Do You Need Whole-House Surge Protection?
You rely on electricity to get you through every day, from firing up your first cup of coffee to relaxing with your music, television, and games in the evening. Losing all of that to a power surge would be more than inconvenient, it could be a total disaster. But you can prevent disaster with whole-house surge protection.
Why You Need Whole-House Surge Protection
Not having surge protection can be a costly and dangerous mistake. You’ll probably have to replace your TVs, computers, phones, and appliances. You might even have to have your whole house rewired.
There are several reasons why getting whole-house protection makes sense.
- Today’s homes have more electronics than homes in the past did.
- Some types of lighting, like LED, have their own circuit boards that can be blown in a power surge.
- Modern, programmable appliances all have their own circuits and wiring, making them even more susceptible to surges.
Causes of Power Surges
Wind and weather. Strong winds and heavy snow can knock down your power lines, leading to surges. Lightning striking your house can inject thousands of volts of electricity into your home’s wiring.
Transient voltage. Although you may not realize it, your home’s electronics and appliances go through many voltage shifts in a typical day. These are usually small shifts of 100 to 500 volts at a time. Over time, that constant shifting can degrade the wiring and allow stronger surges to breakthrough. Most power surges come from right inside your house.
Backup generators. Generators are great to have, if programmed to turn on as soon as the power goes out, it could send out a power surge that overloads your circuits. A whole-house surge protector can stop that surge in its tracks.
Overloaded equipment. Constantly turning on and shutting off large, high-wattage equipment in your house can sometimes cause the wires to perform erratically. It isn’t just your equipment you need to worry about. Neighborhood commercial strips, shopping centers and industrial plants that use heavy equipment can cause the local power source to act erratically if they cycle that equipment off and on.
Aren’t Surge Strips Enough?
If you already have surge protection strips in your home, you might think they’re enough to protect you from all those surprise shots of extra voltage. It’s true that surge protectors are a great idea, especially for sensitive electronics or medical equipment. Naturally, they protect only those specific appliances that you’ve hooked up. Often times, when a property takes a hit with an electrical surge, you’ll lose power everywhere.
Two-Pronged Protection
For total protection, most electricians recommend two levels of whole-house surge protection. At SESCOS, we sell and install systems that work together to ensure your home is protected from unwanted volts.
Point of use. These attach directly to large appliances, televisions, computers, kitchen equipment and other items that could be affected by power surges. They usually clamp right onto the outlet.
Service entry. This type of surge protector is mounted on your main electrical panel. It protects all the lines coming into your home: electrical, cable, telephone landline and satellite. You’ll have protection for hard-wired elements of your home where you can’t attach a point-of-use protector. In the case of lightning strikes, a service-entry protector can help lower the voltage to safer levels.
Stay Safe with SESCOS
Concerned about power surges, contact SESCOS for the professional installation of one of our recommended whole-house surge protection systems? Whole-home surge arrestor supplied and installed before the heavy storm season, make sure your home is protected and prevent costly damages – visit our specials page to learn more!
Don’t let transient voltage, transformer blowups or weather events leave you with blown fuses. Call SESCOS today. We’ll keep your voltage steady and your home safe.