Surge Protection Is Critical in Florida

Florida is the lightning capital of the country. Just look at our hockey team – the Tampa Bay Lightning! Tampa Bay homeowners install surge protectors to help prevent electrical spikes, which include lightning strikes, electrical surges or shortages from damaging their televisions, computers or other home electronics.  However, many homeowners forget to protect the largest appliance in their home.  If you don’t have surge protection installed on your Air Conditioner, it could cause major damage to it.

What Is a Power Surge?

A power surge is a brief sudden jolt of electricity into your home.  Power surges can cause significant damage to appliances and electrical circuits.  They can be caused by:

  • Electrical Storms
  • Power Outages
  • Downed Lines
  • Power Plant Maintenance
  • Faulty wiring or Bad Components
  • Wildlife in Transformers

How a Surge Protector Works

A surge protector is self-sacrificing.  It is designed to absorb the high electrical spike to reduce the damage to a home appliance.

A power surge is a big deal for your system, whether it’s new or old. But when you buy a new system, it’s important to understand that no warranty covers an act of God. Air Conditioners damaged by lightning are not covered under an AC warranty.  However, many homeowner insurance policies cover the damage but it is hard to prove that the damage was done by lightning and not from another source.  Plus, June – October have a higher chance of electrical surges in Tampa Bay due to electrical storms.  No one wants to be without cool air during the hot summer months while submitting a homeowner’s claim.

Fuses are blown, motors go bad, and boards get shortened.  A lightening strike could ruin a brand new system. Surge protection is a major key in keeping your system protected throughout its life.  If your system is not damaged by one surge it can be affected by numerous surges which can shorten the equipment life.  Most surge protectors come with a damage warranties covering some of the repair cost as well as each has its own cap.  If a surge protector takes a direct strike it will need to be replaced but it is better than replacing an air conditioner. During a storm, the best way to prevent HVAC damage is to turn the power off at the thermostat and circuit breaker.

If you haven’t had maintenance yet this year, go ahead and call us at (813) 548-5028.  We can assess the situation and see what your system needs.