10 Reasons Why You Need Whole-Home Surge Protection

With so many parts of our daily lives dependent on electricity, from refrigerators and HVAC systems to phones, computers, and televisions, it is crucial that such devices be protected from damage. One of the most dangerous threats to any home electrical system is power surges, and while that may immediately conjure images of lightning strikes, the surges that are most common and most likely to cause damage actually come from inside your home.

What Causes Power Surges?

On a day-to-day basis, most power surges are caused by large appliances turning on and off in your home, such as air conditioners, refrigerators, washing machines, or anything else with a large motor. Faulty wiring can also play a role, as can malfunctioning electronics, short-circuits, or damaged breakers. Outside your home, maintenance problems on the utility grid can cause surges, as can downed power lines, high electrical demand, and more. Finally, lightning can also cause surges if it strikes close, though that is somewhat rare.

Why You Need Whole-Home Surge Protection

Even small surges can cause imperceptible damage to delicate electronics, and often the damage accumulates until the device seemingly fails out of nowhere. Many households protect computers, televisions, and other electronics with point-of-use surge protectors, but these are not designed for large surges. Plus, far more appliances have sophisticated electronics, such as refrigerators and stoves, but they are often left unprotected. Whole-home surge protectors are the best way to protect your home – here are 10 reasons why you need one:

• 1. Protect against internal surges – Over 80% of surges are caused by appliances and other devices in your home.
• 2. Protect against wiring problems – Short-circuits, faulty breakers, damaged wires, and other electrical problems could all cause damaging surges.
• 3. Add layered protection – Whole-home surge protectors guard against large surges, while point-of-use surge protectors catch smaller ones, and with both, you offer the best protection for your sensitive electronics.
• 4. Protect your costly HVAC system – Furnaces, air conditioners, and heat pumps all have delicate electronics that could be damaged by surges.
• 5. Protect modern appliances – Today’s appliances are smarter and more efficient than ever, but that means that your expensive stove, refrigerator, oven, dishwasher, or coffee maker is full of electronics that are sensitive to surges.
• 6. Keep your electronics safe – Today’s homes have numerous electronics that are easily damaged by surges including televisions, home theater systems, computers, game consoles, networked storage, home office equipment, and more.
• 7. Protect communications devices – Surges can enter your home through any wire, so even when the power is off, devices like landline phones, cable modems, and set-top boxes could be damaged and can pass those surges along to other equipment.
• 8. Safeguard your data – From important documents and emails to family photos and videos, large swaths of our personal information are now digital, and even if a computer or mobile phone survives a surge, the data may not.
• 9. Avoid costly repairs – Surges can damage appliances, electronics, or your home’s wiring over time, or all at once, leaving you with costly repairs.
• 10. Protect your entire home – A whole-home surge protector guards against damaging surges throughout your home, as well as smaller transients that find their way back to the service panel.

Whole-Home Surge Protector Installation in MD & DC

Keep your home protected from dangerous power spikes with a whole-home surge protector installation from Jaffe Electric. Our skilled electricians have been serving Maryland and the Washington, DC area since 1992.

Call (301)253-3778 or contact us online to schedule your installation today.