With most of our everyday tasks now depending on the electrical appliances within our home, they have certainly become an essential part of our daily lives. Even a slight disruption in the system or network that holds these devices together can negatively impact the comfort and quality of anyone’s home life, which means that active precautions need to be taken to avoid any potential mishaps that may occur at any point.

Vulnerable electrical components, especially those within a smart home, are a potential danger to not only the building itself, but to each individual living inside it as well. This is particularly applicable in places where thunderstorms are fairly common, areas in which chances of a lightning strike causing a power surge and shorting the electrical system around a home unit are much higher. Now, thunderstorms are a natural phenomenon which cannot be avoided, however, there are certain precautions that can be taken to at least minimize the extent of the damage they can leave behind. For further assistance and any professional help with any electricity related queries in your home, you may want to take a look at FirstEnergy Ohio.

Disconnect appliances

The most fool-proof way to deal with power surges might be to simply unplug everything that may potentially be harmed due to a surge of electricity. Any appliances that are turned on should be disconnected, especially bigger ones that take up more power than others. This way, even if lightning does strike somewhere near your home and threatens to harm your appliances, it will be grounded automatically since the wires will not be active; the electricity will not be able to reach your home, thus protecting you from a wide range of potential accidents.

Smart home automation

Compared to old, somewhat unreliable appliances, smart appliances are much more resistant to damage from power surges and such. They are designed to handle situations where they could be damaged much better, and most of them would turn off before any damage could come to them. Smart plugs are another way through which a spike of electricity would not harm your appliances, since they regulate the electricity better and make sure that your devices receive an amount they need, even during a thunderstorm.

Get appliances with a good warranty

If you’re unable to take precautions to avoid any damages occurring to your appliances, or in case of any unforeseen accidents, a warranty is your next best option. It ensures that even if a big appliance in your home gets damaged, you don’t have to bear the entire expense yourself. This is why it is very important to browse and explore all your options before purchasing any appliances, since you’ll be able to get one with the right warranty requirements according to your living situation. Most smart devices now come with warranties, so that shouldn’t be a problem.

Keep an eye on the weather

In order to know when a power surge could happen and lightning could potentially strike a nearby transformer, it is very important to stay updated on the weather. This will allow you to take necessary precautions before any damage is done, and you can either unplug the important appliances, something which is much easier through a smart hub, since all it will take to turn them off is one click through the respective app. Another thing you could do is simply cut off the main power supply to your home temporarily, but that may not be the best option, since you never know how long the storm could last, and you will most certainly be needing some of the appliances to function during that time.

Get regular wiring inspections

Flaws in the electrical wiring is also one of the main causes of power surges affecting your home. This could mean damaged insulation, or wires having become unreliable and not fit to carry current throughout your house – regardless of the issue, it is very important to make sure that the system is regularly inspected, in order to avoid any unforeseen accidents.

Consider full house surge protection

You always have the option of getting individual surge protectors for all your different, individual appliances; however, a better option would be to consider full house surge protection. There are several services that could do this for you, and while it may seem like a huge investment in the beginning, it may end up saving you a lot of money on repair and maintenance costs in the long-run. Surge protectors are connected directly to a home’s electrical service box, which makes for much easier monitoring of all your appliances simultaneously.

Replace old, unreliable appliances

One of the most major things that contributes to damage from power surges is outdated appliances and devices that are long overdue to be replaced. New appliances now come with technologies that protect them from situations like this by default, whereas old ones are much more prone to damage, since there is a much greater chance of them having internal damages that can no longer be repaired due to how old they are. Old appliances are a threat to your safety, and pretty much every other appliances in your home too, since they may cause damage to any other devices on the same network as well.

Conclusion

Power surges may be a hassle to deal with, but taking the right precautions beforehand can ensure that you won’t have to suffer through too much damage. However, not ensuring as much safety as possible before the damage is done may cost you a lot, considering that in certain circumstances, surges may even lead to a fire. For this purpose, trying to take the previously mentioned measures may be your best bet when trying to protect your home from a power surge.