Last updated on August 14th, 2022 at 01:28 pm
Surge protection is something that we can easily overlook. However, the appliances in the home are at constant risk of damage if the homeowner does not put specific safety measures in place, like the use of surge protectors.
There are many types of appliances in the home, but not all of these appliances need to be protected by a surge protector because some can survive power surges, and others can’t. So, which of the devices in the home need surge protectors?
Appliances with microprocessors, that is, they have their central processing unit embedded on one tiny chip, are the essential appliances to be plugged into a surge protector. In addition, sensitive and expensive appliances should top the list requiring a surge protector for safe use. All homes are prone to experiencing electrical spikes, so without a surge protector, these sensitive and vital appliances could have their circuits fried in a power surge.
Do Appliances Need Surge Protectors?
Yes, appliances in the home need surge protectors to prevent them from becoming permanently inoperable due to high electrical spikes. Power surges are bursts of electrical energy above the required voltage range in an alternating current. When this uncontrolled electricity passes through the wiring directly into any appliance, it affects the electrical circuit in the appliance to the degree that it could either drastically lower its durability, or in most cases, wreck it.
A surge protector shields the plugged appliances from excess electrical energy. This feature is significant because it only takes one electric power surge to turn your expensive home appliances into a sudden waste. However, some devices do not necessarily need a surge protector.
An ideal example of an appliance that does not need a surge protector is a lamp. You can easily replace the light bulb when an electrical spike damages it.
In contrast, more complex appliances have parts that you can not easily replace, and when the circuit is affected by a power surge, the entire appliance fails at once. Less complex devices can survive power surges, unlike their more complex counterparts.
Should Everything Be Plugged Into a Surge Protector?
Not every appliance should you plug into a surge protector. It is unnecessary for electrical devices that can easily survive a power surge. In addition, these are generally inexpensive to replace. It is, however, of the highest importance to prioritize plugging mostly expensive and complex appliances with fragile technology into surge protectors.
Electrical devices that do not need a surge protector include coffee makers, toasters, blenders, and electric grills. In addition, there should not be an attempt to ‘expand’ the surge protection of an outlet by plugging another surge protector in it so that it can accommodate many appliances.
Doing this will overload the surge protector and damage the same electrical devices you were out to protect, sometimes leading to electrical fires.
Furthermore, large home appliances like dishwashers and refrigerators take up high amounts of electricity. Therefore, you can easily overload a surge protector with such electrical devices.
For example, in the case of refrigerators, a power surge that occurs when a surge protector is overloaded can cause the fridge to shut down and never restart.
Thus, it is not advisable to plug a high amperage device into a surge protector. In a nutshell, not every appliance should be plugged into a surge protector.
Do Modern Electronics Need Surge Protectors?
Yes, this is because modern electronics are generally smaller and have more delicate components, which a power surge can easily damage. As a result, old electrical devices have higher chances of surviving electrical spikes, multiple, even. On the other hand, complex modern electronics like microwaves and desktop computers contain microprocessors that can only function well with a stable current at the proper voltage. As a result, they are susceptible to power surges and can fail when exposed to them.
Modern electronics in a contemporary environment have fewer chances of being exposed to a power surge due to stable electrical grids and reliable technology.
Notwithstanding, surge protection is a necessary precaution as storms and electrical grid faults are some of the few things that can trigger a power surge in a modern setting.
Thunderstorms increase the chances of a power surge bursting through your house wiring, but these are not the only causes of power surges.
A high amperage device like an air conditioner can trigger electrical spikes by redirecting the current in the wiring. Therefore, a surge protector should always be in place for your modern electronics to scale through a potential hazard such as a power surge.
What Are the Appliances that Need Surge Protectors? And Why?
Many appliances in the entire home are handy and effective in their various functions, but a power surge could damage them in the blink of an eye. These appliances include water heaters, wall ovens, cooking tips, and washing machines.
We should note that all kinds of electronics in the home might require the use of surge protectors, including televisions, laptops, desktop computers, and even charging phones.
Here are examples of home appliances that need surge protectors and why they need them.
1. Washing machines
Your washing machine is very susceptible to power surges, resulting in the melting of its components. For this reason, a high-quality washing machine surge protector is vital to keep your washing machine in mint condition.
2. Electric stoves
Nowadays, Electric stoves have eye-catching designs that sell faster than the last longer in buyers’ homes. As a result, there could be a lot of electrical issues that the use of a surge protector might only resolve. Surge protectors prevent excessive current from going into the stove and creating faults.
3. Televisions
Your television is made of an intricate connection of microprocessors that are highly susceptible to changes in electrical voltage. Once these sensitive microprocessors come in contact with a sudden flood of high electrical current, they are ab destroyed.
Therefore, you should not plug your TV into just an outlet but a surge protector instead.
4. Wall ovens
A power surge can disrupt the internal settings of your wall oven. Electrical spikes can cause damage as bad as frying the wiring and causing the control boards to malfunction. This effect ultimately affects its overall performance. But, of course, you can prevent all of these by plugging your oven into a surge protector.
5. Desktop computers
A lot of information on your computer is essential and irreplaceable. However, one power surge could wipe off all the data on your computer very easily. In addition, computers are made of highly delicate components that electrical surges can destroy quickly.
Since computers are costly devices, you can not afford such a loss, so to avoid this hazard, you must always plug your computer into a surge protector.
Conclusion
All appliances are guaranteed to last for a certain period, but this can be abruptly cut short by power surges. In addition, not having surge protection for your devices can lead to a waste of money and resources once an electrical surge occurs. Therefore, it is better to have your appliances plugged into surge protectors as a precautionary safety measure.