Loadshedding has returned in full force, which means the likelihood of power surges affecting your home or business is higher than usual. And while we hate bringing up the dreaded L-word (loadshedding…) we have to.

Loadshedding is a reality, especially given the state of our ageing infrastructure, and we’re powerless over the situation (literally… Unless you want to install backup power, hint hint).

More than that, loadshedding doesn’t just kill our vibes; it can also destroy our appliances and electrical equipment if we let power surges run wild. Of course, we can’t control when surges happen, mainly if they’re caused by loadshedding, but we can try to decrease the damage they cause our electronics. Now is the ideal time to invest in surge protection before it’s too late. 

What is a power surge?

Here’s a quick crash course on what a power surge is:

A power surge is a sudden spike in voltage supplied to a circuit. This spike disrupts the normal flow of electricity within a circuit and causes permanent damage. The sharp increase in electrical energy overloads circuits in appliances and electrical systems, resulting in damage ranging from minor malfunctions to catastrophic failure. There are two main types of power surges: internal surges and external surges. 

Internal surges are caused by an internal fault in the electrical system. External surges are caused by outside forces such as lightning strikes, power restored after load shedding or power outages, and transmission lines or transformers malfunctioning.

Get Surge Protection

The one upside to power surges is that we can take precautions to prevent them from damaging our electronics. Surge protectors are necessary in many South African homes and can differentiate between a functional toaster and a fire hazard. 

Surge protectors are designed to equalise voltage spikes to decrease the damage caused by power surges. Surge protectors effectively prevent damage resulting from most surges. However, there will always be exceptions to the rule (though, thankfully, they tend to be few and far between). We strongly recommend installing surge protection to prevent every surge from being a catastrophe (seriously, we’re not kidding). 

Whole-house surge protection is the best way to protect your electronics and bigger electrical systems. It’s more expensive than plug-in surge protectors, but it also provides much more protection. They’re a lot more effective against external power sources (such as lightning strikes, or surges resulting from the power returning after loadshedding). This type of surge protection is installed at the fuse box, stopping the surge before it even makes its way inside. 

We offer a range of Surge Protection installation services, specialising in whole-house surge protector installations. All of our service professionals are properly trained and qualified, fully registered, and knowledgeable about all things surge protection!

Contact us today for more information about how we can help you protect your home and appliances from power surges. We offer free quotations with no call-out fee