electronics as well as your family members, then what you need is a whole house surge protection that can protect you against all surges and spikes.
Why Do You Need Surge Protection?
Not investing in surge protection can cost you dearly and can also prove to be a dangerous mistake. It would be best to protect your computer, phones, and appliances before they become casualties of these power spikes. Since the regular surges impact the quality of your wiring too, you may have to get your entire house rewired if you don’t act soon.
The function of a whole house surge protector is to ensure that your grounding system is robust. This is why you must consult an expert and hire them to perform a simple test to check your grounding system. Doing so will help you make the most of surge protection!
