Whole House Surge Protector
How much would you say you have spent on electrical/electronic equipment for your home or business? Quite a lot I expect and have you also got a whole house surge protector set-up to safeguard all of this valuable equipment from serious damage caused by power surges? Why don’t you read on and find out how easy it is to protect your expensive home and office equipment and save money:
An electrical power surge is an increase in electrical voltage at a rate significantly higher than the intended level, which in home and office wiring in the United States is set at a standard of 120 volts. When the standard voltage increases to more than 120 volts, it causes internal damage to personal computers (and this can lose you valuable stored data) and other expensive electrical devices and this component deterioration shortens the life of the equipment, so that in time you will have to buy a replacement. This is what will happen if you don’t use a whole house surge protector.
The whole house surge protector protects against voltage spikes by constantly regulating the supply of voltage to electric devices and either blocking or channeling voltage to ground to maintain the electrical supply above a safe threshold.
A whole house surge protector will protect your home environment against power surges and give you complete peace of mind. It is important to be aware that a whole house surge protector needs to be installed, on your electricity meter or service panel, by a fully-qualified electrician. The purchase price of a whole house surge protector device is usually between 120 – 350 dollars, and by installing one you will save a bundle of cash in the future because you won’t have to replace expensive electrical/electronic equipment damaged by voltage fluctuations.
You may believe that any devices plugged into a multi socket power strip are protected from power surges, but this is not the case and it is much safer to install a whole house surge protector and know that everything is fully protected. Some people use point-of-use surge protectors to safeguard each separate item of electrical equipment from low-level internal fluctuations and subsequent component deterioration. However, the point-of-use surge protector is an inferior product when compared to a complete whole house surge protector.
When planning to purchase a whole house surge protector you should consider the following points:
- Does it have an audible alarm or a LED display to inform you of a power surge?
- What are the warranty terms offered by the manufacturer?
- Is it big enough to protect all your electrical equipment?
- Does it have filters for line dissonance, also called electromagnetic interference?
If you’re not sure of the exact model of whole house surge protector that will best suit your needs, always consult a licensed electrician who will be able to you some expert advice. My advice is get yourself fixed up with a whole house surge protector pretty soon, because prevention is better than cure and you will be giving your expensive electrical equipment the protection that it needs.