Protect Appliances and Electronic Devices from Power Surges
Power outages are a fact of life for South Africans and so is the importance of protecting your appliances and electronic devices from power surges.
17/03/2022
We have come to accept that power outages are here to stay. We might not appreciate how load shedding has become a new normal but there isn't very much we can do about it. With power outages and load shedding comes the increased risk of power surges and power surges can destroy appliances and electronic devices in a home. It is imperative that we look at options for protecting our valuables, especially in view of the fact that power outages and load shedding increase the risk of power surges.
Power surges after power outages or load shedding can cause serious damage to household electronic devices.
Power surges are an unavoidable occurrence but you can prevent damage by unplugging your devices and appliances during power outages or load shedding or installing power surge protection.
What is a Power Surge?
Just as the name suggests, a power surge is a surge of electrical power that exceeds the typical voltage that is supplied to residential homes. Any device plugged in when a power surge occurs is at risk of being irreversibly damaged as a result of this increased power.
Your Builders store stocks a variety of surge protectors that keep appliances safe from high voltage spikes or non-direct lightning strikes.
What Causes a Power Surge?
Here in South Africa, with power outages and load shedding being a regular occurence, our appliances and electronic devices are at risk of being damaged by a power surge because of increased voltage after power restoration after a power outage caused by load shedding.
Don't let your TV be a casualty of power surges.
Ellies TV Safe is a protection device that eliminates low and high voltages that can damage TV, audio and visual equipment caused by a spike in power that can lead to irreparable damage.
What Happens During a Power Surge?
As a result of the increased voltage on a residential line, a power surge overloads the electrical system resulting in the main Distribution Board in the home tripping or shorting out and damage to electrical circuits powering home appliances and electrical devices. A single power surge may not necessarily destroy sensitive appliances, but regular outages will lead to the destruction of devices as a result of increased power.
A large enough power surge can melt circuit boards and delicate electronics so that they no longer work and, since many household appliances are run on these types of electronic circuits, devices and equipment are permanently shut down. A couple of appliances that are at serious risk during a power surge is your TV and Refrigerator and any other devices that contain circuitry to operate and run. Even though a power surge lasts only a fraction of a second, it can irreparably damage appliances and electronic devices.
Protect expensive appliances like a refrigerator or chest freezer from power surges.
Protect larger household appliances such as a refrigerator or freezer from increased voltage levels by fitting a surge protector to prevent damage or replacement of these appliances. This type of protection defends against low or high voltage levels.
How to Protect Against Power Surges
Because a power surge can be damaging to appliances and devices in a home, using a surge protector, or over-voltage protection, prevents damage by continuously monitoring the power supply to an appliance or electronic device and cutting off the power supply to this when the operating power supply is exceeded. This process occurs instantly, and the device only allows power to flow through after a couple of minutes or when the power is stable.
Other preventative measures to protect a home against power surges are:
- Make sure power sockets are not overloaded with too many appliances or devices. Power-sucking appliances should always have their own power socket.
- In older homes, have aged wiring or electrical components replaced with up to date or more advanced versions.
- If your home is in an area that experiences frequent lightning strikes, unplug appliances during severe storms.
- Fit power surge protectors to larger appliances and sensitive electronic devices such as a TV, Laptop or PC, audio, and visual equipment, and so on.