Why You Need An Emergency Electrician For Lightning Protection For Your Equipment | Myrtle Beach, SC

5/22/2022

A lightning strike can fry your electronics instantly, leaving you with thousands of dollars worth of repair or replacement bills, not to mention the downtime your business will experience. At the same time, you take care of these issues. It’s easy to let these costs add up when you don’t have an emergency electrician on retainer that you can call to help with your power needs. However, do you want to risk all that money and lost time? Of course not.

If you live in an area that has frequent thunderstorms, you’re probably well aware of the danger lightning can pose to your equipment, as well as to you and your family. Lightning can jump miles through the air, traveling on power lines or any other conductive material it finds along the way to its final destination, your house. Although in Myrtle Beach, SC, lighting is not common, it does happen. It’s best to be prepared for when it does happen by knowing what to do in case of a strike. It may save your life.

What to Do in Case of Lightning Strike

In case of a lightning strike, call an emergency electrician at once. The first thing to do is switch off all electrical appliances and disconnect them from the power supply. This includes computers, televisions, radios, DVD players, etc. Do not use any telephone or mobile phone during or immediately after a thunderstorm.

Do not touch anything plugged into an electrical outlet until you are sure it is safe to do so. If you have been in contact with electrical equipment during or immediately after a thunderstorm, touch metal objects such as sinks and radiators before touching any other items. These metal objects will discharge any electricity stored in your body back into the ground and help prevent injury.

Your first task is to assess whether anyone has been injured. Then, check for smoke and fire hazards caused by damaged electrical systems. Call an electrician in Myrtle Beach when you’re sure it’s safe. If possible, don’t touch anything until they arrive.

Preventing Lightning Strike

When lightning strikes nearby, it can send large amounts of electricity through air-conditioning or electrical systems. Such currents can easily damage sensitive devices and wiring in offices, industrial spaces, and homes. To minimize the risk of fire or other catastrophic events after a lightning strike, you should be prepared with a plan before storms strike. Here are some ways you protect your property from lightning strikes.

Install Surge Protectors at Strategic Locations Throughout Your Property

Surge protectors can be used to prevent damage caused by power surges, which often occur during storms and heavy rainfalls. These devices can also prevent damage caused by lightning strikes if equipped with a built-in surge protector (or surge suppressor). An emergency electrician will ensure that you purchase surge protectors with enough voltage capacity not to overload them when they go into action. It would be best to consider having an automatic shutoff feature in case of power overloads.

Keep All Systems Off Until After the Storm Has Passed

If you have air conditioning or electrical systems on while there is a thunderstorm, turn them off immediately and keep them off until after the storm has passed completely. This is especially important if your building has been struck by lightning before. The chances of it happening again increase significantly during subsequent storms close to one another. Call an electrician right away if any appliance has been affected by the lighting.

If a lightning strike is imminent, call an emergency electrician. It’s always better to be safe than sorry when protecting your property from lightning strikes and power surges. An experienced professional will be able to install surge protectors and other devices in strategic locations to rest easy, knowing that your assets are protected from most potential threats posed by lightning strikes and power surges.

Install Suppression Devices

If you have delicate electronic equipment, such as computers or medical machines, installing suppression devices on these systems is good. A lightning strike can cause powerful electromagnetic pulses that damage electronic components and even destroy them completely if suppression devices do not properly protect them. An emergency electrician will determine which systems need to be protected with suppressors and what type of suppressor is best suited for each system, such as gas discharge tubes or surge arresters.

Avoid Wiring Mistakes

When installing surge protectors and suppression devices, ensure that you avoid any wiring mistakes by having a professional electrician in Myrtle Beach, SC, do it for you. Wiring mistakes can be dangerous if they cause power surges or other electrical problems, so it’s best to leave these responsibilities to a professional who knows what they are doing.

Test All of Your Systems Regularly

Even if you have an electrician install suppressors and surge protectors on all of your sensitive electronic systems, it’s still important to test them regularly to ensure that they are working properly. An experienced professional will determine which devices need additional testing and how often these tests should occur.

Ensure That Your Electrical System Is Up-To-Date

If you haven’t had any work done on your electrical system in a while, now might be a good time to call an emergency electrician for some upgrades or repairs. Upgrading your electrical system can help prevent power surges when lightning strikes nearby or minimize their effects to keep damage to a minimum. An experienced technician will be able to assess your current system and recommend improvements where necessary.

Use of Ground Rods

If you have an outdoor electrical system, installing ground rods in strategic locations around your property is a good idea. Ground rods can help prevent lightning strikes from traveling through underground wiring and damaging sensitive electronic components on your property. An emergency electrician will determine which areas need grounding rods and how many are needed to provide optimal protection against lightning strikes.

Your Trusted Emergency Electrician in Myrtle Beach

It’s important to be prepared in case of a lightning storm. Even if you aren’t in immediate danger, you need to protect all of your electronics and appliances so they don’t get fried by an electrical surge. Call Mister Sparky of Myrtle Beach for emergency electrician services today. We offer various services to help ensure that your home is protected from lightning strikes and other electrical emergencies. Our team at Myrtle Beach, SC, is available 24/7 for repairs and maintenance on any appliance or electronic device.

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