Surge Protection

Ensure Your Myrtle Beach Home's AC is in Good Shape With Our Surge Protection Services

Why Surge Protection?

Each home experiences 300-plus potentially damaging electrical surges per year. Home appliances and HVAC equipment, which depend on electronics, are sensitive to these surges. These units are a costly investment for the homeowner, and there typically is no protection.

A surge is a high-amplitude, short-duration electrical fluctuation that can cause harm to electrical, electromechanical, and electronic equipment. Surges are caused by lightning, utility events, and internal events:

Lightning is the most obvious and most sensational type of surge. Lightning can travel up to 1/2 mile from where it strikes. Nothing can prevent a direct strike.

Utility events consist of crossover of phases, capacitor switching, grid shifting, inductive loads, and open neutrals.

Internal events in the home, however, are the most likely source of a surge. A General Electric (GE) and National Power Labs (NPL) study shows that 65 percent to 80 percent of transient surges are caused internally from:

• Pumps (well or pool)
• A/C condenser motors
• Refrigeration motors
• Dishwasher motors
• Washer/dryer motors

These events can result in the three D's of surge problems: degradation (of equipment components), destruction, and downtime.

Surge Solutions
Surge protectors provide protection against:

Incoming surges; Bounce surges from inrush current; and Outdoor moisture conduction from local lightning (as noted above, from as much as 1/2 mile away).

A surge protector works by shunting the voltage surge to ground. A good ground is imperative. The National Electrical Code (NEC) maximum resistance at ground is 25 ohms.

Homeowner Benefits From A Surge Solution
The homeowner benefits from surge protection because it provides inexpensive insurance for a central air conditioning system. After the home and car, air conditioning systems are the most costly item to repair or replace. Homeowners carry insurance on their home and car. What about for their central air system?

By getting this protection from an HVAC contractor, they get professional installation and reliable operation. In addition, some surge solutions handle up to 100,000 amps of surge current, offer a lifetime warranty*. *Depending on manufacturer.

Installing a surge protector is not complicated and can be readily accomplished by a technician. The tech can advise the customer of the potential problem and solution.

Many customers already have surge protection for their personal computers. With the proven instability of the national electrical grid, the addition of surge protection for an HVAC system is a logical, low-cost solution for the customer that helps keep their equipment up and running.

Each home experiences 300-plus potentially damaging electrical surges per year. Home appliances and HVAC equipment, which depend on electronics, are sensitive to these surges. These units are a costly investment for the homeowner, and there typically is no protection.

Source: http://www.achrnews.com/Articles/Technical/1957d9641ad5a010VgnVCM100000f932a8c0