After the year we have had, we would like to think Santa cut us all some slack and no one found any coal under their tree. Hopefully, you woke on Christmas morning to find some cool gadgets waiting for you!
You will want to enjoy your fancy new devices for years to come. A whole-home surge protector can help you do just that — and save your home from major electrical damage in the process.
Why do I need a whole-home surge protector?
Let us paint a picture for you. Your family wakes up on Christmas morning to find all sorts of nifty electronics under the tree. Maybe a new smart TV, a laptop, and that new gaming console you have been waiting so long to play.
Everyone is so excited to play with their new toys that they plug them up right away. Without proper surge protection, the consequences could be pretty serious — this could zap the circuit boards in all your new toys, rendering them useless.
The worst part is, most electronics warranties don’t cover damage caused by power surges. Which means all that money you spent on those gifts could go up in the smoke of an electrical fire. That is sure to put you on Santa’s naughty list next year!
With a whole-home surge protector, you can plug those electronics up and start playing without worrying about your home’s electrical system or shorting out your devices.
Sometimes, major power surges are out of your control and not your fault. A lightning strike could cause a major surge and break your electronics. We’ve even heard horror stories of power outages breaking TVs and computers.
A whole-home surge protector can save your home’s electrical system in the event of an act of nature.
How does whole-home surge protection work?
A whole-home surge protector contains a filter that permits safe electrical currents to flow through and redirects or blocks voltage spikes from reaching your outlets.
Whole-home surge protectors are not the same as a plug-in surge protector. (We’ll talk more about that in a minute.) Whole-home surge protectors are permanent devices that must be installed by an experienced electrician.
What can you expect when you book a whole-home surge protector installation through George Brazil? We’ll install your whole-home surge protector to your main service panel. It’s that simple — and that hard! Although you can order whole-home surge protectors online, never try to install one yourself. This is a job best left to the pros.
But I already use surge protectors! Do I really need a whole-home surge protector?
We get this question all the time. Many homeowners believe they’re using surge protectors, when really, they’re just using power strips.
Although they look the same, power strips and surge protectors aren’t always the same. Some power strips do offer extra outlets with limited surge protection. But these surge protector strips have a limited capacity. They can only handle so many surges before they break down completely. And once they do, any additional surges could still cause damage to your devices or home.
Don’t make the mistake of buying a power strip without surge protection. Overloading a power strip with too many devices could actually increase the risk of a shortage or electrical fire.
Some surge protectors also plug into a single outlet. Instead of offering more outlets, these surge boxes protect that one outlet from a surge. Again, these have a limited capacity and only last so long before they break down.
How to tell if your power strip has built-in surge protection
It’s more expensive.
Plug-in surge protectors are usually twice as expensive as power strips. Some single-outlet surge protectors even come with an alarm letting you know when they need replacing.
It has a joule rating.
Look closely at the product packaging for the joule rating. This indicates how much electricity the surge protector can handle. The higher the joule rating, the better the surge protector.
It has a warranty.
Not all plug-in surge protectors have warranties, but some cover tens of thousands of dollars in connected equipment. Note that these warranties usually only cover manufacturer defects and not misuse of the device. For example, if you continue using a worn-out surge protector and your device implodes, you’ll void your warranty.
Whole-home surge protectors we recommend
When it comes to whole-home surge protectors, there’s really only one choice — Eaton’s Type 2 Surge Products. We only use the CHSPT2ULTRA model, which is best-in-class of the Eaton Type 2 range.
We’ll cover the specs of this unit — but we’ll spare you the jargon to make it easy to understand why the ULTRA model is the best choice for whole-home surge protection.
Maximum surge current capacity (MSCC)
What is surge current capacity? It’s the maximum amount of voltage that can pass through a protector in a single surge.
The average surge current capacity of a whole-home surge protector is 30,000 amps. The ULTRA model’s maximum surge current capacity is 108,000 amps! It has one of the highest MSCC ratings of any whole-home surge protector on the market.
Short circuit current rating (SCCR)
What is the short circuit current rating? It’s the maximum amount of electrical current that an electronic device can tolerate for a specific amount of time. If the short circuit current exceeds the maximum, the circuit breaker will trip or the fuse will blow.
The ULTRA’s short circuit current rating is 22,000 amps — much higher than the industry standard of 5,000 amps.
Limited lifetime warranty
The ULTRA surge protector includes a limited lifetime product warranty plus a $75,000 warranty for connected equipment. We’ve read the fine print of that warranty so you don’t have to! If you have any questions about what’s covered, just ask our technicians.
Ask us about installing a whole-home surge protector today
Extend the life of your gadgets and protect your home’s electrical system with a whole-home surge protector. Investing in a whole-home surge protector now could save you tons of stress and thousands of dollars in home repair and electronic replacement costs.
We know how excited you are to enjoy your gifts from Santa. With our special New Year’s offer, you’ll save $40 on your whole-home surge protector installation for the month of January!
Here’s how it works. We’ll come out and inspect your current surge protection status. Then we’ll draw up an installation proposal that fits your home’s unique needs. We don’t charge service call fees or dispatch fees, so the price you see is the price you get!
More than 2,000 homeowners in Phoenix trust us with their electrical needs, including whole-home surge protection. Give us a call today and discover why!
Sources:
https://www.howtogeek.com/337896/whats-the-difference-between-a-power-strip-and-a-surge-protector/
https://www.penlight.org/frequently-asked-questions/what-is-surge-current-capacity/
