There's More Than One Way To Divert A Power Surge

By Samantha Gooding

When it comes to surge protection, your home needs at least two layers of protection for ultimate security: one layer for the power coming into your home; and one layer for the power circulating throughout your home. A service entrance surge protector, otherwise known as a whole house surge protector, will reduce the risk of power surges caused by outside forces from coming in through your power lines. A point-of-use surge protector is the internal layer that protects items that use your outlets.

You won't find any one answer to total surge protection as no one device can protect you from all power surges. Should a lightning strike hit directly on your home's electrical system it could be too much for your surge protector to handle. That's why it is recommended to use a two-tiered system. Using a service entrance surge protector along with the point-of-use devices will create a stronger security system against possible surges in power.

You will need to install a quality whole house surge protector to guard the power coming into your home. This will stop surges at the point of entrance and all lines associated with it, such as power lines, phones, cable connections and satellite dishes. This first line of defense can be designed to protect all lines at once or to protect each line individually. The first type is mounted to your electrical panel on the utility side; the others are installed between the panel and your incoming lines.

Using a whole house surge protector provides security for your home's entire electrical system. This includes anything that utilizes motors, exterior light, outlets and switches and anything else that is hard wired into the electrical panel. In other words, anything that does not plug in and cannot plug in is protected.

Point-of-use surge protectors will actually plug in to your wall outlet and act as a buffer between the outlet and your electrical appliances. Many people confuse this device with a power strip that has three or more outlets on it. This will not protect you. A surge protector is a regulated piece of equipment that guarantees a level of protection from power surges.

Wall surge protectors are geared to protect your televisions, VCRs, DVD players, home stereo equipment, personal computers and all other electronic equipment that has sensitive electronic components. You can readily identify appliances that require surge protection as they usually have electronic buttons which turn them on or off. Your computer is one that could require several types of surge protection in one device as it often has a phone modem or a cable connection to access the Internet. All lines, no matter what the device, should be protected.

With that said, consider using a two tier surge protection system to protect your home. A service entrance surge protector will safely reduce the chance of all external power surges from entering your home and causing serious damage. Your second line of defense, the wall surge protector is added security for all your equipment and incoming lines such as your phone. Any surge that is created within your home will benefit from this type of surge protection.

As technology moves forward the circuitry installed within them becomes smaller and more sensitive to electrical current. A power surge will damage if not outright destroy these sensitive components. Also equipment is becoming more and more interconnected through compatible accessories, which means surge protection is ever more important to prevent the spread of surges through layers of equipment. Energy companies are deregulating at a time when there is more demand for power which increases the risk of damage from power surges in your home. Do yourself a favor and get surge protection today. - 29955

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