Whole Home Surge Protection

Most homeowners in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area believes that as long as electrical appliances are working, then the power to their home is just fine. But that is not necessarily the case. In many cases, weather issues like tornados, hurricanes, blizzards, or even thunderstorms can create power outages, power surges, and spikes.

Each of these variations in the power flowing into your home can repre

sent a genuine hazard for any electric appliance or electronic device in your home. Even a fire or fault at the main transformer can alter the voltage entering your home through the power lines. These issues last only a fraction of a second but can damage anything that is plugged into an outlet or hard wired into your home’s electrical system. Fortunately, the experts at Lumberjack Electric offer the solution to this costly damage. Whole-home surge protection is the only way to ensure that your valuable and necessary electronics and appliances are protected.

Two Types Of Total Protection

Whole-home surge protection devices, SPDs, are offered in type categories. The Type 1 devices are installed where the electrical supply enters your home from the provider at the main breaker. These devices are called line side and provide the best protection for your home. They are installed between your home and the power supply line to ensure that no power can enter your home without passing through the SPD. As an added bonus, they also protect your devices from intern

al power surges.

Type 2 SPDs are installed inside the main electrical panel of your home. These devices are referred to as load centers and can protect a single circuit or all the circuits and sub-panels in your home. The key difference between the Type 1 and Type 2 is the location of the device. Type 1 stops power surges before they enter your home. Type 2 allows that surge to enter your home. While this is not always harmful, it does leave a slight potential for complications.

What To Consider When Shopping For Whole Home Surge Protection

The most important thing to look for on any surge protection device is the UL label. Formerly known as Underwriters Laboratory, this organization is independently operated and recognized globally as the authority on testing and certification. The SPD you are considering should state that it is UL-listed. The UL specification requires the device to react within a certain amount of time, have a specific trip threshold, and a designated level of protection. For the SPD to pass the UL testing, it can face as many as 15 consecutive tests, all of which it must pass, to earn the UL standard. Any failure during the entire process results in rejection by the UL.

Whole-home surge protection is like an insurance policy that protects everything in your home when the power goes out and from power surges and spikes. To learn more about the advantages of these devices and the installation process used by the experts at Lumberjack Electric, call 612-236-9052.