Whole Home Surge Protectors: Do You Need One?

Electrical surges are more common than you might think. Our homes experience surges everyday, but thanks to whole home surge protection, we may never notice it.

What exactly is a whole home surge protector? Whole home surge protectors divert excess voltage during surges using metal oxide varistors (MOVs), which react in nanoseconds to prevent damages to your appliances. They are installed at your main electrical panel, with some being installed outside your home or at secondary panels for added protection.

Types of Surges

Draw Downs

Lights flickering or dimming when turning a large appliance on? During your daily routine, activating high-powered electrical appliances such as an electric oven or your HVAC system could potentially cause a draw down (voltage drop) on your electrical system. Even using power tools or electrical heaters could cause one. These draw downs can possibly wreak havoc on some electronics that need constant voltage. There are several factors that cause this, such as lights and receptacles being on the same circuit or your system not being large enough due to its age and needs to be evaluated and possibly upgraded if necessary. In these cases, it's important to have it evaluated by a licensed professional.

Surges

Surges can be caused by several things. For instance, lightning strikes produce surges that are powerful enough to shut down electronics like TVs and computers. Spikes in the transmission lines from increment weather can also cause power fluctuations and even cause electronics to go bad. The grid is also a major source of spikes in the system.

Benefits of Whole Home Surge Protection

Grounding

There are several safety reasons for having a grounding system such as enhanced safety and providing peace of mind for you. Preventing surges is also a big reason to invest in a grounding system. It is important to note that it doesn't prevent surges completely, but it helps protect your home from damage. If you have an older system, having a professional come out to assess what you have would be highly recommended. They can also explain some of the other benefits of having a grounding system.

Money Saving

In the case of a major surge, or perhaps multiple little surges building up over time, your electrical appliances or electronics connected to the power supply could be severely damaged. If this were to happen, replacing everything that was affected would be very costly. Protecting your belongings with a whole home surge protector is the best way to prevent this from happening.

Increased Home Value

By adding a feeling of security with comprehensive whole home surge protection, you are significantly increasing the market value of your home. Understandably, most buyers value peace of mind when buying a house, and knowing that their belongings are safe in the instance of a power surge makes your home all the more appealing.

With this in mind, we can understand how whole home surge protection is more than just device protection, it is also a wise investment.

So, Are They Necessary?

In 2020, the National Electric Code, or NEC, began requiring whole house surge protection. Which always automatically means: yes, you need it. Keeping your house up to code is always in your best interest as it assures you that your home is safe and if you are looking to sell your house, it can increase the value.

How do they decide what needs to be added to the code?

NEC updates are based on recommendations by a committee within the National Fire Protection Association which considers electrical hazards and fire risks. They noted the increasing usage of sensitive electronic systems in homes like burglar alarms, video security systems, HVAC systems, and data networks as a reason for requiring whole house surge protection.

Types of Surge Protectors

Type 1 surge protectors are installed between your utility pole and your home or business's main distribution board. They are designed to handle direct lightning strikes or other external surge sources.

Type 2 protectors are the ones that are installed at your main electrical panel. These catch internal surges caused by things such as appliances cycling on and off or short circuits.

Installing both types of surge protectors offers the most comprehensive protection.

In Conclusion....

Whole home surge protection is a crucial project for any Dallas homeowner. If your home is not protected from surges of any kind, call a reliable, experienced electrician to install one. Electricians of Dallas offers free estimates for any project. Give us a call at 972-418-0691.