How to Protect Your Devices?
Is it possible to get through a day without even using one electronic device? Our daily lives rely on electric devices, not just for work but also for our personal and professional lives. You must ensure they are protected from power surge-related damage.
Every home powered by electricity will experience power surges from time to time. You should prioritise electrical surge protection if you haven’t done so. You risk losing all your data and even entire appliances if you don’t have them. It’s not something anyone wants to find themselves in, where they have to repair or replace large appliances they didn’t budget for.
This article will explain how power surges occur, what they can do to your home, and how you can protect it with surge protection.
What Does Power Surge Mean?
What exactly is a power surge? It’s quite simple. It’s a simple answer. Some power surges are almost invisible, while others can be devastating. This is because of the variance in fluctuation.
How Do Power Surges Cause Damage?
The majority of wall outlets in U.S. homes work on a 120-volt system. This doesn’t mean that your home will be receiving a steady stream of 120-volts. The actual reality is that an alternating current of electricity flows through your home at a predetermined rate. It rises and falls between 0 volts and a peak voltage ranging from 169 to 0.
Most electronics and appliances in America can’t handle voltages above 169. However, when there is a power surge, the flow of electricity can spike above 169 volts. This causes an arc of current. The arc produces heat that can be dangerous to electronic components and circuit boards.
Even if you experience a slight surge in power, your devices may not be damaged. Even though you may not notice any damage to your devices after a small power surge, it can slowly reduce the life expectancy of your electronic appliances and devices until, eventually, they stop working.
What are the Common Causes of Power Surges?
You might be asking yourself what causes a power surge. There are many reasons for a surge. Let’s look at the most common sources of power surges.
You can find internal sources within your home
Internal sources in your home can cause power surges. They are responsible for as much as 80% of all power surges that you will experience. Energy flow is disrupted when electronic devices with compressors or motors switch on and off.
Circuit overload is a common problem with large appliances, such as space heaters and power tools. These are often smaller power surges that happen frequently and can cause what’s known as electronic rust or slowly emerging product damages.
Older Electrical Systems
Older electrical systems and faulty wiring cause internal-caused power surges, especially in older homes without updated wiring. Homes built before the 1980s often have cheaper aluminium wiring than the standard copper wiring. It is now known that old aluminium connections can cause power surges and loosening.
Lightning Strikes
More than 20 million lightning strikes from the ground to the cloud are detected annually. Lightning strikes can create large-scale power surges which could immediately destroy any electrical devices (such as computers or televisions) you have plugged into. Lightning strikes can cause electricity to enter your home via your satellite dish cable, cable TV, or incoming telephone lines.
Fallen Tree Limbs and Car Accidents. Wildlife
Power outages can be caused by tree limbs or car accidents that cause damage to power lines. Animals such as birds, squirrels, and snakes can also cause power outages by climbing to transformers. Excess electricity can flood the electrical system when the utility company switches power grids after an outage.
How can power surges be prevented? Is there power surge protection?
How can you stop an electrical surge from damaging electronic devices or appliances? High-quality surge protectors, also known as suppressors, are the best protection against power surge damage. Surge protectors can be connected to all programmable appliances and devices. This covers computer equipment, home entertainment systems and fax machines, telephones, and other digital electronic gadgets.
Surge Protectors: How Much Surge Protection Do You Need?
Although power surges are inevitable, you can prevent damage to electronics and appliances. Surge protectors are an essential investment if you want to protect your electrical appliances and electronic devices from damage. There are many levels of surge protection available.
- Point-of-entry and whole-house surge protectors are devices that are connected to the main electrical panel. They protect your electronics by diverting electrical fluctuations to the ground. These devices can be used in conjunction with other surge protectors.
- Surge protector or surge suppressor power strip: Most people know surge protector power strips. Although they are fairly common, not all power strips include surge protection. It would be a shame to assume that your electronics are protected, but make sure yours has the surge protection feature. These power strips are easy to use, as you need to plug the cord into standard wall outlets. You can also plug multiple devices into the same strip, which is convenient.
- Backup battery surge protectors are useful in times of power outages. They provide instant backup power for any connected devices. These devices continuously charge the battery from your wall outlet rather than power your devices, further protecting your devices against power surges.
- Outlet adapter surge protectors are like power strips but plug straight into standard wall outlets. These adapters save space and protect areas where traditional surge protector power strips are unsuitable.
