How lightning and electrical surges can cause damage and what you can do to avoid a hefty repair bill later?
Most people do not realize that lightning strikes are the most dangerous and frequent weather hazard we will encounter. The extra voltage from a lighting strike or power surge travels down power, telephone, and cable lines and into our homes where the real damage begins. Sometimes, the damage is unnoticeable as unprotected electronics and appliances will fail due to the influx of energy that is more than they can handle. While other cases are more severe as electricity can melt power outlets, cause flickering light fixtures, burn wires within your walls and impair outdoor equipment like your HVAC systems.
How can you protect your home?
> Unplugging Major Appliances
> Whole House Surge Protection
Whole House Surge Protectors are only effective if your house has proper wiring and grounding. It’s a surge suppressor at your service panel that dissipates the extra energy from coming into your home. Contact Pro Max Electrical for an assessment.
> Understand How your Circuit Panel Works
Preparing for big storms, it’s best to familiarize yourself with your home’s circuit breakers. Make sure you know which one is designed to shut off power in your home will help you prevent the flow of current going to that major appliances / equipment, if needed.
> Buying Battery Backups
This small investment will ensure that you will not have to worry about your gadgets for unexpected storms. The battery backups are normally equipped with an automatic voltage regulator that will kick in and provide power without interruption, no matter if your home is without power.
> Generators
Having a portable generator or standby generator can provide power during blackouts and surges. Standby generators should be installed by a qualified licensed contractor.
How to test for lightning damage?
There is a particular way to inspect to see if there is damage to wiring inside the walls of your home. That test is called MegOhm Test or most electricians referred to as “Megger Testing”. It is best to hire an electrician that specializes and has experienced in lightning damage and dealing with insurance companies’ claims as the results will tell you if your home has any fire hazard concerns.
MegOhm equipment applies a high direct current of voltage between a conductor, usually 500-1500 VDC, for a specific time period to test the wire insulation integrity. When this test is performed by a professional, it’s very reliable and the only way to know if damage has occurred. As most damage can’t be seen by the human eye.
Contact your insurance company or insurance adjuster to request this test to be performed for the safety of your home or business.
Do you know if you have insurance coverage for lightning damage?
Recording to data from the Insurance Information Institute, Texas ranks in the top three states with the greatest number of claims filed to insurance companies regarding lightning relate issues. The average cost per claim being over $25,000, in 2022. As lightning damage is treated the same in the insurance world as fires sometimes insurance coverage excludes them from their standard policies. It would be best to contact your insurance agent to confirm if your home insurance will cover you in case of lightning strikes or power surges.
Hire an Experienced Electrical Contractor
We at Pro Max Electrical are fully trained in onsite home inspections and go over project details to help you decide what’s the best next move to keep your family, home, and your wallets safe from the next thunderstorm.
Just remember prolonging electrical damage may not spark a fire today, but it could, with no warning, cause more damage in the future and your house could go up in flames.
So, have no setbacks, Call Pro Max, today!
We will make sure to minimize this headache as we are Houston’s best electrical contractors.
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