Last updated on August 14th, 2022 at 01:28 pm
Every home with electronic devices requires a surge protector, but not all devices require its protection. The reason is that some of these appliances consume a relatively high amount of energy and might even overload the surge protector and cause damage.
A surge protector functions in protecting your device from a power surge and voltage spikes. Since washers and dryers are considered delicate household appliances, do they need a surge protector?
Washers and dryers do not necessarily require a surge protector. They contain electromechanical timers that handle the issue of a power surge and spike. Moreover, you use surge protectors to protect electronics that can connect to the internet. A washer and dryer are heavy appliances and could constitute a significant setback for the protector in terms of its load.
Should I plug my Washer and Dryer into a Surge Protector?
No, it is not advisable to plug your washer and dryer into a surge protector. It is a threat to your household appliances and sometimes even your life. The heavy nature of a washer and dryer is likely to cause a severe electric fault that could lead to a fire outbreak when plugged into a surge protector. It can also cause your washer and dryer to trip frequently.
Plugging your washer and dryer into a surge protector could be riskier when the protector is a weaker one. Unfortunately, there are cases where people go to their graves untimely because of this issue.
You are susceptible to electrocution whenever you plug your washer and dryer into a substandard surge protector. For this reason, I will always advise you not to use it for either washers or dryers.
Can a Power Surge Damage a Washer and Dryer?
Sure, a power surge can damage both a washer and dryer. This surge is usually caused by lightning, brownouts, or within via an electric motor that is activated. We sometimes do not even notice when a power surge occurs because it takes place within a count of milliseconds. When this continues, it could damage our washers and dryers.
A power surge is likely to happen in our home at least three times a month. We have two types of power surges: the voltage spike and the major power surge.
The spikes do not cause any significant damage to you or your household appliance and last for a duration of about two nanoseconds. In contrast, the powerful surge can even go to the extent of melting the entire wiring of your house and lasts for three nanoseconds.
This effect would eventually lead to a fire outbreak. Voltage spikes can also be as dangerous as the surge when it occurs repeatedly. Washers and dryers are some of the expensive devices we have in our homes, making them a vulnerable target.
They are enormous energy consumers and have an electric motor that could also be the trigger that would cause a surge within the devices. Lightning could also influence electrical surge that affects both washers and dryers disastrously. So a change in the condition of weather in a disruptive manner should be warning enough.
In cases like this, you will need an excellent and reliable protector to shield your appliances from the impact of the surge; else, they would be damaged. Therefore, it would be better to carry out an entire household surge protector as this kind of protection can withstand direct lightning.
These power surges travel through electric wires and pose more danger for houses at the end of electric lines. This understanding also explains why it could take out the entire circuitry. After moving around wires, it ends up in your connected appliances and destroys them.
It is common, especially with heavy appliances like a washer and a dryer whose enormous electrical requirements. Connecting your washer and dryer on a single surge protector can cause the same damage as a power surge.
Always avoid overloading your outlets and ensure to use a surge protector strong enough and capable of withstanding heavy appliances. It would be best to do this as a precautionary measure because the damage would cost you more.
Do Appliances have Built-in Surge Protectors?
Yes, some appliances have built-in surge protectors. However, most surge protectors come as separate devices where you plug your appliances. They serve as a transitional point from the socket and the power cable of your device. In rare cases, machines have built-in protectors, and it is primarily a power strip that contains a built-in power surge.
A surge protector takes the form of an extension cord, but you should never mistake both. They are provided for appliances to be plugged into and not built into them. Instead, a power surge is built into a power strip because of the many electrical functions it performs. For example, a power strip has a circuit breaker that helps control an overload or short circuit as an appliance.
The surge protector itself is a little piece of a circuit in the entire composition. It is positioned across two wires through which power flows into the device. This piece of the circuit is always contained in power stripes but is not always designed for other household appliances.
What are Surge Protectors Good For?
Surge protectors are suitable for electronic devices in our homes. They are excellent in performance, expressed in two ways; the first and most crucial good nature of a surge protector is safeguarding our electronic devices from a power surge. Then, it also grants the facility of connecting more than one component into a single outlet.
Since a relatively high percentage of household appliances we have are electronics, the need for a surge protector can not be overemphasized. As mentioned above, surge protectors are suitable for;
- Safeguarding our electronic devices from power surge or spike
- Making the connection of more than one component into an outlet easy
Let us quickly look into these functions.
Safeguarding our electronic devices from power surge and spike
Power surge and spike can easily cause our electronic devices like computers or televisions. This surge and spike could result from indiscriminate power outages, malfunctioning of grids, lightning strikes, and other electrical faults.
Surge protectors aid in the containment of these power surges by taking the impact of the surge to the ground. When there are many devices on the protector, it distributes the surge across the connected devices.
Doing this will prevent any significant harm from coming the way of your appliances, thereby extending the lifespan of your electronic devices.
Providing ample Space for Connecting More Devices
You can plug more than one appliance into an outlet with a surge protector. Management is made easy with these plugins, power surges, and spikes. Nevertheless, it would help if you were careful not to overload the surge protector with heavy appliances that could damage it.
All the electronics connected to the surge protector should not be more than its voltage; the maximum voltage a surge protector for outlets can tolerate is 6000 volts.
In comparison, an entire household protector tolerates up to 20000 worth of volts. As a result of this high voltage tolerance, the connection of more than one component is made easy.
Conclusion
A surge protector is the best way to tackle power surge issues in our homes. These power surges are common and cause a lot of damage to our appliances but are required majorly for electronic devices. However, washers and dryers do not necessarily need it since you can plug them directly into a standard three-pronged outlet.