subject: Protecting Your Home From Power Surges [print this page] It is very common that we plug an appliance into the wall socket and then forget about it. There are several issues that may cause spikes in home power, and these spikes are known as surges. Common causes for power surges are lightening during thunderstorms, and power surges through the power lines provided by your power company. Power surges through your home electrical lines can be extremely brief, lasting much less than a second, but during the time of the surge, the power can be amplified into your appliances to levels that can be very damaging. It is not uncommon for appliances themselves within the home to cause internal power surges that can cause damage to other appliances as well.
Normally, the first indication of a power surge is when appliances will not work right or will not work at all. Televisions, radios, computers, and even air conditioning systems can be damaged due to a power surge, and this will be the first indication that something has gone wrong. More alarming signs may be sparking or smoking at the breaker box or the electrical outlets. Any kind of power issue that produces smoke or sparking should be considered a possible life threatening situation, and an electrical technician should be called in immediately. Often, when a surge has occurred, you may hear a hissing or popping sound from the amplified electrical levels before your appliance shorts out.
Normally only the most severe surges that can do damage cause melting of the electrical wire insulation. If this happens it is not uncommon to smell a distinct odor of electrical burning, and again, emergency measures should be taken if this smell is detected.
There are several ways to protect yourself and your home appliances from damage due to a power surge. One of the most popular and most effective methods is to use power strips or surge protectors made specifically to protect precious home appliances from damaging power surges. Surge protectors can come in the form of a one-appliance addition to your outlet, or as a full strip, allowing multiple appliances to be powered through one strip, and increasing the number of available plugs at a single outlet. These strips come in particularly handy in a home computer center area or a television entertainment area, where several machines and appliances will be used simultaneously.
Care should be taken not to overload any one outlet. Plugging more than one strip together is not recommended. If the outlet or the cord of a power strip gets hot, discontinue use immediately and have a skilled electrician come in to see what the problem may be. The same advice applies to any visible sparking or smoking, or the odor of electrical smoke.
Protecting your home appliances from surges from within and without the home can be done with just a few simple steps. Listen to any advice your electrical service provider may have about this issue, and take that advice to heart. Protect you and your loved ones, your home, and your appliances from damaging power surges.
