When strong storms and lightning happen in Florida, a home’s electricity may be interrupted. Homeowners often ask if these power surges are dangerous or if they can cause problems with a home’s electronics, security systems or appliances.
Using a surge protection system is the first line of defense for every Florida homeowner who wants to minimize damage while increasing the protection of their home and property from lightning strikes that cause power outages.
Quick Takeaways
- Standard surge protectors cannot fully protect against a direct lightning strike.
- Surge protectors can reduce damage from indirect lightning-related power surges.
- Plug-in surge strips offer limited protection compared to whole-home systems.
- Proper grounding is just as important as the surge protector itself.
- The best defense is layered surge protection, professionally installed.
What a Surge Protector Is Designed to Do
A surge protector is a device designed to divert excess voltage away from devices or appliances, toward the ground, to avoid damage. A surge protector sends unexpected spikes in voltage that occur when power is interrupted to the ground, where they are rendered harmless. A surge protector’s job is to divert these voltage spikes, so utilizing a grounded surge protector is the most efficient type of protection for your home.
Where Lightning-Related Power Surges Come From
Power surges happen with lightning strikes, but lightning doesn’t have to directly hit your home to cause a potentially harmful voltage spike.
Direct Lightning Strikes
A single bolt of lightning’s astonishing 300 million volts of power far outweighs an average household’s 120 volts, making a direct hit on a home impossible to fully protect with even the most powerful surge protector. But a professionally installed surge protection system can help you keep your home safer when lightning does strike.
Indirect Lightning Surges
Even indirect lightning strikes can cause damage to a home. Nearby strikes on homes or power sources can cause power surges in your home. Utility line surges and power line switches during storms can both contribute to dangerous voltage spikes that can damage the devices, systems and appliances in your home.
Can a Surge Protector Protect Against Lightning?
Surge protectors are created to ground excess voltage so your devices, appliances and home systems don’t experience voltage spikes that can damage or destroy them. Surge protectors monitor voltage flow, and when they detect a change in voltage running through the lines, the excess is diverted to a grounded wire to protect your home from damage caused by these dangerous voltage spikes.
Surge protectors can minimize or avoid damage from power surges caused by indirect or nearby lightning strikes. But a direct lightning strike is so strong that homes with even the best surge protection systems may still experience damage.
Plug-In Surge Protectors vs Whole-Home Surge Protection
Enveloping your home with layers of protection is the best way to keep power surges from impacting your home’s devices, appliances and home systems. Both plug-in surge protectors and whole-home surge protectors provide different levels of protection for your home, keeping you safe when lightning strikes.
Plug-In (Point-of-Use) Surge Protectors
Point-of-use (POS) protection works by snagging excess voltage between outlets and one or two appliances. These small but effective surge protectors work well for targeted protection, and they can be purchased and installed by homeowners quickly and easily for the first layer of protection from dangerous voltage spikes.
Whole-Home Surge Protectors
For larger voltage spikes, protect your whole home with a call to Lakeland’s on-time electrician, Mister Sparky, for professional installation of a surge protector that will keep all of your devices, appliances and home systems safe from most power surges.
Surge protection can be installed between your home and outside utility lines for exterior power surges, as well as between your home’s appliances and the main utility panel to protect against internal surges.
Why Proper Grounding Matters More Than Most Homeowners Realize
Having a grounded surge protector is critical in places like Florida, where homeowners experience frequent lightning storms. Grounding provides an instant, direct path for the excess voltage to flow, saving your home from unnecessary damage when power spikes during a storm.
The Best Way to Protect Your Home From Lightning-Related Damage
Keep your home protected from power surges with a layered approach that will help you keep your family and property safe. Have your home inspected by a trusted electrician to ensure that your home’s wiring and electrical systems are in good working order and you have the proper GFCI and AFCI outlets.
Then, have them install a whole-home surge protector to keep outside power surges away from your home and stop interior surges from damaging your large appliances. Install POS protectors on sensitive electronics so you can keep your phone and computer safe when lightning strikes.
Regular follow-up home inspections will give you peace of mind that your home’s protection systems are working correctly to protect your home from lightning-related damage.
Common Myths About Surge Protectors and Lightning
- Myth: Surge protectors aren’t necessary.
- Fact: Surge protectors can help you avoid most damage caused by power surges.
- Myth: Whole-home surge protectors are less important than point-of-use protectors when lightning strikes.
- Fact: Both types of surge protectors help you keep your home’s sensitive electronics and appliances safe.
FAQ: Surge Protectors and Lightning Protection
Can a surge protector stop a direct lightning strike?
No, a surge protector cannot stop the power surge of a direct lightning strike, but they can help minimize the damage it causes.
Do whole-house surge protectors protect against lightning?
Yes, a whole-house protection system can help keep your appliances and devices safe from surges that happen with indirect or nearby lightning strikes.
Is a power strip the same as a surge protector?
No, a power strip is not the same as a surge protector. A power strip is simply a multi-plug extension cord with an on/off switch and does not offer any protection in a power surge situation when in use.
How long do surge protectors last?
Surge protectors should be replaced every 3-5 years to ensure maximum protection.
Should I unplug electronics during a lightning storm?
Yes, unplugging electronics can help avoid voltage spikes reaching your electronics.
Does surge protection work without proper grounding?
No, whole-house surge protection needs proper grounding to safely divert excess voltage away from your appliances and devices.
Is surge protection required by electrical code?
According to the 2020 National Electrical Code, new homes and those with upgraded electrical systems must include some surge protection.
Protect Your Home With Professional Surge Protection in Lakeland, FL
When lightning from one of Florida’s many storms strikes nearby, you want to know that your home is protected. Only a professional electrician can install a whole-home surge protection system, so don’t put up with any malarky and try to do it yourself.
Call Lakeland’s on-time electrician, Mister Sparky, to schedule an inspection or surge protection consultation today. Because with one of Florida’s frequent storms always on the horizon, your home isn’t fully protected without a comprehensive surge protection plan in place.