Power surges can be a real problem for the users of many home appliances. This can not only damage the equipments and cause you to lose a lot of money but also may put the life of people in danger. Although, this type of accident does not happen on regular basis, taking precautions may change the result and save life and property of the victim.
Power surge
The power surge is a state when the user does not get the regular power supply. The quantity of electricity overlaps the regular amount and causes the surge. The electric power supply of the house has fixed limit. For all the first world countries, it is 129 V. The V stands of Volt or Voltage which is the unit of electricity. In some of the developing countries, it is 220 V. If the Voltage increases for any reason, the surge occurs. This may happen in a stormy weather when a thunder hits directly into the main cable line.
Another main reason for the incident is if the negative and positive end of the cable gets connected somehow. This may also happen due a dab condition. However other objects that carry electricity can also cause the same problem.
Preventing the power surge
The most efficient way to keep the home appliances protected from the power surge is keeping them disconnected if they are not in use. Many people have a tendency of keeping all the appliances connected with the power line even if they are not using it; just to save some time, but this can bring a real danger. Shutting off the appliances is more important in a bad weather.
Using a good circuit breaker can be very important. The circuit breaker is the starting part of the integrated circuit of the whole building or house. This breaker is placed at the starting of the line and it contains only the minimum number of wires. The reason for these fewer wires is if there is an overflow of the electric power, the breaker will burn down and prevent the electricity from entering the home. This save the appliances to be damaged by power overflow.
These two are the most important steps for preventing power surges from damaging home appliances. However, there are some other options that can be followed.
For example, using lower power supply is better and secure than higher power supply. So the tools that run on 120 V are secure than the tools that need 220 V. The voltage adapters can help in this situation; although they are not usable in every condition.
Using other electric supply method instead of regular home electric supply can be another solution. For example, if you use the solar energy to run the appliances, it will never cause any serious problem or damage the equipments.
The most important thing is knowledge and carful use of electricity to prevent any accident by power surge.
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