The Function of a Whole-House Surge Protector

Surge Causes

• Most people think an electrical storm is the culprit when it comes to frying electrical circuit boards in household appliances, DVD players and televisions. In reality, however, the power company delivers more electrical surges through a home’s wiring system than an electrical storm does. Downed power lines, brownouts or power outages often send surges of electricity through power lines to your home. In your own home, devices that use more power than others can cause electrical surges within the home’s wiring with damage showing up later.

How Surge Protection Works

• A surge protector allows electricity through when the power is at normal levels. When the power surges, or increases above normal levels, the surge protector acts as a buffer of sorts, and sends the excess energy down its ground wire and away from sensitive equipment. The small surge protector has a sacrificial fuse that will burn up when it receives too much power, keeping sensitive equipment safe.

Whole-House Surge Protector

• A whole-house surge protector requires the services of a qualified electrician for installation because it must be wired directly to the home’s electrical service panel. A whole-house surge protector should withstand a 40,000 amp minimum surge, such as the kind that might be experienced when a house or nearby utility pole gets struck by lightning. Its function is to protect the entire house from large electrical surges.

Combining Protection

• Used with small surge protectors for sensitive equipment, the whole-house surge protector will stop large surges, while the smaller ones protect against the miniature in-house surges that household equipment creates. While a whole-house surge protector does protect against large surges from the outside, it is not entirely effective by itself. But when used with these small plug-in type surge protectors, these buffers will work together to protect all household electronics and save on costly repairs or replacements.