Posted in Seasonal
Lightning strikes during severe thunderstorms cause billions of dollars in damage throughout the U.S. annually. That kind of electrical surge can fry your electrical panel and cause damage to wires, connections, and devices. Regular maintenance is a great way to protect your electrical panel and your home.
Schedule a Professional Electrical Panel Inspection
The industry encourages homeowners to schedule a whole-home electrical inspection every three to five years. It’s also a good idea to schedule an electrical panel inspection every year in late spring or early fall. A licensed electrician will inspect the lines running into your property and the service meter.
The inspection will also cover the panel itself, any direct wiring, surge protection, if applicable, outlets, switches, dimmers, indoor lights, and outdoor lights. If there are any issues, your electrician will identify them and correct them right then and there.
Replace Worn Circuit Breakers
A common mistake homeowners make is not replacing circuit breakers until there’s an issue. While circuit breakers can last for decades, they can wear out much sooner than that through normal usage.
In the event of a surge, a worn breaker can become overwhelmed, fail, and allow damage beyond the breaker. Since circuit breakers are a relatively inexpensive part, experts recommend replacing them at the earliest signs of wear. If you have an older house that still has some fuses, you should have your electrician upgrade those to breakers.
Replace Old Outlets, Switches, and Dimmers
Outlets, switches, and dimmers wear out over time as well and can become susceptible to catastrophic failures as they do. Replace outlets and similar devices proactively. Upgrade to GFCI and AFCI protection wherever your local building code requires it. Likewise, consider smart outlets that can shut themselves off automatically or through scheduling.
Upgrade Grounding and Surge Protection
Your home must be properly grounded to handle surges from indirect lightning strikes. If you have older two-prong outlets, replace those as soon as possible. The National Electrical Code has required whole-house surge protection since its 2021 update. If you don’t at least have a Type 2 surge protection device (SPD), you should add it. If you do have an SPD, have an electrician inspect it and replace it as needed.
Safeguard Your Electronics With Point-of-Use Surge Protectors
Even with whole-home surge protection, it’s important to have local, point-of-use (POU) surge protection. Replace POU surge protectors every three to five years. Use surge protectors with all major appliances and expensive electronics. Consider upgrading your outlets to versions that have integrated Type 3 surge protection and USB ports.
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