While there are HVAC issues that you can proactively prevent or avoid, some things are just beyond your control, such as power or electrical surges.
Electrical or power surges are sudden spikes in voltage traveling from main power grids into your home’s electrical lines. These surges happen so fast without warning, leaving homeowners no time for protective countermeasures like shutting off power in the house until power is back to normal.
This lack of control necessitates surge protectors to protect power systems and home appliances. With surge protection in place, the electrical spike is diverted or stopped altogether, protecting from potentially irreversible damages to the equipment connected to the electrical system, such as the cooling equipment.
Why Do You Need An AC Surge Protector?
The air conditioning system is one of the most expensive pieces of equipment you will ever need to make your home comfortable. Modern AC units have sensitive circuit boards, microprocessors, and system compressors that are not cheap.
You don’t invest in air conditioning once. You pay for regular maintenance, repair, and replacement services and these can be costly too. It makes perfect sense then to ensure that your air conditioning system is protected against damaging spikes in power output.
A surge protector diverts high power surges away from your cooling system, saving it from damage. A surge protector also acts as insurance for your air conditioning system. Power surges are not covered by insurance or warranty, so a preventive measure, such as the surge protector, goes a long way to prevent unexpected HVAC expenses.
What Causes Electrical Surges?
There are external and internal electrical surges, which are both damaging to your air conditioner.
Lightning Storms
A lightning bolt is so powerful that it doesn’t have to be in your immediate vicinity to affect your power supply. A lightning bolt can generate one billion joules of electricity and travel as far as 10 miles.
Lighting can also directly strike towers and line conductors. A sudden increase in a power outage can fry electronics, including some of your AC’s components like the circuit boards.
Fallen Electrical Lines
Fallen electrical or power lines can cause power interruptions, brownouts, and spikes in electrical energy. Fall lines are usually due to bad weather, repair errors, accidents, etc.
Internal Causes
There are external and internal causes of power surges. Electrical overload, for instance, is an example of an internal cause. Electrical overloads happen when you attempt to draw too much power from a single circuit.
This can happen when you use an appliance above the circuit’s amperage levels, overuse extension cords, or plugin too many appliances into one power source. The overwhelmed circuit may receive a massive surge in current due to the excessive power being drawn.
Sometimes the cause of electrical spikes is difficult to pin down, but the bottom line remains the same: power surges are bad for your air conditioning system. An Air Care air conditioning surge protector helps prevent devastating loss or equipment damages. The sooner you get one, the better off your AC unit.
How Does An AC Surge Protector Work?
An AC surge protector protects the air conditioning system from electrical or power surges. A power surge is a sudden increase of voltage. If the voltage from the outlet surges or spikesㅡ meaning, rises above the accepted levelㅡthe surge protector redirects the extra power into the outlet’s grounding wire.
How To Prevent AC Power Surges
Aside from installing an AC surge protector, ask a pro to check your home’s wiring as well as your AC’s connection lines. Poorly installed connections, damaged wiring, and circuit breaker issues can contribute or cause a power surge.
During a storm, electronics must be unplugged or disconnected from the power supply. Other than an AC surge protector, our reliable technicians at Air Care Cooling & Heating LLC can also help you keep your house and your HVAC system secured.
Contact Us
For the protection of your air conditioning system and for your own peace of mind, call us for an appointment and one of our professional HVAC technicians will help set up your own AC surge protector.
Contact any of our offices in Phoenix, Mesa, Gilbert, Chandler, and nearby areas in the Valley of the Sun.