Electrical surges are sudden and unexpected spikes in voltage that travel throughout your home/office electrical systems. Some surges come from within your own home/office, such as turning on a vacuum cleaner or sending a document to your printer.
Other surges come from outside your home, as in electric utility switching, downed power poles, cut power lines, and lightning strikes. Surge can even enter through cable televisions and telephone wiring.
Our recommendations for surge protector breakers surpass all of the ordinary plug-in devices. We believe in only installing the best equipment with the best installation methods. Contact us today to get more info on better protection and better filtering.
A whole house surge protection device safeguards your home, your appliances and your electronics. A surge protector breaker allows only the electricity your circuits need inside your home, and rejects the uncontrollable over-voltages.
While there are individual surge protection devices that you can use as power strips, Penna Electric always recommends the installation of a surge protector breaker, as it keeps electricity produced by surges out of your home’s circuits rather than just protecting one device. These are typically wired to the electric service panel.
Our residential electricians have years of experience and know how important the safety of your home and family is. Electronics and new appliances today are valuable, expensive to replace, and worth protecting.
By installing a surge protector breaker, we can help reduce the risk of a power surge damaging your appliances or any other valuable devices. The breaker will stop the surge before it enters your home.
Penna Electric has over 13 years of experience in residential wiring and electrical systems, and we are invested in protecting your home in the best possible way. We use the best equipment and our licensed, experienced electricians are committed to the best installation practices.
If you’re ready to take the next step towards protecting your home and learning more about the benefits of a surge protector breaker, contact us now and get a free quote.
Frequently Asked Questions about Whole House Surge Protector
Do I need a professional to install my whole house surge protector?
Yes. This applies to all things related to the house electrical system. We strongly recommend that you work with licensed electricians when it comes to installing surge protection devices, especially the ones hard-wired to the main panel.
If you try the DIY approach, the electrical wiring in your home’s main panel can be confusing and you don’t want an incorrectly installed device. This could cause further damage, such as circuit defects or danger to yourself or the person installing it.
How much does a surge protector breaker cost?
There are many such devices on the market, and they come at different price points. Several features also vary, such as thermal fuses, lights or alarms that show you when the whole house surge protector has taken a hit. Usually, protection for an average house with 200-amp service can cost around $500, but in order to get an accurate cost, contact us today.
What causes a surge?
Many people think surges are mainly caused by lightning, but 80 percent of surges are in fact transient (short, intense bursts) and are generated internally, within our home. A surge is sometimes caused by a Utilities transformer going bad causing an inrush of voltage into your electrical system.
This can also be caused by a power pole being knocked down also sending an inrush of power to your electrical system. Another cause is from loose connections in the utility wires, sometimes in the neutral which in theory would have voltage coming to your house with no way to return the unused power.
This can also happen within your own electrical system when you have a circuit utilizing the same neutral and there is a loose connection.
Other causes of electrical surges are of course, electrical storms, in the form of lightning, which is the most severe source for a power surge. Improper or worn wiring can also cause surges. As well as overloaded outlets or circuits.
Why do I need surge protection?
A five-year survey of power quality in North America indicates that per household there are 35 disruptive or destructive power disturbances per year. Deregulation of the electric utility industry is expected to decrease the quality of utility power in the near future. Annually, 30% of power outages are lightning related.
Five percent of all insurance claims are lightning related, amounting to over $1 billion per year.
These electrical disturbances can ruin or severely damage motor driven appliances, electronics, disrupt satellite signals, degrade the performance of sensitive audio/video components, and wreak havoc with telecommunication systems.
