When the weather outside heats up, it can bring along some nasty thunderstorms. Unfortunately, these storms can create lightning that can damage your home’s electrical system. Fortunately, there are many proactive steps you can take to greatly reduce your risk of experiencing any electrical hazard at your home from a summertime thunderstorm.
Whole-Home Surge Protector
One of the absolute best ways to prevent damage from unexpected power surges is with a whole-home surge protector. This is much different from traditional power strip surge protectors. A whole-home version gets installed directly at your panel box and treats your entire home’s electrical system.
It works to absorb any excess energy traveling through the power line so that it doesn’t continue on to your electrical system’s components and cause damage. Overloaded power lines can damage the sensitive circuit boards in many modern-day appliances and electronic devices. It can even lead to an electrical fire in severe cases. A whole-home surge protector has many benefits and can give you peace of mind about your safety.
Unplug Your Electronics
Another must-follow for summer storm electrical safety is unplugging your electronics. Simply turning your electronics off doesn’t protect them from a power surge. Anything directly plugged into a wall outlet can receive permanent damage when a power surge happens to your home’s electrical system. Unless you have a whole-home surge protector, it’s typically best to unplug your electronics.
Get Routine Electrical Inspections
Another tip to protect home electrical system functioning is to get routine electrical inspections. We recommend getting an inspection each year so that we can catch any potential problems with your electrical system while they’re small and fairly inexpensive to repair. Our electrician will do a thorough examination of every component of your electrical system and test to make sure that it’s working properly.
Use GFCI Outlets or Breakers
Ground-fault circuit interrupters, or GFCIs for short, help to provide an added layer of protection to prevent dangerous electrocution in water-prone areas of your home. These include your laundry room, kitchen, bathroom, and even the outside of your home.
GFCI product comes in two different forms, which are traditional wall outlets and circuit breakers. Both are easily identifiable due to their prominent test and reset buttons. GFCIs work to cut the power to your circuit within milliseconds of sensing a ground fault.
Keep Trees Trimmed Back
If you have trees on your property, you always need to be mindful of how close they are to your electrical lines. Tree branches that overhang your power lines should be trimmed back. Even the healthiest of tree branches can break under the strain of excessive wind during thunderstorm conditions.
Use a Sump Pump
Summertime thunderstorms usually bring an excessive amount of water in a very short amount of time. If your home is in a flood-prone area or simply has poor drainage, you may experience floodwater backing up into your home. If that water comes into contact with your electrical system, it can be highly dangerous and damaging.
It’s best to invest in a sump pump to promptly remove the excess flood water before it reaches your home’s electrical system. Consider purchasing one with a battery backup so that it will continue working even if your local power grid goes out.
Use In-Use Weather Outlet Covers
Your outdoor outlets are particularly susceptible to damage during severe thunderstorm events. One of the best investments you can make to protect them is an in-use weather outlet cover. This allows you to easily plug in your electrical cord while still encasing the outlet to prevent unwanted water intrusion that would otherwise lead to permanent damage.
Consider a Generator
No one likes dealing with unexpected power outages due to summertime storms. Fortunately, you don’t have to when you invest in a whole-home generator. This generator will kick on when it senses that your local power grid is down. This will allow you to enjoy using items like your air conditioner, lights, home security system, and television, even when your local power grid is out.
Reliable Whole-Home Surge Protection Installation Service
Raynor Services provides reliable whole-home surge protection installation for the Mount Holly, NJ area. We can also assist with all your electrical inspection, repair, new installation, and replacement needs. Just call us today to schedule your next service consultation with one of our helpful electricians.
