A power surge is basically a spike in your home’s electrical current.
The spike is very brief, usually lasting less than a thousandth of a second, but it can still cause damage to your home and appliances.
A power surge can occur for several reasons. For example, high-power electrical devices can create a spike in the electrical current when they’re switched on or when their motors kick on. Refrigerators, air conditionersand even space heaters can cause a power surge strong enough to damage electrical systems.
This is especially true if you have faulty wiring that affects your home’s ability to withstand spikes. Tripped circuit breakers and short circuits in your wiring system can also lead to power spikes. If surges are caused by a problem in the wiring of your home, you should talk to an electrician to see if you need to rewire the house or replace the circuit breaker.
Lightning strikes are another common cause of power surges. A lightning strike doesn’t have to occur near you to cause a spike in your electrical current. In fact, striking close to a power line can cause a spike. A single strike can cause a spike strong enough to burn out a computer monitor, router and even your television.
Are power surges dangerous?
A power surge can damage or destroy home appliances, and in a worse case scenario, start a house fire.
How can I protect my appliances from power surges?
First, the bad news: The typical surge protector is not strong enough to protect your electronics and appliances from a lightning strike. The best thing you can do if you’re in the middle of a raging electrical storm is to unplug your computer — and maybe other expensive electronics, such as your flat-screen TV.
If you live in a house with faulty wiring or one that is full of powerful electronics, you should still buy a surge protector. In most cases, a surge protector looks like your basic power strip. If an electrical spike does occur, the surge protector should absorb any excess energy, redirecting it toward the grounding wire in your home instead of letting it get to your appliances.
What should I look for in a good surge protector?
Keep in mind that there are different surge protectors on the market, and you should choose the one that fits your home’s needs best. As a general rule, the bigger the better. In the case of surge protector, “bigger” refers to Joule ratings, which is the capacity of the surge protector to absorb electrical spikes. For best protection, look for something that lists “600 Joules” or higher. Anything lower than that might not be enough if you have regular power spikes or if you plan on plugging several devices into the strip.
The best type of protection you can get is a whole house surge protector. This is a single device that connects to your main electrical panel and protects your whole house against power surges. Whole house surge protection devices can help protect your electronics against lightning strikes. If lightning strikes nearby and an electrical spike occurs in the main electrical line, the device will reduce the surge before it enters your home.
Editor’s note: This is an updated version of an article originally posted on March 5, 2013.
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