Surge Suppressor for the Whole House

We all are fearful of those dreaded surges where the sparks fly, and all of our electronic equipment goes on the blink. So, we go out and purchase those surge protector strips and plug them in. But, do they really work?

Where do the Surges Originate?

This may come as a surprise to most of you, but some experts have estimated that up to 80% of power surges start with us. That’s right. The very people who are trying to avoid them. Often, we blame the power company or a transformer, but no. They actually can come from inside the home.

Think of all the changes that have come down the pipeline and into your home over the last several years. The average home has more electronics in them than ever before. Even today’s LED lights have circuit boards, not to mention modern appliances.

We need more than just those plug-in outlet strips everyone uses for computers and TV. Suppressors are becoming more and more necessary to keep all of the lights, smart devices, and appliances working as they should. If not, there will be big bucks to pay to replace those things that get fried by the surges.

What is Whole House Surge Protective Devices?

Whole-house surge protective devices (SPDs) are usually hard wired into the electric box outside your home. It should also be near to protect all the electronics and other power-driven appliances in your home. One expert states the cost could run approximately $200-300 for a smaller home, and the price goes up from there.

The protective agent in surge protectors consist of metal oxide varistors (MOV). The smaller ones we typically use inside blow easily, but the whole house version can shunt larger amounts of power and last literally for years.

Two Types of Surges

It’s hard to believe that something so fast can be so damaging. A surge can carry tens of thousands of volts and that will burn out a circuit board, ruin hard drives and just about any other electrical equipment you have. Far more common are surges caused by downed power lines, nearby production facilities or printers. What is more is that they can be cumulative and can take a while for the damage to show up.

The other type is like a lightning strike, which can ruin many appliances in one fail swoop. This can also be caused when a transformer blows as well, and is not usually covered by homeowners insurance.

The Best Defense

Fighting the attack of power surges should be on two fronts. One would be a whole house protector and the other the normal ones you probably now use.

To conclude, we invest so much money in electrical appliances these days, it only makes sense to try to protect them to the best of our ability. A whole house surge suppressor is not expensive when you take into account how many appliances, computers, and other electrical gadgets you may have to replace over time.