Smart Home And Surge Protection
Have you ever seen a movie or a TV show where a massive power surge causes a power outage and destroys electronics? Have you ever wondered if it could happen in real life, specifically to your home? Do you know what a power surge is and what might cause one? Let’s find out.
Power Surges: What Are They and How Can They Be Prevented?
A power surge is caused when too much electricity is introduced into a circuit suddenly. This can be caused by several different things, including:
- Faulty wiring
- Electrical overload
- Lightning strikes
- Issues with the city power grid
- Power being restored after a blackout or a power outage
For example, a standard American microwave operates at about 120 volts. Now imagine that there’s a power outage caused by a fallen tree during a storm, and the entire neighborhood has no electricity.
When the power comes back on, electricity comes from the city power grid into a home at a much faster rate than normal. The outlet in which the microwave is plugged in could receive 500 volts or more all at once. This can reduce the microwave’s effectiveness or even completely fry its inner mechanisms, making it little more than a paperweight.
Electricity for devices and appliances is like water for humans. We need it to function and it’s very important to us, but we can still drown. A power surge is like your expensive smart home setup falling into the ocean, because even too much of a necessary thing can be very dangerous.
Now imagine that instead of a $5 used microwave purchased from a thrift shop, the device being fried is a $750 smart home thermostat or a $500 video doorbell that allows you to see who’s knocking at your door. These are much harder to replace than driving a few miles to get another $5 microwave.
Smart Homes: Powerful, but Precious
Integrating smart home technology into your house can be a great idea. It’s very convenient, environmentally friendly, and can even save you money. These are items like electronic video doorbells, smart lighting systems, smart thermostats, and many other examples that range from “helpful tools that save money” to “once you’ve tried it, you can’t live without it.”
However, it’s also important to make sure that you protect these investments, especially as they can be quite expensive to install. Can a massive power surge destroy your smart home setup?
Unfortunately, the answer is “yes”. Smart technology runs on electricity, just like most of the rest of the appliances and devices in your home. A sudden surge of electricity, especially one that isn’t caused by anything you did, can be disastrous for a home’s smart technology setup.
Even if the device isn’t destroyed, its effectiveness can still be reduced. Imagine you have smart lighting in your home that’s motion-sensitive and is designed to turn on or off depending on whether or not anyone’s currently using the room.
A power surge can damage the electrical components connected to the sensors, meaning the device won’t know when to turn the lights on or off. Your smart lighting system will then need to be repaired or replaced, which will end up costing you the money the system was designed to save.
However, with surge protectors installed in your home, you’ll never have to worry about a power surge damaging or destroying any of your home’s electronics, including smart devices.
How to Prevent Power Surges and Protect Your Smart Home Setup
Thankfully, there is a solution. You can use surge protectors to prevent your smart home setup and the rest of your beloved, valuable electronics and appliances from receiving too much electricity and breaking down irreperably.
The two most common solutions are:
- Power strips specifically marketed and labeled as “surge protectors”
- Whole home setups installed by a qualified electrician that work automatically in the event of a surge
Surge protecting power strips can be very helpful in preventing surges, but they are limited. Larger devices like ovens, water heaters, and anything else that uses a larger 220-volt plug won’t fit into a standard surge protector. Your expensive electronics will be protected, but getting a new oven can be quite a pain.
A whole-house surge protector installed directly into your home’s electrical system will cover your home’s entire electrical system and make sure that all of your expensive electronics, smart technology, and appliances are protected in the event of a power surge.
Electricity can be dangerous, however, especially in the hands of amateurs. You should always have in-home surge protectors installed by a certified professional electrician.
Don’t Put Up with Any Malarky, Call Mr. Sparky!
If you’re interested in having whole-home surge protection installed, have more questions, would like smart technology integrated into your home, or have any other electrical needs in the Fort Myers area, don’t put up with any malarky, call Mr. Sparky!
Our dedicated team of expert electricians can give your home not only the protection that it needs, but the protection that it deserves. Smart technology can make your life easier and your house feel more like a home, but a power surge without proper protection could cause your massive investment to go up in smoke.
Unlike other companies that get to your house “when they get around to it,” we’ll show up on time, you’ll see, or the repair is free! At Mister Sparky of Fort Myers, we know how valuable your time is and we guarantee that we’ll show up, take care of all of your electrical needs, and clean up our mess on the way out.
Give us a call at 239-441-1380 or click the “Book Now” link on the top of this page to set up an appointment with Mister Sparky of Fort Myers today!
