Protecting Your Appliances and Electronics from Electrical Surges

by Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger

16 Feb 2009 12:35 PM

Electrical surges can damage so many appliances and electronic devices in your home. You could lose your television, your DVD player, your camera, your microwave, your telephone, garage door opener, well pump and even your refrigerator. Basically, anything that is plugged in and contains some sort of electronic component or computer chip is vulnerable to an electrical surge.

What is an electrical surge?

This is when the voltage in your home's electrical system increases and then returns to normal quickly. An electrical surge can be caused by lightening or buy a malfunction in the electrical system.

How can you prevent damage from an electrical surge?

There are two things that you should have in place to protect your appliances and electronics. The first is to have a good grounding system in your home, and the second is to install surge protection devices.

Grounded outlets are usually ones that have that third hole at the bottom for a grounded plug. You can also buy a simple plug in tester from your local hardware or home improvement store to determine if your outlets are properly grounded.

When choosing a surge protector, look for one that is UL-listed 1449, and make sure that it is capable of protecting everything that will be attached to it, such as phone lines or coaxial cable from television service.

Make sure also, to find a surge protector that has a way of indicating that it is no longer protecting your appliances or electronics. This can be done through an audible alarm or lights, and the surge protector should disconnect power from any equipment that is attached to it, should it fail.

One last important thing to note. Surge protectors don't last forever. If you have been experiencing a lot of surge activity, your surge protectors will need to be replaced more often than average.

Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, creating a home in the Home Blog, caring for little ones in the Baby Blog and now relationships in the Marriage Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here or subscribe to the blog using the subscription box on the right.

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Learn more about Mary Ann Romans

Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, wife and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat.

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