Power surges are among the potential dangers your appliances face every day, and they can usually occur at any time. This piece explains the meaning of a power surge, what causes it, and some common preventive measures you can take to keep your devices safe.
We've also gone further by describing how to properly respond to electrical surges and avoid recurrences by all means. Importantly, our guidance and recommendations are all based on expert opinions and past experiences so that the information is as helpful to you as possible.
What Constitutes a Power Surge?
Most appliances have been designed to accommodate a voltage range of between 220v and 250v. That means the maximum voltage they can tolerate is around 250v. A power surge, therefore, occurs when the voltage flowing in your electrical circuit suddenly exceeds the maximum rating. For example, we would say a surge has occurred if the power from the utility grid rapidly rose to 270V.
Electrical surges aren't good for you because they always cause significant damage to your devices. Moreover, a surge may destroy even the electrical wiring system if it's quite severe, and everything costs a lot to restore. For individual appliances, surges destroy the power supply system, thus making them unable to provide the energy needed for operation.
Among the most vulnerable appliances to electrical surges include:
- Desktop Computers & Laptops - Your laptop or just any kind of computer you use is highly susceptible to voltage fluctuations. The reason is that such appliances comprise complex components such as memory chips and microprocessors all of which can't withstand voltage spikes.
- Gaming Consoles - Like computers, your gaming consoles are at a high risk of damage associated with surges due to their complexity. The other contributing factor is that gaming devices are always connected to the power supply even when no one is using them. Therefore, they're always going to be an open target whenever a spike occurs.
- Smart TVs - The smart TVs and other sophisticated entertainment systems are the new trend in our workplaces and even back at home. However, what you don't realize is that such television sets have delicate components, which make them very sensitive to sudden voltage variations.
- Home Theater Systems - Modern home theater systems come pact with complex and delicate electronics just like your laptop or smart TV. Therefore, an electrical surge can lead to unprecedented damage and even malfunction of your home theater if you don't make the necessary safety adjustments.
Most Rampant Causes of Electrical Surges
Knowing and understanding why voltage spikes usually occur puts you in a better position to prevent them effectively. A spike may result due to any or all of the following.
Overloading
Overloading occurs when your electrical system is running a load more than its maximum rating.
For example, operating numerous appliances at ago may cause the voltage to spike significantly, and increase the likelihood of destruction. Overloading also leads to the overheating of the wires and other circuit components. The excess heat then destroys the wire insulations and creates short circuits, which make the current surge.
Degraded Wiring Systems
Degraded wiring systems are another potential source of voltage spikes in your electrical systems. When the wiring system is no longer in good shape, faults like short circuits become more rampant. Unfortunately, short circuits can make your fuses or circuit breakers cut off power abruptly, thereby causing unprecedented voltage spikes.
Lightning Strikes
If you're in a region that experiences heavy downpours with frequent thunderstorms then power surges are something to think about. When there's a strike near your house or building, incredible amounts of current may be forced to flow through your electrical system due to induction.
The large amounts of current lead to a power surge, which poses a great risk of destruction to your electrical appliances. Besides inducing current in your wiring system, lightning may also directly strike naked wires or exposed terminals, thus making voltage increase sharply.
Power Outages
Outages are like rapidly tripping circuit breakers, which compromise the integrity of your electrical system over time. The repeated strain on wires can destroy their insulation and eventually cause short-circuits that force the electric current to surge.
For every outage, there's a restoration phase, which is usually characterized by high current flows. This is because the power is always largely unstable immediately after restoration, making surges to be common occurrences.
Protecting Your Appliances Against a Power Surge
While there are options you can pursue to manage a power surge when it occurs, we usually recommend preventing it completely. Here are some of the most effective ways to protect your devices against voltage spikes.
Installing a Lightning Arrester
Lightning strikes usually target the highest points on your house or in the surroundings, and they're among the most popular causes of voltage spikes. To prevent a potential strike, you can have a professional electrician install a lightning arrestor on your building.
With an arrestor in position, your house or nearby ground is no longer the target. The lightning will instead target the arrestor, which then conducts the excess current to the ground, and keeps your devices safe.
Monitoring & Maintaining The Electrical System Regularly
The other major source of current spikes is faulty electrical wiring. A faulty electrical system is prone to overheating, which may occasionally melt away the insulators.
Once the wires in your wiring have no proper insulation, a short circuit emerges, causing a lot of current to flow through the electrical system. Therefore, to keep surges away, you just want to monitor your electrical system regularly and correct any damages that might interfere with its normal operation.
Installing a UPS System
Installing an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) system is another smart way of preventing power spikes, and ensuring the safety of your electrical appliances.
Apart from supplying your home or business with power during outages, UPS systems also regulate the voltage from the utility grid if necessary. That means, a UPS steps down the current if it is in excess and steps it up if it is below the ideal range.
For the best experience, you should know how to select the ideal UPS systems and how to maintain them. Generally, you will want a UPS that supports battery extension if it will be running for longer periods.
You also need a UPS unit that can fit seamlessly into your available installation space. Please just try to do more research on choosing the right UPS system before buying one.
Properly Grounding The Electrical System
Grounding involves including an earth terminal in the wiring system. The earth terminal (aka ground) is always connected to a highly conductive metal rod hammered deep into the ground.
Proper grounding is vital in preventing voltage spikes because the earth terminal is the path through which any excess current safely flows to the ground. Proper grounding will, therefore, ensure the proper functioning and effectiveness of the other protection devices such as surge protectors and lightning arrestors.
Installing Surge Protectors
Surge protectors are safety devices that conduct away excess voltage to prevent spiking. They come in various joule ratings depending on your preferences.
Joule rating is the maximum voltage beyond which your surge protector activates. From experience, we've discovered that surge protectors with lower joule ratings are the most effective in suppressing power surges.
Installing Surge-Protected Circuit Breakers
Circuit breakers are safety devices that function like an automatic switch. Each circuit breaker has a specific current rating beyond which it automatically switches off, thus preventing damage to your devices.
Unfortunately, the sudden cut-off of power can sometimes cause voltage spikes, and that's where Surge-Protected circuit breakers come in for maximum and all-around protection.
We can assure you of smooth and effective operation of your breakers as long as you obtain the best brand and work with the right guys for installation.
Unplugging Appliances During Thunderstorms
Many times we lose appliances to power surges because we don't want to actively take part in protecting our devices. Lightning strikes are rampant when it's raining heavily and that puts your electrical appliances at a higher risk of power surge during such periods.
To be on the safest side and avoid incurring losses due to excess current destructions, adopt the culture of unplugging appliances when it's raining. Doing so is necessary because it takes your devices out of the danger zone, and gives you peace of mind at all times.
Avoiding Overloading
Many people have always wondered how overloading can cause a power surge in the electrical system. Well, the truth is that plugging in several power-hungry appliances like refrigerators, microwave ovens, electric kettles, and cookers on the same electrical line overloads it.
The main trouble associated with overloading is overheating of the wires and other connections. As we've explained in the previous section, overheating, in turn, destroys the insulation material covering the wiring. Therefore, the result is a short circuit and a voltage surge that damages your devices.
Note: We would like to remind you that surge protections targeting the whole house are generally better than targeted interventions. They're relatively more affordable to implement and highly maintainable due to their immense simplicity.
What To Do In Case of a Power Surge
Knowing how to prevent surges isn't enough because there are still minimal chances of occurrence since no system or intervention is 100% perfect. So, if you experience a surge, begin by switching off and unplugging all the affected devices.
Unplugging the devices after a voltage spike is important as it prevents any further damage and keeps losses down. The other thing to do is inspect the unaffected appliances for potential damage and do all the necessary replacements before plugging them back into the electrical system.
However, for your safety and that of your loved ones, you should never attempt anything by yourself. You can do the assessment or replacements only if you're a qualified and certified electrical or electronics engineer.
Summary
Power surges are among the most common causes of damage in our electrical systems. A surge occurs when the appliances are pulling more power than what the system can avail for use. Voltage spikes can happen as a result of lightning strikes, overloading, frequent tripping circuit breakers, or power interruptions.
You can prevent surges by installing lightning arrestors, maintaining the electrical system regularly, installing surge protectors, using UPS systems, and unplugging devices during thunderstorms, among others. Don't forget to always pick the best brands for lasting solutions.
