3 Things You Need to Know About Electrical Surges in Pinellas County, Florida

Electrical surges can happen at any moment in Pinellas County, Florida. Since they can cause expensive damage to your home and your belongings, it’s important to understand why they happen and how you can protect yourself. Take a closer look at the causes, the potential damage, and how to protect your home from electrical surges.

Natural and Manmade Factors Can Lead to Electrical Surges

The voltage that powers your home varies throughout the day, typically changing between 0 and 169 volts. When the voltage exceeds 169 volts, even for a fraction of a second, an electrical surge occurs. Some of the most common causes of electrical surges are lightning strikes, which can enter your home through phone or electric lines. However, not all electrical surges that happen are due to natural causes. Your utility company can also cause an electrical surge when switching grids.

They Can Cause Damage in a Fraction of a Second

While voltage dips, otherwise known as brownouts, can be annoying, voltage surges can be dangerous. They may only last for 10 milliseconds, but during that brief time, they can cause serious damage. Minor electrical surges wear down your appliances and devices over time, steadily shortening their lifespan. Major surges, however, can destroy anything that’s plugged into an electrical outlet, from your smartphone to your washing machine.

Protecting Your Home From Electrical Surges Is Easy

It’s easy to protect your home and belongings from power surges, but at Luminous Electric, we don’t recommend that you purchase a basic surge protector from your local electronics store. Most of these devices are rated for only minor or moderate surges, so they’ll still put you at risk of damage from a major surge. Instead, we recommend investing in surge protection for your home. This type of protection can serve your whole home by protecting your valuable investments and by lengthening the lifespan of your electronics.

Don’t let an unexpected power surge cause extensive damage to your home or property. Call the experienced team at Luminous Electric to learn more about our surge protection solutions at .