Check out a few things you need to know to keep your home and electronics safe
However boring and technical it may seem, whole house surge protection is important for securing your home, electrical devices and appliances from being shorted out. Whole-house surge protection devices, or SPDs, are typically wired to the electric service box and located nearby to protect all the appliances and electrical systems in a home. Think of surge protection as a bouncer at a nightclub, only letting certain people in and quickly tossing the trouble-makers. That makes it sound a little more interesting, right?
Essentially, a good whole-house surge protection device does the same thing. It allows in only the electricity your home needs and not the unruly over-voltages from the utility — then it protects your devices from any trouble that can occur from surges inside the house.
Metal oxide varistors, or MOVs are used to shunt power surges. The MOVs in whole-house systems are built to shut large surges and can last for years, unlike those used in most surge strips, which can be rendered useless after one surge.
Here are 4 things you should know about whole-house surge protection:
- Homes are in more need of whole house surge protection today than ever.
- With so much more technology and electronics in the home (LEDs, washers, dryers and appliances) with circuit boards, there’s an increased need to make sure you’re fully protected.
- Lightning isn’t the biggest danger to electronics and other systems in the home.
- 80 percent of surges are transient (short intense bursts) from generators and motors like those in air conditioning units and appliances that we make in the home ourselves. Those small surges add up over time, reducing the lifespan of our electronics.
- Whole-house surge protection protects other electronics.
- A whole-house protection system at the breaker panel can shunt power surges from some of the bigger surge culprits like backup power generators.
- Whole-house surge protection should be layered.
- Surge protection should be layered in the house to be at both the electrical service to protect the whole home and at the point of use to protect sensitive electronics.
Allow the experts at McCauley Electric to handle all of your electrical needs the right way. Patrick is here to provide professional and quality service for whole-house surge protection and any number of needs that may arise. Schedule an appointment today to avoid a hassle tomorrow