How often do you experience power surges at home? You might lose important data or damage your appliances during a power outage. It is important to be prepared for power outages in areas where they occur frequently.
Power surges occur due to sudden changes in voltage. They can cause severe damage to electronics such as computers, TVs, smartphones, etc. The surge can also disrupt phone lines, causing calls to drop and internet connections to slow down.
Preparation ahead of time will help you avoid these problems. Here are five ways to protect your home against power surges.
Table of Contents
1. Connect Electrical Equipment to Surge Protectors
You can protect your equipment from power surges by using a surge protector. It does this by using capacitors to absorb energy before it reaches your computer or other devices.
Power surges happen when the voltage or frequency of electricity changes suddenly. This causes your electronics to get overloaded and damaged. Power surges can also cause fires and electrocutions. You must use surge protectors on your electronic devices to prevent them from occurring.
An electrical power strip connects several outlets. This allows you to turn off or disconnect individual appliances without opening each outlet separately.
The power strip has two main functions:
(1) Prevent overloading circuits.
(2) Reduce electric shock.
Power surges happen every day. They can cause severe damage to electronics, especially older appliances. To prevent them, you should invest in a surge protector.
2. Consider Installing a Whole-House Surge Protection System
You’ve probably heard about the dangers of power surges before, but did you know that they can cause severe damage to your electronics? A whole-house surge protection system is an effective way of protecting your home from surges.
Whole-house surge protectors protect from voltage spikes or surges. These surges occur when high-voltage electricity travels through the wire, hitting overhead lines, trees, or other conductive materials.
Living near a major city, you may experience frequent power outages due to storms or other natural disasters. Wires may appear to be flowing with a large amount of electricity when this happens. This surge of electricity can cause severe problems for electronics connected to the same circuit, especially appliances that contain sensitive components.
These surges can come from outside sources, such as lightning or nearby high-voltage lines, or internal causes, such as faulty wiring or appliances. When surges happen, they can overload circuits, causing equipment to burn out or malfunction.
This makes having a whole house surge protector worth it to prevent this issue. A whole-house surge protector can protect both internal and external surges. The device installs on your main electrical panel (usually located outside) and directs electricity surges into the ground. This prevents surges from damaging your electronics.
3. Unplug Electrical Devices During Strom
Power surges happen every time during storms. They occur more often than hurricanes. To protect yourself from a power surge, you can unplug your sensitive electronics and other appliances when a storm is approaching.
Power outages occur when a thunderstorm causes a tree branch to fall onto a power line. The result can be a blackout if there is a short circuit. Planning ahead is essential in these situations. A power outage can be minimized by disconnecting your appliances before a storm.
When a storm hits, you want to be prepared for the worst. Consider buying a whole-house surge protector if you live in an area prone to hurricanes. Power surge protectors protect your electronic devices from damage caused by power surges. In case of a blackout, a power surge protector can back up electricity.
4. Strategically Use Your Outlets
The average household uses around 100 watts per hour. The result will be 200 watts if two devices are plugged in simultaneously. This is enough to heat up the wires inside the outlet, causing them to burn out.
Using more than one outlet at the same time could overload the circuit. This means that the current flowing through the wires could become too high, causing damage to other devices connected to the same outlet.
When a storm hit, it is likely to get a power surge. If your electric outlets are already overloaded, there is a risk of burnout due to over-voltage.
You should make sure to plug everything into the outlet if you’re going to use one. Don’t leave any devices plugged in without a cord. Also, keep cords away from water sources.
5. Check Your Home’s Wiring
Power surges occur when something goes wrong with a circuit breaker or fuse box. They can happen when lightning strikes nearby, a tree branch falls onto a wire, or something trips over a cable. The result is usually a brief burst of electricity that travels through the system, causing problems with appliances and electronics.
A power surge can damage electronic equipment. In addition, they can also start a fire. To prevent these issues from happening, take steps to ensure that your electrical system is properly protected against power surges.
Electrical wiring is often overlooked until a fire starts. That’s why you should always check your home’s electrical system for problems. Get an electrician to inspect your home’s wiring before a fire starts.
If you’re concerned about loose connections or damaged wires, examine your home’s wiring before a storm. You should also consider installing surge protection devices. These devices will help prevent surges from damaging your home’s electrical system by diverting electricity from outlets when a surge occurs.
Conclusion
Power surges happen when the voltage or frequency of electricity changes suddenly. These changes can occur for several reasons, such as lightning strikes, faulty wiring, or even a nearby storm. When a surge occurs, it can damage appliances and electronic equipment.
To prevent power surges, you should always unplug your device whenever you aren’t using it. Also, try to turn off your devices at night, and don’t leave them plugged in overnight. Lastly, you should also consider buying whole-house surge protection devices.
