G & S Heating Cooling & Electric Blog: Posts Tagged ‘Surge Protection’

Here’s Why You Need Surge Protection

Monday, June 3rd, 2019

Chances are, you have plenty of surge protector strips plugged into the outlets around your home. Though they’re helpful little devices, they’re not a permanent solution against powerful electrical surges. Surge protector strips, or power strips, are great for protecting against small surges in your electrical system. However, if you wish to protect all the appliances in your home, you need a whole-house solution.

A whole-house surge protector is a great way to protect your entire home against power surges, and below, we have listed some of the many reasons why homeowners are opting to have one of these systems installed. So, keep reading to find out more!

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Do I Need a Whole-House Surge Protector?

Tuesday, April 25th, 2017

If you are serious about protecting your electrical system, your HVAC systems, and all of your electronics and appliances from the problems that power surges can lead to, then yes, a whole-house surge protector is definitely a must. There are many different reasons as to why you may experience power surges on your property. The fact that you don’t frequently have lightning touching down on your property does not mean that you are not at risk of problems stemming from power surges. 

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Why Choose Whole-House Surge Protection?

Tuesday, July 12th, 2016

Electrical storms are a part of life during the summer season. They can be exciting in a way, especially on a muggy night that could use a heavy rain to break the heat. However, lightning strikes can also pose a serious risk to the electrical system that you value so much in your home.

By using a whole-house surge protector in Everett, WA, you can really take your surge protection strategy to the next level. Dial our number today if you want to learn more. The most important fact to remember here is that only trained professionals can safely and successfully handle your electrical services. 

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Get Your Whole-House Surge Protector Ready for Summer

Wednesday, May 11th, 2016

If you have a whole-house surge protector on your property, then you have already made a great decision in protecting the comfort and convenience in and with which you live. However, you must remember that whole-house surge protectors are indeed electrical systems and, like any other such system, they may run into operational problems from time to time. The concern here is that, since you don’t really use your whole-house surge protector with any regularity, it may have slipped into disrepair without you knowing it. The last thing that you want is to learn the hard way that your whole-house surge protector in Everett, WA has failed. If you have any such concerns, contact us right away.

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Do I Really Need a Whole-House Surge Protector?

Wednesday, March 9th, 2016

Most homeowners have some basic safety precautions in place. You have smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, we’re sure. A circuit breaker, of course. You may even have fire extinguishers stashed away in various areas of your home. While these devices are all great for protecting yourself and your family, though, you must remember that you also have to protect your home. If a power surge hits your electrical system, it can do serious damage to that system and to the many different electronics and devices that are plugged into it. That is why using a whole-house surge protector in Everett, WA is so beneficial.

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Why Choose Whole-House Surge Protection?

Thursday, October 29th, 2015

Because we all use so many different gadgets and electronics throughout the day, both for work and when at play, we’ve grown fairly familiar with the concept of surge protection. However, if you really want to protect your electronics, your electrical appliances, and your electrical system in general, you really must look past the small, ineffective power strips that you can pick up at your local office supply store. While these point of use strips may have their uses, whole-house surge protectors in Everett, WA can offer you far more protection and peace of mind. If you are interested in learning more about whole-house surge protection, contact the electrical experts at G & S Heating Cooling & Electric.

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Is Whole-House Surge Protection Necessary?

Tuesday, April 21st, 2015

Now more than ever, homeowners are reliant upon electronic devices and appliances in going about their daily business. Power surges can pose a serious threat to those appliances and electronics, which is why surge protection is such a good idea. However, you should know that the small surge protectors that you plug your TV, stereo, and computer equipment into may not offer quite the level of protection from power surges that you think. If you really want to protect your devices from the threat that power surges present, then whole-house surge protection in North Seattle is worth your consideration. If you decide that you are interested in whole-house surge protection, trust the professional electricians at G&S Heating, Cooling & Electrical to do the job right.

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Types of Surge Protectors

Saturday, January 31st, 2015

Most home have so many electronic items that it’s hard to keep track of them – that is, until they don’t work. One of the main causes of electronics burn-out is a power surge. Power surges are huge waves of electricity that flow through your electrical system in just a few seconds, but they can cause a tremendous amount of damage in that short time. In fact, according to insurance statistics, power surges can account for up to a $1 billion dollars’ worth of claims every year, with the average claim coming in around $4,300. But there is a way to help protect your electrical system and electronics from falling victim to a power surge, and that’s by installing whole-home surge protection for your Medina property.

Three Levels of Protection

There are three levels of surge protection: Type 1, Type 2 and Type 3. Type 1 and Type 2 are considered whole-home protectors because of their capabilities. Type 1 surge protectors are installed onto the main electrical line coming into your home, in front of your electric meter; this allows the surge protector to divert a surge of power before it can enter your home. Type 2 surge protectors are installed between the electric meter and your electrical box, which helps protect your home and electrical panel from a surge. Type 3 surge protectors are the strip protectors that plug into outlets. While these types of surge protectors can help protect some of your electronics, they won’t be able to protect large appliances like refrigerators or alarm systems.

How Does It Protect?

When a whole-home surge protector detects a power surge, it automatically re-directs the wave of power to a ground that is part of the system. Why is this important? Power surges can add as much as 40,000-50,000 extra amps to your home’s electrical system; the normal amperage for the average household is 200 amps. Diverting this huge amount of excess power into the ground is the safest and best option for you and your home.

Power surges can occur from weather events, faulty appliances within your home and uneven power distribution in your home. With a whole-home surge protector, you can rest assured that your home, appliances and electronics are protected. Want to find out more?

Call G&S Heating, Cooling & Electrical, Inc., today and schedule an appointment with one of our electrical experts.

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Electrical Services FAQ: How Do Surge Protectors Work?

Monday, June 16th, 2014

Surge protectors have become as much a part of daily life as computers: we are all accustomed to having power strips connected to outlets into which we plug our desktops and laptops. These strips help protect the microchips inside computer systems from damage due to sudden increases in power than can come through the electrical system.

However, power strips are not the only defense you should have against power surges. You should also consider a whole-house surge protector, which can defend all your appliances from the numerous smaller surges that can occur multiple times during the day. Electricians can hard-wire a whole-house surge protector into your electrical panel to keep your electronic devices safe from surges both large and small.

Contact G&S Heating, Cooling & Electrical, Inc. for electrical services in Everett, WA for your home, from surge protectors to whole house rewiring.

How Surge Protectors Defend Your Electronic Devices

A surge is any increase in voltage that is significantly higher than a household’s normal level. The standard voltage for a U.S. home is 120 volts, and anything higher that lasts for more than three nanoseconds is considered a surge. (If it’s two nanoseconds it’s called a spike.) A surge can come from something as large a lightning strike to something as small as another appliance making a sudden demand on the power supply.

Whole-house surge protectors are designed to withstand a large range of surges: pretty much anything up a lightning bolt striking near your house. Unlike point-of-use surge protectors, which simply cut off the power when too much voltage tries to pass through, a whole-house surge protector detects the increase in voltage and then diverts the power down through a home’s grounding path. This means that the surge protector will keep away multiple smaller surges without requiring you to reset the system every time it does. The system comes with an indicator light that will inform you if it has stopped functioning and needs to be reset.

A whole-house surge protector guards all the lines coming into your house, since surges can come through cable and phone lines as well. Your installer will make sure that all the routes into your home are routed through the surge protector.

We still recommend that you have point-of-use power strips for your computers and other valuable appliances; in the case of electrical surges, there is no such thing a “too much protection.”

Call G&S Heating, Cooling & Electrical, Inc. today to arrange for the electrical services in Everett, WA to install a whole-house surge protector to keep your valuable equipment safe.

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Benefits of Surge Protectors

Tuesday, January 28th, 2014

You probably already have surge protectors in your home: small power strips hooked to outlets where you plug in devices like computers, televisions, and home theater system components. While these are definitely useful for protecting electronics from the damage of a massive surge, as well as preventing demands for power from tripping circuit breakers, power strips are only a part of protecting your electrical system from surges. The most important part is a whole-house surge protector.

To find out about how you can have a whole-house surge protector installed, call G&S Heating, Cooling & Electrical, Inc. With our services, you’ll avoid many needs for electrical repair service in Everett, WA in the future.

What a whole-house surge protector will do for you

The main advantage you’ll receive from installing a whole-house surge protector is that all of your home will be covered. You probably don’t want to place power strips on every single outlet around the house; there’s rarely room for that, and for outlets that only service one appliance, like a lamp, they’re wasteful. A whole-house surge protector has all your outlets covered.

Whole-house surge protectors are capable of handling much larger spikes in power than power strips: up to 60,000 amps, three times that of a smaller unit. A smaller unit that experiences such a powerful surge will probably need to be replaced.

But the biggest benefit of a surge protector is one you won’t see at first. People tend to think of power surges as catastrophic events from lightning strikes or downed power lines. However, the majority of surges are smaller ones you won’t even notice. But your appliances will notice them, since over time the surges will cause their electrical components to deteriorate. A whole-house surge protector will shield your appliances from these numerous small surges that can happen daily. Surge protector installation will pay for itself by prolonging the life of your appliances.

Please keep in mind as you read this that we aren’t advising you abandon power strips entirely; they work excellently as an additional layer of protection for highly sensitive electronics. They simply do not provide the protection needed for devices like HVAC systems, nor do they affect smaller surges.

Call professionals for installation

Whole-house surge protectors require the work of experts to correctly and safely install. You will also need the advice of these experts to determine the right size of surge protector for your home’s electrical needs. Contact G&S Heating, Cooling & Electrical, Inc. today to find out more about our services for surge protector installation and electrical repair in Lynnwood, WA.

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