Why Surge Protection Is Important For Safeguarding Your Electronics

Power surges are short-lived spikes in electrical current caused by lightning strikes, utility grid switching or faulty wiring. They heat up the wires in your electronics and can damage or even destroy them.

Surge protectors detect excess voltage, absorb it and redirect it to the ground. They’re especially useful for equipment with intricate microprocessors that can easily be destroyed by surges.

1. Damage to Electronics

Microprocessors found in most electronics are sensitive to high voltage and only work properly when receiving a stable current within the correct voltage range. A power surge can cause permanent data loss, component damage and circuit board failure that is expensive to repair or replace. Surge suppressors are like walls between electricity and your electronic devices, blocking excess voltage before it can do any damage. When a surge does occur, the excess electricity bounces off the suppressor, is absorbed by metal oxide varistors and diverted to the ground wire, preventing it from reaching your equipment.

Keeping your electrical outlets and extension cords free of clutter is a great way to prevent excessive electrical loads that can lead to power surges. If you notice any signs of a power surge, such as flickering lights or a burnt smell, turn off your devices and unplug them immediately. If your circuit breakers are tripping during a power surge, contact a professional to conduct an electrical inspection to determine the cause of the problem.

2. Damage to Appliances

The electrical system in your house runs through a complex network of lines, transformers and monitoring points. If any of these systems experience a malfunction, it can cause voltage to spike to hundreds and even thousands of volts. This sudden jolt of electricity can do devastating damage to devices and appliances.

A power surge can fry or melt the internal circuits and wires of your electronic equipment. Large surges like lightning strikes can do this instantly, but small micro surges do the same over time.

If you notice any of these signs, it’s a good idea to call an emergency electrician to have your wiring and appliances inspected. You may also want to invest in a surge protector with a high joule rating and clamping voltage, as well as a fast response time, to divert excess energy effectively. These investments can save you costly repairs and replacements in the future. Moreover, they can also help prevent the risk of fire.

3. Damage to Wiring

Power surges can be caused by everything from lightning strikes to switching appliances on and off. If you want to prevent damage to your wiring, a whole-home surge protector is an important investment.

Surge protectors have iron core transformers for alternate current transformation and contain a component called an MOV (metal oxide varistor). The MOV allows electricity to pass through it, but when the electrical pressure reaches a certain level, the makeup of the MOV ionizes, allowing excess voltage to be diverted into the ground line and away from your electronics.

Even if a power surge does not break your device or cause an electrical fire, the constant exposure to micro surges will wear down the components inside of your devices over time. This will decrease the lifespan of your equipment and could cause it to stop working altogether. It’s worth mentioning that some homeowner’s insurance policies include equipment breakdown coverage, which covers your devices against power surges that are not covered by your standard policy.

4. Damage to Electrical Service Entrance

Power surges can cause a wide range of issues, including loss of data, equipment damage, electromagnetic interference and more. They can also heat up wires, causing them to melt and potentially burn down your home. Surges happen more often than you may realize, ranging from small to major in magnitude. In fact, it is estimated that your house goes through a dozen small power surges every day.

While many people believe that lightning strikes are the main source of power surges, studies have shown that up to 80 percent of all surges originate on the customer side of the electric meter. They can be caused by normal utility switching operations, unbalanced loads and electrical conductors that are not properly grounded (such as internet cables or telecommunications lines).

Surge protection suppresses power surges by building a wall between electricity and your electronics. Excess voltage is absorbed by metal oxide varistors inside the surge suppressor, diverted to the ground wire and prevented from reaching your equipment. This reduces data loss, prevents costly repairs and replacements and extends equipment lifespans.