Surge Protection - Determine Your Need and Safeguard Your Home

Surge protection is one of the most important tools a home owner can have on hand. When electricity powers through an appliance or a home it can cause a significant amount of damage. Often, individuals have heard of this type of action occurring in regards to computers, where an electrical storm can bring a surging electricity through the home's system which could fry the computer system. While this is rare, it is still a very big possibility in some instances. Protecting against it does allow for some safety in protecting your home. Keep in mind it is not just computers that deal with this type of occurrence.

Which Type Is Right?

When considering how to protect your home from such an event, realize that there are two main types of surge protection options. The first is a whole home protective system. This protects the entire home from such instances. The second is a point of interest, or a specific area within the home that requires additional protection to ensure no damage occurs. Which one is right for you?

Whole home systems protect against transient surging. This can occur in any instance. It provides the most complete level of safety for the home and is often the recommendation of contractors in areas where there is a larger possibility of problems.

Point of interest options are best for protecting specific areas of the home. For example, you may want to ensure that your appliances or your electronics are not at risk from this type of surging event. 

In many cases, it is best to work with an electrical contractor who can offer additional advice on what is appropriate or best for your situation. Since this can range significantly from one place to the next, having an expert's opinion is often important. 

Why Do It?

Why should you invest in surge protection? There are many instances in which it can protect you and your valuables. For example, some research indicates that today's computer equipment and technology is more sensitive to even slight surges in power than older models were. This means it takes less to actually cause a problem to occur. If you rely on electrical components in your home, and the more you do so the more this is important, it is critical to have surge protection present. It will provide you with the level of care you need to ensure you do not lose your home's electronics but also so that an electrical fire does not occur.

Anytime that a line's voltage level is higher than the line's rating, this is an instance in which you can have a serious problem. In addition, the voltage that remains high for a long time, or even for a very short period, such as ten milliseconds, can lead to a significant problem. To avoid this, you need to work with an electrical contractor to install the recommended surge protection for your home. Doing so could protect you for years to come from "what if" situations.