Why Ohio Homes Need Whole-Home Surge Protection

Power surges pose a threat to Ohio homes, but this risk is something homeowners often ignore. Northeast Ohio often has harsh weather like lightning, high winds, and tornadoes, which can lead to electrical surges and spikes. While individual surge protectors can lessen the chance of damage from minor surges, whole-home surge protection is the most effective solution. A whole-home surge protector safeguards your electrical system, appliances, and electronics from damaging power spikes and surges.

What Is a Power Surge and What Causes One?

Definition of a Power Surge

A power surge or spike occurs when voltage in an electrical system exceeds what the system can handle. Unlike a power spike, which lasts only a fraction of a second, a power surge is less intense but can last for minutes. Power surges and spikes can cause significant damage to wires and sensitive electronic components.

Common Causes of Power Surges in Ohio Homes

Power surges often happen when lightning hits a power pole, a power line goes down, or the local grid has sudden shifts in demand. Damage to wiring or faulty appliances/electronic devices can also cause the power within a home’s electrical system to spike. Many homes experience numerous smaller surges throughout the day that result from high-power appliances like air conditioners turning on and off.

Internal vs. External Surge Sources

Internal power surges originate within a home’s electrical system. External surges occur when the power in the local grid surges. This sends a high-voltage current into all the buildings in the area.

What Is Whole-Home Surge Protection?

How Whole-Home Surge Protection Works

A whole-home surge protector is a device that installs at a home’s main electrical service panel. This is where the power from the grid flows into the building. It works by continually monitoring the voltage of the incoming current. If the voltage spikes or surges, the surge protector activates and redirects the excess current away from the building. The current will instead move into the copper grounding rod outside. It doesn’t fully block power from flowing into the house’s electrical system, but it does reduce the voltage of the current to a safer level.

How It Differs From Power Strips and Individual Surge Protectors

Power strips and individual surge protectors can only block surges from flowing into whatever they connect to. A whole-home surge protector blocks both internal and external surges from flowing through a house’s electrical system. This provides protection for all appliances, electronic devices, the electrical panel, and the home’s wiring.

What Can a Power Surge Damage in Your Home?

HVAC Systems and Appliances

Major power surges can cause serious damage and even destroy major appliances, including your HVAC system, refrigerator, freezer, washer, dryer, and dishwasher. You may be able to repair your appliance after a surge. However, a surge from something like lightning striking your house will often result in needing to replace items.

Electronics and Smart Home Devices

Power surges can be especially damaging to smart home devices and electronics like TVs, computers, and stereos. When excess voltage flows through these devices, it often damages sensitive components like microchips and causes internal wiring to melt.

Electrical Panels and Wiring

During a power surge, excess voltage can significantly damage your home’s electrical panels, circuit breakers, and wiring. The extreme heat the surge creates can cause wires to melt. This can lead to the need for rewiring as well as replacement of outlets, switches, and light fixtures.

Why Northeast Ohio Homeowners Are at Higher Risk

Ohio Storm Season and Lightning Activity

Ohio frequently experiences extreme weather throughout much of the spring into the middle of summer. Lightning strikes are always a major concern in terms of their potential to cause massive power surges. Extreme winds and tornadoes knocking down power lines are also a risk. If a storm knocks out the power, your house can also experience a surge right when the utility company turns the power back on.

Aging Electrical Infrastructure in Older Ohio Homes

Aging electrical infrastructure is a common cause of internal power surges. Issues like loose connections and wire damage can lead to fluctuations in electrical current that result in the voltage sometimes spiking. Older electrical systems that aren’t in great condition or aren’t up to current code standards are also more prone to damage from power surges.

Increased Home Energy Demand and Smart Technology Usage

Household electricity demand has risen dramatically over the years. The result is many homes have an electrical system that struggles to sufficiently meet demand. If your electrical service doesn’t have the capacity to fully handle your needs, you’re likely to experience frequent surges. For example, this can occur when your HVAC system or other high-demand appliances, like a clothes dryer, turn on and off.

The Benefits of Installing Whole-Home Surge Protection

Protecting High-Value Appliances and Electronics

Whole-home surge protection is vital for protecting your expensive appliances and sensitive electronic devices. Hardwired appliances cannot plug into an individual surge protector. The only way to prevent a power surge from potentially damaging or destroying them is with whole-home surge protection. Plugging electronics into a surge strip provides some protection against smaller internal surges. More powerful surges will instantly knock out the strip and lead to the high-voltage current still surging through TVs, computers, and other devices.

Reducing the Risk of Electrical Fires

When a high-voltage current flows through electrical wiring, it quickly causes wires to get extremely hot. This often makes the insulation melt, leading to the wires touching and sending off sparks that can ignite anything nearby. Lightning strikes pose an especially high risk of electrical fires. By blocking the high-voltage current from flowing through your electrical system, a whole-home surge protector greatly reduces the risk of a power surge causing a fire.

Long-Term Cost Savings vs. Replacement Costs

Whole-home surge protection is an investment that can prevent thousands of dollars of damage should a power surge occur. If a major external surge hits your home, you will usually have to replace the surge protector. Nonetheless, even this extra cost pales in comparison to what it would cost to repair or replace most of your appliances and electronics.

What to Expect from a Surge Protection Installation with Heart of Ohio

Professional Electrical Assessment

Our process starts with assessing the condition of an electrical system and electrical panel. If we discover any safety concerns, we can recommend repairs or upgrades that improve electrical safety. This assessment also allows us to determine the scope of the work we need to do. In some cases, we may need to move some of the breakers within the panel or perform an electrical panel upgrade. If your electrical system isn’t properly grounded, we’ll need to perform updates to meet current electrical code requirements.

Flat-Rate Pricing and Transparent Service

We provide flat-rate pricing on all our electrical services. Once we determine the scope of the project during an initial inspection, we’ll provide you with a full breakdown of the costs. Our commitment to transparency means you can trust that we’ll speak with you honestly, explaining exactly what work is necessary.

24/7 Availability for Electrical Services

We understand that electrical emergencies can happen anytime. When an emergency arises, there’s no need to wait to schedule an appointment with a professional. With our 24/7 availability, you can count on us to quickly respond with expert support day or night.

Contact Heart of Ohio HVAC Today

Our decades of professional experience make us trustworthy for whole-home surge protection in Ohio. We have a commitment to providing safe, reliable electrical services to the community. From surge protector installation to wiring upgrades and electrical inspections, you can count on us to expertly handle your needs. To schedule an evaluation and whole-home surge protector consultation in Northeast Ohio, contact Heart of Ohio today.

Frequently Asked Questions