Are Electric Surges Bad for Appliances?

Electric surges, also called power surges, occur almost daily in most homes. Depending on the source of the electric surges and the type of appliances in the home, the electric surges may or may not cause any damage. Fortunately, you can protect vulnerable appliances from damaging electric surges.

Understanding Surges

    An electric surge is a destructive power disturbance to the normal electric delivery to a home. Typically, homes receive voltage in an oscillating pattern, from a low of zero volts to a high of 169 volts. Electric surges cause an increase in the voltage. The increase in voltage is usually only a few hundred volts. However, sometimes the voltage increases to a damaging level of several thousand volts. The brief spike of increased voltage, or electric surge, lasts only a few millionths of a second.

Sources

    Small electric surges happen every day. Certain appliances, such as air conditioners and refrigerators, cause small spikes in voltage when they cycle on and off. Short-circuits in home wiring also cause electric surges. Electric surges may occur when the electric company performs power grid switching or when an animal touches two power lines at the same time. Accidents involving power poles or power lines, usually as the result of bad weather conditions, can result in damaging power surges. Lightning is responsible for most damaging electric surges, as a lightning strike near a home can send excess voltage through the ground and into a home's electrical service line.

Damage

    An electric surge can cause an arc of electrical current inside an appliance. The arc creates heat that can damage the circuitry within the appliance. The arc can get so hot that it starts a fire. The higher the voltage increase, the higher the probability of appliance damage. However, even small, repeated electric surges may harm the integrity of circuitry and shorten the life of appliances. Appliances with electronic controls, such as key pads, electronic displays and programmable functions, are particularly vulnerable to power spikes. Appliances with mechanical controls, such as rotary dials and on/off switches, fare better during electric surges.

Protection

    Surge protectors use the home's wiring to divert the extra voltage of a power surge to the home's electrical ground wire. Homeowners can easily install point-of-use surge protectors. These surge protectors plug into wall outlets and protect individual appliances from small electric surges. Surge protection installed at the electric entrance panel provides a higher level of protection for the entire house. This method of surge protection requires a licensed electrician for installation. Another whole-house solution is a surge protector installed on or next to the home's electric meter. The power company installs this type of surge protector. Whole-house surge protection only works on excess voltage entering the home, and does not protect appliances from electric surges occurring within the home.

  • Electrical engineering - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrical_engineering
    Electrical engineering is a field of engineering that generally deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. This field ...
  • Electric system neutral wire loss leads to shocked homeowner

    inspectapedia.com/electric/Electrical_Neutral_Lost.htm
    Electrical neutral wire troubleshooting: Case history of a neutral wire failure, improper joining of neutral and ground wiring in a sub panel, burning-up electrical ...
  • Other Home Appliances - How To Information eHow

    www.ehow.com/home/home-appliances/other-home-appliances
    Don't just sit there scratching your head, find useful info on Other Home Appliances on eHow. Get essential tips and learn more about everything from Percolating ...
  • all Microwave Display Repair Sharp Dacor GE General Electric

    www.microwavedisplay.com
    Microwave oven display repair all brands nationwide dead? lights out? Sharp Dacor General Electric Samsung Kenmore Frigidaire Whirlpool free help tips
  • Small Business Funding Small Business Loans Cash Advances ...

    smallbusinessfunding.com/apply-now
    Apply Now To Receive Your Unsecured Small Business Loans Up To $500,000 Within 72 Hours. Click Or Call Now To Get The 5 Minute Process Started.
  • NIST Physical Measurement Laboratory Homepage

    www.nist.gov/pml
    Physical Measurement Laboratory Homepage ... The Physical Measurement Laboratory (PML) sets the definitive U.S. standards for nearly every kind of measurement ...
  • Home Surges: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly Direct Energy

    www.directenergyprotects.com/Home-Surges-The-Good-The-Bad-and-The-Ugly
    Power surges destroy computers and TVs in an instant. Learn simple steps to protect your electronic devices and appliances from power surges.
  • Electric chair - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_chair
    Execution by electrocution, usually performed using an electric chair, is an execution method originating in the United States in which the condemned person is ...
  • DEMCO Dixie Electric Membership Corporation

    www.demco.org
    Like us on Facebook where you'll get the latest news and insights on events taking place at your cooperative! Simply follow the Facebook icon link above, or go to ...
  • Welcome to Brands Direct in .

    www.brandsdirect.com
    Brands Direct is your premier store for Appliances in . We offer refrigerators, cooktops, oven, ranges, washers, dryers and more.
  • Electrical systems - Wikitravel

    wikitravel.org/en/Electrical_systems
    Electrical systems differ around the world - both in voltage and less critically, frequency. The physical interface are also different and often incompatible. However ...
  • White Smoke - ECigarette Reviews - Go Smokeless

    whitesmokereview.com
    E Cigarette Reviews, Smokeless Cig Guides & Vaping Deals ... SmokeStik Review. If you follow late night talk shows, you have probably seen Katherine Heigl smoke an ...
  • Ovens Product Reviews Epinions.com

    www.epinions.com/Ovens
    Thousands of Ovens customer reviews. Read unbiased product reviews on Ovens and more on Epinions.com
  • Epiphone Dot Electric Guitar This tasty guitar is great for jazz ...

    www.guitarcenter.com/Epiphone-Dot-Electric-Guitar-100077365-i...
    Get the guaranteed lowest price on the Epiphone Dot Electric Guitar This tasty guitar is great for jazz, blues, or rock styles. at GuitarCenter. We ship free!
  • Appliances: Shop for Affordable Small & Major Appliances

    www.smarter.com/appliances/cl--ch-51.html
    Shop here for the appliances you need at discount prices. Find top names like Whirlpool, Kenmore, Frigidaire and more. Online shopping is easy at Smarter.com.
  • Kitchen Appliances Buying Guide, Stores, and Prices - ShopWiki

    www.shopwiki.com/w/Kitchen-Appliances
    Buying Kitchen Appliances? ShopWiki has stores, products, and buying guides to help you find what and where to buy at the best price.
  • Kenmore Elite Electric Dryer 8 cu. ft. 81100 - Sears

    www.sears.com/kenmore-elite-8.0-cu-ft-steam-electric-dryer/p...Rating: 4/5 15 reviews
    12/15/2010 Kenmore Elite-8.0 cu. ft. Steam Electric Dryer-81100- Kenmore is America's 1 appliance brand, trusted in the homes of more than 100 ...
  • Epiphone G-400 SG Electric Guitar GuitarCenter

    www.guitarcenter.com/Epiphone-G-400-SG-Electric-Guitar-100042754-i...
    Get the guaranteed lowest price on the Epiphone G-400 SG Electric Guitar at GuitarCenter. We ship free!
  • Common electrical problems Angies List, Angie's List

    www.angieslist.com/electrical/common-problems.htm
    A Homeowners Guide to Power Surges, Electrical Safety Tips, Wiring Color Coding, and more from Angies List to help you with Questions you have about Common ...
  • The Good Guys - Electrical Appliances--Retail - Cannington, WA ...

    www.yellowpages.com.au/wa/cannington/the-good-guys-14512625...
    Electrical Appliances--Retail in Cannington, Western Australia, 6107 - The Good Guys, "Wouldn't You Rather Deal With A Good Guy?". The cheerful, friendly nature of ...

0 comments:

Post a Comment