If you’re like most of the homeowners we help, you’re suddenly interested in surge protection because you ran into an issue during the last power outage. That wicked hurricane fried your charging phone or computer and now you’re determined to prevent it from happening again!
The cost of a power surge can be devastating— especially for those who lose irreplaceable digital photos or experience a home electrical fire— but the good news is that the right surge protection system can keep your electronics and home safe in the future. In fact, there are a number of benefits to adding surge protection to your home.
If you’re on the fence about upgrading your surge protection, let us help convince you it’s worth the investment:
1. Surge protection helps protect your expensive technology.
You may know all-too-well that power surges can ruin items plugged into your outlets, but how does it work exactly? When the power that runs through your home experiences a brief spike or few-second surge in voltage, this excess of current sends a shock to that outlet and “overloads” it (and often the devices plugged into it).
Surges work in mysterious ways. Sometimes they will fry all the devices connected to that one outlet, or affect a series of outlets in your home. In some cases, this overload only weakens connected devices— depleting their lifespan. While your TV may seem fine afterward a power surge, the damage may have still occurred internally, shaving it’s ten-year life-expectancy down to three. Other times, the surge can cause irreparable damage, rendering your technology completely useless.
Think of all the tech you have constantly plugged in… While you might not mind replacing a few lamps, power surge damage costs become expensive when computers, audio equipment, kitchen appliances, and other high-dollar items are damaged. Sometimes even the big players like your fridge or laundry machines can be affected.
Worst still, some homeowner’s insurance policies don’t cover the damage caused by surges, meaning the replacement costs come directly out-of-pocket. Adding surge protection is the quickest way to safeguard your home’s tech and prevent expensive replacements.
2. Surge protection can keep your precious digital data safe.
While buying a new printer or coffee maker would be more inconvenient than financially crippling, in the end, things like this can be replaced. It’s when a power surge wipes your devices clean of data that many homeowners panic.
A power surge is capable of frying memory drives on your devices, and while a tech-savvy repairman may be able to fix the damage, they may not be able to recover data you didn’t have backed up.
How many photos do you have on your phone? Or important digital paperwork sitting on your computer desktop? While adding these files to the Cloud is a smart solution, installing surge protectors can also help to prevent the loss of your important memories and data.
3. Surge protection reduces the risk of a home electrical fire.
More worrisome still is when a power surge causes such a dramatic surge in voltage that it sparks and ignites a fire! Whether the wires in your walls overheat and are to blame, or the device itself starts to burn through nearby curtains or carpeting, electrical fires are a real and serious threat.
In fact, electrical receptacles are involved in 5,300 fires every year, causing forty deaths and more than 100 consumer injuries, according to The Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI). Luckily, a surge protection device can help to prevent electrical fires by disengaging power to the outlet when it senses a disruption or fluctuation in voltage.
4. House-wide surge protection devices are an affordable solution.
While you could go out and buy dozens of surge-resistant power strips to protect the devices and appliances in every room of your home, the more convenient and cost-conscious choice is often to install a surge protection device (SPD).
SPDs are installed in your electrical panel or meter and monitor your electrical flow throughout your whole home. If the device senses an impending increase in voltage, it’ll divert or limit the current to protect your devices from overload. They’re a once-and-done install and many come with an impressive warranty. This way, you’re not dealing with a tangle of surge-safe power strips.
Your Solution: Whole House Surge Protection
Rest easy knowing you’ll never have to replace a fried appliance again by installing a surge protection device.
Your friendly electrician can help you to determine your home’s unique wattage needs and add the right setup to your electrical panel or meter for full-home surge protection.
If you’re a SWFL resident, explore our Surge Protection services or give us a call at (239) 307-0716 for a fast quote, today.
