Chances are you have surge protectors inside your house. Perhaps they are cluttering your living-room floor. Or, maybe you have surge protector receptacles that are elegantly installed inside your wall.
You know you require protection for all of your electronic gadgets, yet how much do you know about power surges? Spikes within your home’s electrical current occur with shocking frequency. Many surges last for just a fraction of a second. As the spikes do not last long, they may be powerful enough to produce damage to electronic devices.
Power Surges: What are they?
A power surge may occur when electricity gets interrupted and then is instantly re-established. The occurrence will force an overabundance of current through the system. Power surges are able to knock out all of your delicate electronics, cause fires, as well as wreak havoc up and down a home or business’ circuitry.
Internal Power Surges
The most common type of power surges is internal power surges. Over 50% of household power surges involve internal power surges. Many are too small to be detected by the human senses. They might happen dozens of times each day. They pass through the wires of your home, and no one is ever the wiser. Thankfully, modern electronics are made to resist such minuscule spikes.
Air conditioners, refrigerators, and other appliances may cause power surges when they are turned on. This kind of problem occurs most often when your house contains faulty wiring. Short circuits and tripped circuit breakers also can cause spikes in current. This type of internal surge is powerful enough to produce damage. If you have suspicions that your house has bad wiring, give Powertec Electric a call immediately at 204-896-3446.
External Power Surges
Usually, external power surges are greater than internal power surges. They might occur when a branch, tree, or anything else, drop upon a power line. Lightning can be another cause. A single strike close to a power line might fry a computer monitor or television.
Ways to Prevent Power Surges
About 80% of all voltage spikes and power surges that happen in the home are caused by the daily powering on and off of appliances. All appliances which are connected to individual circuits are going to cause huge power draws and power stoppages when they’re powered on and off, and all electronics which are connected to the exact same circuit will handle the same impact all across the board.
That’s why it’s so crucial to use power surge protectors as much as you can, yet especially as you plug expensive and delicate electronics inside the wall. The last you need is to have your beautiful new big screen television, or your expensive new laptop fried merely because your washer kicked on and your TV or laptop was plugged into the exact same circuit.
Call the professionals at Powertec Electric today to figure out ways to protect your business or home. For more information on power surges, contact the team of qualified electricians at Powertec Electric today!