Power Surge Protection

Our offices and homes are now filled with sophisticated electronic equipment. A power surge can damage these electronic devices beyond repair. A power surge or electrical spike is a short-term increase in voltage. Several events can cause power surges e.g. when the power comes back after load shedding and causes a sudden surge in electrical loads, lightning, local transformer malfunction or using gadgets with a mismatched rating to your office or home power supply.

Here are some steps you can take to keep your home and offices safe from power surges:

1. Inspect your wiring. Faulty wiring can make power surge problems worse. Have a qualified electrician inspect your home’s wiring for issues, especially if you have an older home or even newer ones built in your absence (contractors may cut corners).
2. Unplug electronic equipment during a storm.
3. Unplug electronic equipment during intermittent power outages. At times, electricity will come and go continuously over a 15-minute period posing a danger to equipment.
4. Use surge protectors. Expensive and sensitive electronics, such as computers and televisions, should be plugged into power surge protectors to prevent damage caused by surges. Furthermore, most insurance policies will only respond to such losses if there was a surge protector in place. Common types of surge protector devices include power strips and surge protector outlets. These devices block excess voltage from reaching your electronics in the event of a power surge.
5. Install a power surge protector to your DB Board (main switch box). This will protect your entire electrical system from surges for the office or home.
6. Install high-efficiency air conditioning units. Older air conditioning units which draw more power are more likely to cause a power surge when they suddenly stop drawing power. A more-efficient unit reduces the risk of voltage spikes, and it also reduce your energy bills.
7. Consider purchasing a UPS (uninterruptible power supply). It protects internet connections and electronics like modems/routers. It also allows you to properly switch off your gadgets following a general power loss.

Firstlink endeavours to ensure that your insurance policies have adequate cover for power surges. Talk to our team today if you would like cover for your office  or home.