Whole-home surge protection is a comprehensive solution that can help protect your home and devices from damages and hazards associated with power surges. With whole-home surge protection and other electrical services, our team at Air Stars can provide efficient installation to boost the protection of your Oregon home.
Benefits of Whole-Home Surge Protection
Surges, also called transient voltages, refer to brief spikes in electrical voltage. Originating from various factors inside and outside your Oregon home, surges can damage your electrical devices. Surge effects are sometimes subtle, resulting in cumulative damage, degraded performance, and a reduced lifespan for your devices and appliances.
Whole-home surge protection systems shield all your devices from voltage spikes. This offers several advantages, such as:
- Comprehensive protection: Rather than protecting individual outlets, whole-home surge protection simultaneously covers every device in your home from a centralized installation at your electrical panel.
- Boosted safety: Whole-home devices safeguard your home from overheating, sparks, and electrical fires that may stem from surges interacting with faulty wiring or damaged circuits.
- Improved device longevity: Many appliances and electrical devices are essential for your household’s function and costly to replace. Investing in whole-home surge protection can protect your equipment from surge damage and premature replacement.
How Does Whole-Home Surge Protection Work?
Installed in your home’s electrical panel, whole-home surge protection devices function as a sort of electrical current filter. Compared to other surge protectors, whole-home surge protection devices function as the primary barrier against large voltage spikes.
Whole-home surge protection devices allow safe amounts of electrical current but immediately detect and respond to excess voltage by diverting it to the ground or absorbing it. This rapid response, usually occurring in nanoseconds, is crucial for neutralizing power surges. These devices use components called metal oxide varistors or gas discharge tubes to clamp excess voltage. Since surges can occur unexpectedly and vary in intensity, residential surge protection devices operate continuously.
Not every surge protection device offers the same level of protection. Measured in joules, each device’s rating indicates how much energy it can absorb, and higher joule ratings equate to greater protection against surges.
What types of devices need surge protection in a home?
Every device or appliance in your home can benefit from surge protection. These devices can protect some of your most important or expensive items, including:
- Kitchen appliances: Refrigerators, dishwashers, and microwaves
- HVAC units: Electric furnaces, AC units, heat pumps, and other units
- Entertainment: Televisions, sound systems, video game consoles
- Personal devices: Phones, tablets, and computers
- Home utilities: Garage door openers, security systems, medical devices, and modems
Signs Your Home Needs Surge Protection
While lightning strikes can cause surges, most electrical problems and surges come from within your home. See these signs to learn if your home may benefit from surge protection.
Flickering lights
While flickering lights can accompany several underlying problems, they can often suggest fluctuating voltage levels and power surges that may contribute to progressive damage.
Discolored or warm outlets
Outlets with discoloration or charring suggest overheating, which can happen when a power surge causes electrical arcing between two conductors. Discolored or warm-to-touch outlets may have underlying problems that increase electrical fire risk, such as loose connections, and surge protection helps mitigate this risk by regulating voltage levels.
Frequent breaker trips
While occasional breaker trips are normal, frequent problems can suggest underlying issues or risks with your electrical system. Power surges from lightning strikes, turning on large appliances, or grid problems can overload circuits, resulting in frequent breaker trips. Whole-home surge protection helps stabilize voltage levels to reduce overloads, breaker trips, and system damage.
Strange smells or sounds
Power surges can overheat electrical components, insulation, or wiring, leading to burning odors. Arcing resulting from a surge can also create buzzing or crackling sounds. These smells and sounds are warning signs of electrical fires, equipment damage, and other hazards.
Damaged devices
Prematurely failing appliances and electronics or those with signs of damage, such as burnt components or lacing performance, may have damage from power surges. Even minor power surges can overwhelm device circuits and components, leading to gradual damage and costly replacement.
Regular outages
Portland, Albany, Keizer, and other areas are prone to power outages due to Oregon’s frequent storms and seasonal wildfires. Once the grid system restores power, electrical demand can briefly spike and cause surges.
Our Electrical Services
Serving Portland, Keizer, and other Oregon areas, our team of certified electricians is ready to assist with whole-house surge protection installation and other electrical system needs.
Electrical repair
For anything from switch or outlet replacements to whole-home rewiring, our expert electricians can diagnose and address any electrical problem. Our electrical repair services ensure that your home’s equipment functions safely and according to Oregon electrical code.
Electrical panel replacement
As the center of your power supply, your electrical panel distributes power from the grid throughout your home. Old, incompatible, or malfunctioning panels can result in system damage and increase electrical hazards. A licensed electrician from Air Stars can assess your home’s needs to determine a compatible electrical panel replacement, optimizing your electrical system to handle modern devices and power demands.
Smoke detector installation
Rely on a technician to handle smoke detector installation for your peace of mind in case of an emergency. With a professional handling smoke detector wiring and setup, you can trust your smoke detectors to respond when you need them.
Whole-house rewiring
Some homes have outdated or hazardous wiring, such as aluminum, cloth, or knob and tube, that require replacement to satisfy electrical code safety requirements and minimize electrical hazards. Other homes may need new wiring to accommodate increased electrical needs, such as for new appliance installations or home entertainment systems. Whatever your needs, Air Stars can efficiently handle whole-house and partial rewiring to minimize disruption and optimize your system.
Ceiling fan installation
Complement your AC system with a ceiling fan that can improve your home’s comfort, aesthetics, and lighting. A professional from Air Stars can ensure safe ceiling fan installation so you’re reading for Oregon’s summer heat.
Contact Air Stars for Whole Home Surge Protector Installation in Oregon
Offering certified surge protection services as well as comprehensive electrical, plumbing, and HVAC home services, Air Stars is Oregon’s go-to provider.
With expert technicians, easy payment plans, and upfront pricing, you can take advantage of reliable services that prioritize your satisfaction. Contact us today or book online.