A whole house surge protector protects your home from voltage spikes, limiting excess electrical current by blocking its flow or shorting it to ground, much like a pressure relief valve. This includes surges occurring not only from lightning, but the 60-80 percent of surges that occur from within your home – typically from major appliances cycling on and off.
Today’s homes and families consume a great deal of power due to the abundance of electronic devices we use to function daily. As a result, damaging power surges are common today even when storms and downed lines are not a factor, with homes near the end of the power line being particularly vulnerable.
What the heck is whole house surge protection?
- Hard wired into your electrical box
- Prevent outside surges from entering your home through the breaker box
- Mr. Electric recommeds using a professional to install a whole house surge protector
What does it protect your home from?
- Permanent damage to the circuit boards of all household appliances
- Bursts of excess energy from larger appliances powering on and off.
- Downed power lines in your neighborhood
- Lightning strikes
Which qualities are important in a whole house surge protector?
- Minimum rating of 50 kiloamps
- UL No. 1449 safety rating
- Protect all devices in your home, not only those that plug into a standard outlet. Internet and phone lines are also susceptible to power surges.