Lightning never strikes twice, they say, but it is more likely to strike in some places than others. Despite a tragic, recent Independence Day incident, it is relatively uncommon for people to be struck by lightning in South Carolina. Our homes and electrical appliances, unfortunately, are at much higher risk. It just takes one power surge caused by a lightning strike to ruin your AC unit, leading to costly repairs or replacement. Did we mention the heat you’ll have to suffer through until your air conditioner is up and running again?
When lightning strikes near a power line, it can cause a power surge that flows through your home’s electrical system. The spike in voltage during a power surge can damage components of household electronics by causing an arc of current. This arc overloads the system and damages components due to the sheer heat generated by a surge.
Your air conditioner may not be top of the list when you think of “electronics” or “appliances” but it’s also at great risk of power surges!
How Do You Reduce Your Risk?
The manual method is to turn off the power at the breaker during a storm but it is a hassle, inconvenient to have the power off, and impossible to do when you are not home. A better long term solution is a high-quality, whole-house surge protector that we wire to your electrical service box.
Though installation of a whole-house surge protector is not inexpensive, consider the prices of all the appliances and electronics in your home. Protecting these devices, worth thousands of dollars, may make the investment worthwhile.
If you are relying on insurance to help you out in the event your air conditioner gets fried by a lightning-fueled surge, you may want to reconsider. Insurance policies aren’t always straight-forward. You will be required to establish that your damage was due to a storm, and some policies don’t even cover air conditioners. Let’s not forget deductibles! Maybe the best insurance is to install a whole-house surge protector.
So, you didn’t get a whole-house surge protector?
If a thunderstorm cooks your unprotected air conditioner, we are happy to help you get the cool air flowing again as soon as possible. We can help you diagnose the damage and help you decide if repairs are possible or if you need to install a new unit. We can also make sure that everything is properly grounded when your system is brought back to life. If you would then like to discuss additional levels of surge protection for your air conditioning system we would be glad to research and recommend products that will make sense for your home. Whether you’re looking to avoid costly air conditioning damages or are dealing with a damaged unit now, contact your Home Service Heroes.
We’re a family-owned business and we take great pride in offering high-quality home repair with even higher quality attention to our customer’s needs. We’re available 24/7 and service Oconee, Pickens, and North Anderson counties. As well as maintaining, installing and fixing heating and cooling systems, we are also licensed plumbing contractors. We can fix or build anything that moves gas or water through your house and we even repair and remodel homes. If you’re thinking of insuring your home against a lightning strike with a whole-house surge protector, call the whole-house experts at PECO today at 864-639-2424 or request an appointment online.
