Did you know that electrical surges in your home can happen up to 20 times a day? Bigger events like lightning storms actually make up less than half of the electrical surges your home experiences! That means your home and appliances need better protection from the damaging effects of electrical surges.
Benchmark Electrical wants to make sure your home is protected from harmful power surges, which is why we offer expert surge protection services. Keep reading to learn why surge protection is so important and what kinds are available for you to use.
What Is Surge Protection?
The electrical current that runs throughout your home to provide power to all your appliances and devices can fluctuate. When these fluctuations are too extreme, waves of energy can be sent into your appliances that are too much for them to handle. This can cause anything from wear and tear on electrical components to complete system failure.
Surge protectors are designed to take those spikes in electricity and stop them from entering your devices by funneling the energy to the grounding wire.
Benefits of Surge Protection
Since electrical surges happen much more often than we realize, all appliances and devices plugged into the wall are at risk for damage every single day. When you invest in surge protection measures, you are gaining several advantages for your home.
- Safety – Your home is at lower risk for electrical fires if you know that your devices can’t be overloaded and shorted out. This simple act could very easily save your home from a fire and potential loss of property or life.
- Money – If your smaller devices like coffee makers or lamps are shorted out by a surge, you may replace them with little inconvenience. But what happens when your computer or TV is ruined? Or your refrigerator, HVAC unit, or washing machine? These damages could climb into the hundreds or thousands of dollars! With surge protection, you can save your investments from being harmed.
- Peace of Mind – Even in a bad storm, you probably can’t control power surges in your home – short of unplugging all appliances and devices every time it rains! This means that you’ll be stressed and worried about unpredictable power surges. Take that weight off your shoulders by letting surge protectors do their jobs.
Whole Home vs. Plug-In Surge Protection
The two main types of surge protectors are individual suppressors that look like power strips, and whole house devices installed in your electrical circuit.
Plug-In Surge Protectors
The cheaper and more common surge protector is the kind that looks like a power strip and plugs directly into your existing outlet. This device is great for protecting targeted belongings like expensive computers, TVs or phones.
If you’re interested in purchasing a plug in surge protector, be aware that power strips in general do not provide surge protection. Make sure you purchase a strip that will suppress the power spikes to your devices.
Whole Home Surge Protection
The downside to smaller plug-in surge protectors is that unless you use them on every single outlet in your home, some of your appliances will be at risk. The alternative is to install a surge protector into your home’s electrical panel. This kind of power suppressor regulates your entire home’s energy spikes before they reach the object plugged into the outlet.
This path is the best way to ensure that your larger appliances are protected from harmful amounts of electricity. In fact, Benchmark recommends a two tiered approach. We can install your home surge protection system, and then you use plug-in surge protectors for your high investment items like TVs and computers. This way, you know that your devices are covered no matter what kind of surge comes your way.
Need Home Surge Protection Installation?
If you’re ready to put a barrier between your home and dangerous spikes in electricity, count on the team that you can trust. We take electricity seriously, and we can provide you with the protection you need to keep your home and appliances safe. Give us a call today to receive quality surge protection services!
