| By :
Nick Messe
It blew the dog fence right off the garage wall. Every appliance in the house was fried. Hearing my neighbor lament the loss of all his appliances through one lightning strike made me do some research into the hidden dangers of power surges. I was amazed to find that even without lightning strikes, the electricity supply to my home was sending power surges through my computers up to 20 times a day. Time to call an electrical contractor. I found out that power fluctuations on the electrical grid are normal. They happen up to 20 times a day in the average home. The most we usually notice is a flickering light. Our appliances, on the other hand, are affected by every variation in the electricity supply. Although they are designed to keep working through fluctuations within a certain range, my electrician told me that the net result of standing up to constant changes in the power supply is costly wear and tear on all my electrical appliances. Their lifespan can be reduced by as much as 30 percent. That may not matter so much in the case of a $50 toaster, but what about my computers, or that home theater system that cost me thousands of dollars? Even worse, during a lightning storm the electrical grid weathers multiple lightning strikes, some of which may be close to home. Lightning is common from spring right through fall, so statistically speaking you're more likely than not to get a strike near you at some point during the year. A single strike a mile away can send a 30,000 amp surge of electricity through your home, which is enough to do some serious damage to sensitive computers. One lightning strike on your house can fry every electronic device in it. Imagine having to replace your computers, TVs, and every other appliance in your home all at once. What's worse, your insurance policy probably does not cover this kind of event, which means that you'll be paying out of your own pocket. A power surge protector installed by a professional electrical contractor can extend the life of your computer, your furnace, and all the other expensive items in your home. It can save you thousands of dollars if you are unlucky enough to experience a lightning strike. You win in two ways. You will immediately begin saving money by extending the lifespan of your costly appliances, and you will have peace of mind about the possibility of lightning burning out all of your electronics. This kind of protection is simply not supplied by circuit breakers, which are designed to prevent fires caused by electrical short circuits but do not protect appliances against power surges. I found that having whole house surge protection installed by a professional electrician was surprisingly affordable. Now I have protection for my computers, home theater, refrigerator, washer, and countless other appliances. My poor neighbor is still paying to replace his.
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