Would installing a powerful whole-house surge suppressor help?
-Mary G. A: Today’s homes have many devices and appliances that use sensitive solid state components. In addition to the common electronic equipment you mentioned, most new major appliances (refrigerators, dishwashers, clothes dryers, etc.) have electronics that can be damaged by voltage surges. Although you are not aware of it, there can be hundreds of very short duration 1,000 plus-volt surges in a typical home’s wiring every day. The frequency and intensity of the surges depend on your specific location. Your electric co-op does everything it possibly can to minimize these voltage surges, but it is impossible to eliminate them. The source of the surges is not your utility company’s generators. Surges are usually caused by lightning or when electrical equipment, often large motors in nearby commercial businesses, switches off. They can even be generated inside your own home when your air conditioner compressor stops or you are running your dishwasher or clothes washer. Although small
