How to Protect Your Home From Power Surges

Most of us take the electricity in our homes for granted. From lighting our homes to keeping our food cold in the refrigerator, electricity use is a constant in our daily routines at home, and we typically can go on using it without giving it much thought. That’s true until your lights start flickering and buzzing, your outlets start smoking, and you notice burning smells near your appliances—all signs of a power surge. Whether you’ve (knowingly) experienced power surges in your home or not, it’s important to understand what they are, how they’re caused, and what you can do to protect your home from them. Keep reading for everything you need to know about power surges, according to energy and electricity experts.

What Is a Power Surge?

A power surge is essentially what it sounds like—a quick spike in electricity. “A power surge occurs when there is a sudden, significant increase in the voltage of electricity flowing through your circuits,” says Dan Mock, vice president of operations at Mister Sparky. “A power surge can fry the circuit breaker and spread to various outlets in the home.”

To break it down further, Clement Feng, VP of product management at Briggs and Stratton Energy Solutions, explains that our homes typically run on electricity rated at 120 volts (for lights, small appliances, and electronics) and 240 volts (for larger appliances, like electric dryers, water heaters, and ovens). “Utility companies produce electricity that aims to come into our homes at 120 volts or 240 volts as consistently as possible, and +/- variation of 3% to 5% is considered good,” he explains. “A power surge is when something causes the electrical voltage to spike up significantly beyond that range.”

Surges are typically brief—lasting just milliseconds—but they can cause lasting damages to your electronics, appliances, and home.

Why Do Power Surges Happen?

Whether you realize it or not, power surges actually happen all the time, says Feng, explaining that most occurrences are rather minor. “More significant power surges can occur when there is a sudden disruption of electricity caused by a short, an electrical overload or faulty wiring, when lightning strikes, or when power comes back on suddenly after a power outage,” he adds.

Ben Kolo, an electrician and franchise owner with Mr. Electric, explains that medium to large appliances connected within the home can also cause mini power surges when they start and stop.

“Surges can be unpredictable, as you never know when an unexpected disruption will hit the power grid,” says Mock. “Lights flickering on and off is a sign of a power surge. Also, look for electronics that have been reset, such as a microwave clock flashing ’12:00.’ If you live in an area with frequent blackouts, you may be especially vulnerable.”

Are Power Surges Dangerous?

While most power surges are minor and may even go unnoticed, some, more serious power surges can cause damage to your home and electronics and may even become dangerous.

“Power surges can damage and disable your appliances,” Mock says. “If an appliance is plugged directly into the electrical system, it may not survive the sudden burst of electricity. Surges can also originate inside your house and potentially burn out anything that’s plugged in, from your computer to your television and even your refrigerator.”

Fortunately, Feng says, most of our appliances and equipment are designed to handle normal variation in the electrical voltage and current. However, these surges can wear down electrical items and appliances over time.

In some more severe instances, the overflow of electricity from power surges can even start a fire.

How to Protect Your Home From Power Surges

Since power surges can be caused by so many different factors—both outside and within your home—it’s nearly impossible to entirely prevent them from happening. However, there are things you can do to protect your home and your items from being damaged by a power surge.

Use Surge Protection

The experts all agree that the easiest and most reliable way to protect your home from power surges is to use surge protection devices, which include individual surge protectors and whole-house surge protectors.

“[Surge protectors] work automatically to divert extra electricity to each outlet’s grounding wire and help protect your appliances,” Mock explains. “Home computers, media units, land-line telephones, cable lines, and motorized appliances can all benefit from surge protectors.”

Whole-house surge protectors go in the electrical panel where the circuit breakers are located, Mock explains. “The suppressor will channel the extra electricity during the power surge and prevent it from getting into your main system,” he says.

Kolo notes that the individual surge protector strips most people use are not as effective without a whole home surge protector installed at the incoming power source, so, for the best protection, use both.

Get Inspected

It’s always a good idea to get the safety of your home’s electrical system checked out, especially if you live in an older home that hasn’t been updated in a long time. Kolo recommends having a professional inspect your home to make sure the wiring is up to date and up to code. “Have a qualified electrician verify your ground system is connected correctly,” he adds. “Surge protection only works correctly with a proper ground system.”

Use Fewer Appliances at Once

“If you have a lot of appliances running at once, you can actually increase your chance of having a surge,” Mock says. “When high-powered electrical devices such as AC units and refrigerators are working at peak capacity, it takes a lot of energy to keep their motors and compressors going. This high demand can upset the steady voltage flow through your electrical system.” So, try to limit your use of multiple high-powered appliances at the same time.

Unplug Appliances During Power Outages

While it may not be the most practical option in many cases, experts do recommend unplugging major items during storms, particular when there’s lightning. “You should also unplug your important appliances during a power outage,” Mock says. “There is often a surge when the electricity comes back on.”

Invest in a Lightning Rod

A lightning rod is a metal rod or wire that can be attached to buildings to divert lightning away from them. “If you live in an area that experiences a lot of storms, a lightning rod might be a good idea to mitigate the damage of a direct strike,” Mock says.

Get Covered

In the case that your appliances or home are damaged by a power surge, it’s good to have insurance coverage. “Make sure your homeowner’s policy insures you in case a surge does knock out your devices, despite your best efforts to protect them,” Mock says.