Where Do Power Surges Come From?
There are several sources of power surges. They can originate from the electric utility company during power grid switching. A common cause of power surges, especially the most powerful ones, is lightning. Power surges can originate inside a home when large appliances like air conditioners and refrigerator motors turn on and off. There are over 20 million cloud-to-ground lightning strikes detected per year in the 48 contiguous states of the US. Power surges can enter a home through several paths. In the case of lightning, it can take the path of the cable TV or satellite dish cable, through the incoming telephone lines, or through the incoming electrical service line.
