Emergency Electrician Tips: How To Protect Your Home From Power Surges | Conway, SC

10/8/2021

Photo By MicroStockHub at istock

In this age of technological advancements, electricity is vital in our everyday lives. Almost everything is plugged in and running on electricity. However, we have all experienced a power surge in our homes or offices at one point or another. With the use of numerous gadgets and appliances, experiencing these power surges, however brief, can be dangerous and could result in severe damage and degradation of electronic equipment.

The cost of replacing laptops, air conditioners, televisions, chargers, and more of these appliances can be expensive. Electrical surges simply refer to a sudden increase in the standard voltage of an electrical circuit. It is sudden and unexpected. It is also referred to as a transient voltage.

Since power surges are often unplanned, it is crucial to have the contacts of a readily available emergency electrician.

Types Of Power Surges

Power surges occur whenever the wiring in your office or home experiences brief jolts due to high electrical voltage. They can either be minor or severe. Always have the contact number of an emergency electrician who is professionally trained to help regulate the situation before it escalates. At Mister Sparky of Myrtle Beach, we have been serving residents of Conway, SC, for years and can offer emergency electrical services whenever the need arises.

What Could Lead to an Electrical Surge?

Electrical surges may be caused by a variety of reasons, including:

Faulty Wiring

Damaged or exposed wiring offers little electrical resistance. As such, any conductive material can increase the wire’s current to critical levels. This can result in frequent power surges. They can occur multiple times in a day, risking damage to home appliances and electronic devices, including outlets and switches.

A few tell-tale signs of faulty wires that may necessitate the need to get in touch with an emergency electrician include:

• Burn marks on outlets
• A burning smell or warm outlets
• Vibration or buzzing sounds from outlets
• Short-circuiting or circuit breaker trips

Overload

Drawing too much power from a single circuit can result in a power overload. If an office building has many appliances and devices, it may overload the electrical network. Quite often, office buildings face short-term power outages, with some lasting for just a few seconds. The overload occurs because of the load on the electrical system, especially with great energy consumers such as elevators and multiple air-conditioning units.

Residential homes are also victims of electrical overloads. You may find :

• Overuse of extension cords
• Too many appliances that have different consumption rates are all plugged in together. Such devices include refrigerators, hairdryers, and blenders.
• High-power electrical devices tend to draw an abnormally large amount of electricity and overpower other appliances and electronics, causing your lights and smaller items to flicker

Momentary Outages

Momentary outages can also result in electrical surges. Frequently occurring outages and hiccups can trip the circuit and lead to a sudden electricity burst. In such instances, you need to call a trusted electrician for any damage assessment.

Lightning

Lightning striking near your power line may lead to an increase in electrical voltage that equates to millions of volts. For this reason, it is vital to use a surge protector to protect your appliances such as computers, cable boxes, or microwaves.

Lightning can result in fires and power outages, and even blackouts. This can destroy appliances and electronics around the house, resulting in even a higher expense of replacing these items. When the voltage spike is so high, these home appliances and anything plugged into the main electric panel cannot handle the electrical voltage intensity. Even devices that are plugged in but switched off may be affected by these surges.

Other External Factors

These are unexpected and sometimes unpreventable factors that are not directly involved with the electric current flow or disruption. They include:

• Extreme weather conditions
• Trees that have overgrown and touch power lines
• Animals like squirrels, birds, or monkeys that make their way to transformers or even cables damaging them or exposing the wiring

As observed, power surges could result from varied reasons. For this reason, it is important to have the contacts of a reliable emergency electrician who can help protect your home from power surges and deal with the aftermath.

What Can You Do to Protect Your Home from a Power Surge?

Be aware and proactively protect your home against the causes of power surges

This involves hiring an emergency electrician to put any preventive measures and take care of any repairs needed. A power surge can damage home appliances and other devices around the house, resulting in a costly accident. It is hard to achieve total protection from power surges, but one can put measures to protect valuable items in place.

Electrical Surge Insurance Plan

An electrical surge insurance plan can cover all the valuable devices in your home. Most plans cover the repair costs and are one of the best ways to save money on future repairs and replacements.

Maintenance

One of the major causes of power surges is poor wiring. Having a trusted professional company send their emergency electricians over for regular maintenance helps keep the system in check. An emergency electrician will look for faulty, rusted, or damaged wiring that could lead to further damages and have them replaced. A regular maintenance check can quickly fix minor issues and help prevent power surges.

Do not leave your devices plugged in

Even when switched off, plugged-in devices can be damaged by surges. Avoid leaving devices and switches on all the time. This will save you from costly repairs, replacements, or the costs of an emergency electrician.

Mister Sparky of Myrtle Beach for All Your Emergency Electrical Problems

With over a decade’s worth of experience, Mister Sparky of Myrtle Beach is a trusted and leading electrical service in Conway, SC. Having been awarded the Super Service award for three years, we can guarantee our clients the highest standards in service. Our skilled emergency electricians will help solve all your electrical problems on time and within your budget. We offer same-day emergency electrical services. Get in touch with us today for more information about our electrical services.