Don’t you hate it when all the lights and appliances in your house just stop? It can be a little spooky and very annoying. These kinds of sudden outages usually happen due to an electrical surge. And now you can stop the majority of surges affecting your whole house by installing a whole-home surge protector (SPD). Take the time to read about the pros and cons of installing an SPD before reaching out to the expert electricians at M.R. Electricians.
What is a whole-home surge protector?
A whole-home surge protection device (SPD) gets connected directly to your home’s electrical panel. When there’s an electrical surge, the SPD will help filter out the high voltage surges so that they don’t damage your home. Any filtered out charges get neutralized due to the ground wire. If you have a surge protector strip for your TV or PC, it’s similar to that.
SPDs serve as a safeguard against these kinds of surges. These are a lot more common than you think! Here are some of the most common events that can lead to an electrical surge:
- Lighting strikes nearby
- Power lines go down
- A blackout
- Damaged wiring
- Large appliances cycling on and off
While you might think that natural causes like lightning are the main culprit behind these surges, you’d be wrong. When big appliances that take up a lot of energy turn on and off again, they can cause an internal surge. These account for more than half of all surges in homes.
That’s why you should see if a whole-home surge protector is right for you!
The Pros
You have some surge strips at your home right now to protect your important technology. Maybe they are behind the TV powering all the systems or maybe near your computer or even in your garage. Now apply that security to every electrical system in your home without having to keep moving those surge strips around. Here are reasons to consider adding an SPD:
| PROS | DESCRIPTION |
| Protect your home electronics and appliances. | All of your plugged-in electronics are at risk when an electrical surge happens. This includes your personal electronics like a charging cell phone, a computer, your wifi router, and your TV. It also includes your bigger appliances like your fridge or washer/dryer. |
| Protect your home’s whole electrical system. | While replacing electronics can be a hassle, replacing your home’s entire electrical system takes a lot longer. This includes all the sockets and the wiring. |
| Provide a sense of security. | Now you can sleep through storms and also not worry about turning on all your electronics. |
The Cons
| CONS | DESCRIPTION |
| Initial investment costs. | What you’re paying for might give you pause, remember that this is a one-time initial investment to protect your house. |
| Not 100% guaranteed. | Whole-home surge protectors come with different levels of protection. Depending on what you install, small surges might make their way through. But our experts can make sure that you get the right one for your home. |
Still not sure whether a whole-home surge protector is right for you? Get our expert’s opinion. Call M.R. Electricians at (301) 871-0477 (Maryland, Virginia, Washington DC), or (727) 422-0391 (Florida) and let us do the electrical work for you!
