Analogy alert! Let’s say you just gave an all-star quarterback a multi-year, multi-million dollar contract to play on your team. With their talents, you could go all the way! Meanwhile, however, the offensive linemen on your team are 5’4” and weigh about 145 pounds. They’re up against gigantic 6’3”, 345 linemen. These behemoths want to surge through your pathetic offensive line and destroy your expensive quarterback. And, obviously, they will. No matter how great your quarterback, it won’t matter if you can’t defend them until they throw the ball! If you’re going to get your money’s worth out of your QB, you’ll need to upgrade your linemen, too.
Now imagine the quarterback represents your computers, televisions, or home entertainment gear. You’ll need to protect valuable stuff if you want to keep using it. If you’re only using an outlet strip as a surge protector, you’re not protecting your electronics enough. Your outlet strip is the itty bitty offensive linemen, and power surges are the giants. One power surge or spike could destroy your expensive electronics. You won’t get to use them again, and you’ll have wasted all that money. Here are a few very good reasons why you might want to invest in whole-house surge protection.
We now have more and more electronic devices.
If they invent a gadget, we’re going to buy it. A few years ago, nobody thought we’d be asking a phone to play music, give us a weather report, or tell us how many cups are in a quart! The more electronics we have, the more likely they can be damaged or destroyed during an electrical surge.
All common appliances have circuit boards that are vulnerable to surges. Even LED bulbs have microcircuit boards that electrical surges could easily harm. Often, surges can inflict damage so significant that you’ll simply have to replace the device. Not to mention, if surges damage your computers, pads, or smartphones, you could lose important data.
While lightning strikes are rare, most surges come from inside the house.
Most power surges are very short and come from your larger appliances. They don’t do a lot of immediate damage, but they can degrade other electronics and shorten their lifespan. A whole-house surge protector will protect your stuff from both large and small power surges.
A professionally-installed surge protector can be flexible.
Let’s say you have a huge home entertainment system. Or maybe even a studio where you’re recording your “sure to win a Grammy” music! You shouldn’t have all that equipment on the same circuit as other devices, unless it has its own protection.
If an appliance sends a surge through a shared circuit, other outlets could be compromised. You need a surge protector connected directly to the electrical panel and anywhere your electronics need extra protection. Protect your art–it could win a Grammy one day!
The whole house will be protected.
When your dryer sends a surge through a dedicated circuit, the protector sends it back through the breaker panel and neutralizes it. By neutralizing the surge that way, the protector saves all your electrical equipment in your home. It protects every outlet and connected appliance from possible damage.
Power surges are common and have a cumulative effect on your electrical devices. Surge protection extends the lifespan of these expensive items.
They save money in the long run.
Here’s another thing to think about. Chances are your insurance will not cover damage to appliances from a power surge. That coverage is usually available at an extra cost, but whole-house surge protection prevents damage from occurring altogether.
If you really want to avoid damages and gain peace of mind, have a professional install whole-house surge protection. Early Bird Electric’s experts are ready to help any time. Just give us a call and we’ll get you set up with a surge protector fast. You’ll have one less thing to worry about. Then you can concentrate on improving that Swiss cheese offensive line of yours.
