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The electrical system in your home and community is as sophisticated as it is fragile. It powers your electronics and appliances alike, keeping things running not unlike the current of a stream. 

But sometimes, the flow of electricity gets disrupted, creating a ripple of excess voltage that can damage everything connected to that network. You can’t predict when this will happen. In fact, certain overvoltages happen every day. But with the proper electrical installation, you can protect your home—come what may. 

The two main kinds of overvoltage occur outside and inside the home. Let’s go into more detail on what causes these spikes and the kinds of electrical installation you can incorporate to prevent damage.

External Overvoltage

External overvoltage comes from outside the home. It could result from a downed power line or problems with the electrical company, but it’s usually a product of lightning strikes. It could be a direct hit, or voltage could be electromagnetically induced from lightning hit near the power line. It can even be caused by electrostatics from charged clouds or smaller particles in the air. 

That isn’t a problem for people in certain parts of the country, but Texas sees a lot of lightning every year. In fact, we led the nation with over 47 million recorded lightning strikes across the state in 2019. If you’re a homeowner somewhere on the West Coast, you don’t have to worry much about this. But lightning preparation is just common sense in Texas.

Internal Overvoltage

Overvoltage does only happen from lightning strikes. In fact, 80% of overvoltage surges come from inside the home. That can be something like a tripped circuit that turns off the power when you plug in too many fans at once. It could be a light that flickers as the dishwasher runs, or it might be such a minor inconsistency that you don’t even notice it. 

Even if it’s small, these minor overvoltages can significantly damage your appliances and reduce their overall lifespan. Luckily, the electrical installation of a surge protector can divert excess voltage away from your devices and out of your home.

Receptacle Surge Protectors

Receptacle surge protectors are the most common kind of surge protector, and they usually don’t even require a professional installation. These look like specialized power strips that can arrest a surge and redirect it from several devices into your home’s ground wire. But they don’t absorb a surge the way other protectors can.

Service Entrance Surge Protectors

Service entrance surge protectors are the largest variety of surge protectors, and they should be professionally installed onto the main breaker of your house. With this, power goes from the transformer and passes through the surge protector before your breaker panel.  

These protectors are primarily meant to absorb surges large enough to destroy less durable protectors. In that way, it works best when paired with another line of defense.

Whole-Home Surge Protectors

Whole-home surge protectors are similar to a service entrance protector in that they are both installed into the main breaker. But a whole-home surge protector can protect as many circuits as you may need, and they can handle surges of all sizes. 

Finding the Best “Electrician Near Me”

SALT Home Services has been a reliable name for almost 40 years for electrical installations in the Austin area. We’re family-owned and -operated with one hand on our faith and the other on the wellbeing of our community. When you work with us for your electrical installation, you’ll get a team that works to cultivate top-tier customer service. 

They say that lightning doesn’t strike twice. But at SALT Home Services, your electrical system will be safe no matter where or how the weather hits.