Top 6 Tips To Protect Electronic Devices From Power Surge Damage

Many homeowners invest in high-quality electronics. Unfortunately, these electronics are prone to damage resulting from power surges, in which more voltage comes through the wires and into devices. Once a surge has hit an electronic device, it can destroy sensitive components making it useless within seconds. 

Different factors can contribute to power surges that can damage electronics and appliances. For example, natural events like lightning can interfere with your home's electrical system and cause surges. Faulty wiring can also play a role in causing electrical surges.  

Power grid failure is another common cause of power surges. The power grid is an electrical power system supplying power to a particular area. Once the power grid is interrupted, it results in a power surge. Upon fixing a damaged power grid, the jump in electrical current after power restoration can cause surges that can destroy electronics and appliances.

Based on how costly electronics can be, it's advisable to protect them against power surges to prevent damage. Luckily, there are effective ways to protect electronic devices from power surge damage. Among them include:

1. Using Surge Protectors

It's vital to plug electronics such as computers, phones, and televisions to surge protectors to keep them safe from electrical surges. Typical surge protectors include power strips and surge protectors. Surge protectors prevent excess voltage from accessing your electronics during a power outage. Besides the electronics mentioned, you should also invest in surge protectors to protect appliances like fridges and dishwashers. If you have a home theater, you can also consider getting a home theatre power manager to protect your system from power surges.

2. Invest In A Whole-Home Surge Protector

Besides device surge protectors, you can also protect your entire home with a whole-home surge protection system. Unlike surge protectors that keep an individual device safe, a whole-home surge protection system is installed on a home's main electrical supply to protect the entire house against surges.
Whole-home surge protection systems direct every kind of surge into the ground, where they disperse without causing harm. Suppose you can't afford a surge protector for each electronic and other appliance. In that case, a whole-home surge protection system might be your ideal option. Nevertheless, for maximum surge protection, you can install a whole-home surge protection system to protect your electronics from external surge sources and surge protectors for internal surge sources.

3. Disconnect Electronics During A Storm

While cases of lightning damaging electronics are rare, sometimes they do happen and cause severe destruction. For this reason, it's more important to be safe than sorry. Among the best ways to protect your electronics and appliances from storm-caused surges is unplugging them during a storm. While the whole home and surge protectors can protect your electronics and appliances from power surges, disconnecting them during a storm is much safer.

4. Assess Your Home's Wiring

While it's among the common causes of house fires, faulty wiring also takes the lead in causing surges. If your home is old, it's vital to have a full-house wiring inspection to determine if it's faulty. More importantly, if your home experiences regular surges, the wiring should be inspected immediately.

It's also vital to mention that rodents can interfere with your home's wiring integrity. That said, it's crucial to have regular wiring assessments to determine if it's still in good shape. If your home has faulty wiring, you're likely to count losses from damaged electronics, whether or not you use surge protectors.

5. Be Careful Of Post-Outage Surge

After a power blackout, the electrical system experiences excess electricity jolts when the electricity comes back. When this happens, the electronics are likely to get damaged. Fortunately, you can prevent this by disconnecting the electronics and appliances after the power goes out and switching them on sometime after the power comes back.

6. Invest In Energy-Efficient Electronics

There are different types of electronics on the market. Among the factors to consider when purchasing an electronic device, such as a laptop, is its energy-efficiency. Some are energy-efficient, and others aren't. The difference between these electronics is that the energy efficient ones are designed to use less electricity; hence they're more resistant to power surges. With such electronics, you can rest assured that at least they're a bit protected from power surges.

Conclusion

Power surges are inevitable. Unfortunately, when they happen, they can cause severe electronic damage that can be costly. However, while there's nothing much you can do to prevent power surges, there are many things you can do to protect your electronics and appliances. If your home experiences regular power surges and you're afraid that your electronics and other devices might get damaged, consider the above tips for maximum surge protection.