Power surges can happen at any time. They can be caused by power being restored after an outage, during a thunderstorm if lightning strikes close by, you have faulty wiring or if there is an electrical overload. How can you protect your home from power surges? If you are looking for an electrician in Washington DC, you can call the licensed electricians at NJ Electric Services, to assess your home’s needs and help you protect your home from power surges. While power surges can be scary, there are some steps you can take to protect your home.
What is a Power Surge?
Understanding power surges is the first step in protecting your home. A power surge is sometimes called transient voltage, which is when a larger than normal amount of electricity comes through a circuit unexpectedly. When the voltage is large enough, it can damage appliances, electronics, or anything plugged into the outlet where the surge occurs.
How to Protect Your Home
There are some steps you can take to protect your home and appliances from power surges. These include:
- Unplug items during a storm. While you may want the distraction of the television or computer during a thunderstorm, keeping these items (and other household appliances or electronics) plugged in risks them being damaged if lightning causes a surge.
- Purchase surge protectors. Surge protectors can help safeguard your electronics while you are out of your house. Power surges can happen at any time, and a surge protector can help prevent damage to your equipment if one happens while you are away.
Types of Surge Protectors
When most people think of surge protectors, they envision a power strip with a switch on it. While these are most common, you can invest in a whole-house surge protector. Residential electricians in Washington DC at NJ Electric Services can install a whole-house surge protector that works in much the same way as a strip-style protector. Both work to redirect the excess electricity to prevent damage to your home and its contents. Whole-house surge protectors can help protect your home from higher voltages than the power-strip style protectors.
Finding an Electrician in Washington DC
If you are looking for an electrician in Washington DC, call the licensed professionals at NJ Electric Services, and protect your home from damage from power surges.