Keep Your Devices Safe with Surge Protection
Bradley Mechanical’s surge protection services help home and business owners protect their electronic devices from unexpected and dangerous power surges. The average home contains numerous electronic devices – like computers, televisions, refrigerators, washers and dryers, fitness equipment and more –making it more important than ever to protect these expensive and essential devices. Connect with Bradley Mechanical’s certified electricians to determine how you can protect your investments from lightning strikes and power surges.
What Types of Surge Protection do You Need?
Your electronic devices contain sensitive components like circuit boards, making them vulnerable to damage from a power surge. The damages can be extremely inconvenient and costly to repair or replace. In fact, a recent study of homeowner’s insurance claims found that over $825 million was paid to more than 100,000 claims due to lightning strikes and power surges. On top of that, more than half the home electrical fires that occur in the U.S. each year involve electric arcing from home electrical equipment.
Power surges happen all the time. Sometimes, they go completely unnoticed and cause little to no damage. But when a major power surge occurs during a storm or natural disaster, or even due to faulty wiring, it can send a power spike to your devices, potentially destroying them in a matter of seconds. To avoid this, surge protectors are installed and used as a defense system against these power spikes.
Bradley Mechanical offers a number of different ways to protect your electronics:
- Whole house surge protection. A whole house surge protector covers all the appliances and electronic devices within your home by limiting the amount of electrical current allowed to enter your home. Think of it as a pressure relief valve for electricity. It does not just protect from external power surges like lightning strikes. A whole house surge protector also protects appliances from power surges created from within the home—usually from major appliances like heat pumps cycling on and off.
- Dedicated computer circuits. A dedicated computer circuit ensures your computer can access the power it needs without overloading the system and potentially causing a tripped breaker, a blown fuse or power loss. Installing a dedicated computer circuit in your electrical box can also reduce the risk of electrical fires by preventing computers from drawing too much current and overheating wires.
- Arc-fault circuit breaker. An arc-fault circuit breaker is a device that breaks an electrical circuit when it detects an electric arc fault within the circuit it is protecting. Having arc-fault circuit breakers installed provides a higher level of protection from hazardous arcing conditions, which can lead to electrical fires.
Find out which surge protection service is right for you.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is surge protection?
Surge protection can often be confused with power strips, as they look similar. However, surge protectors are devices specially designed to protect electrical devices against voltage spikes. When a voltage spike is detected, the surge protector provides an even distribution of power to avoid harming the connected equipment.
How much surge protection do I need?
Protecting your basics – like your computers and televisions – typically requires a surge protector with a rating between 1,000-2,000 joules. For larger devices or businesses with a lot of electronics, you may need a surge protector with a rating of over 3,000 joules.
Does surge protection last forever?
Surge protectors are not designed to last forever. They typically last several years and will require replacement over time. Our electricians can help you select the right surge protector for your home or building, but also provide you with routine maintenance, repairs and replacement over the years.