Preparing Your Electrical System for Spring Storms

As spring approaches in Seattle, it brings not only warmer weather and blooming flowers but also the potential for severe storms. These strong seasonal storms can pose significant risks to your home’s electrical system. Understanding how to prepare can safeguard your home from damage while keeping your family safe. 

Dadz Electrical can help guide you through essential steps like surge protection, ensuring proper grounding, evaluating your electrical panel for an upgrade, and considering the installation of a generator. Here’s how to properly prepare your home for spring storms!

Surge Protection: Your First Line of Defense

Surge protectors are vital in protecting your home’s electronics and appliances from sudden spikes in electrical voltage. These spikes can occur during storms due to lightning strikes or power line damages. Without surge protection, your valuable electronics could suffer irreversible damage. 

What Happens During an Electrical Storm Surge?

An electrical storm surge typically begins with a sudden, dramatic increase in voltage significantly above the designed operating voltage of standard home and office electrical equipment. This can be due to lightning strikes directly on or near power lines, or indirectly as a result of electromagnetic pulses generated by lightning. 

Meanwhile, surges can occur when power lines are damaged or when the power grid is strained and suddenly changes due to the rapid switching of electrical loads.

Impact on Electrical Systems and Devices

When the surge reaches a home or business, it can cause immediate damage to anything connected to the electrical system. The excessive voltage can overwhelm the electrical insulation within devices, leading to short circuits and the potential for fires. For sensitive electronics, even a brief increase in voltage can fry circuits, erase data, and render complex devices inoperable. Appliances may experience immediate failure or suffer from reduced lifespan due to the stress on their components.

So, how do you keep your electrical system safe? One option comes in the form of surge protectors. Using surge protectors for your entire home, not just for individual outlets, provides a comprehensive shield that minimizes the risk of electrical fires and protects your investments.

Ensuring Proper Grounding for Your Home’s Electrical System

A properly grounded electrical system is essential for home safety, especially during storms. Grounding helps stabilize voltage levels and directs any excess electricity away from your home to the ground. This process significantly reduces the risk of electrical shock, fire, and equipment damage. 

Signs That Your Home’s Electrical System is Not Properly Grounded 

Are you wondering if your electrical system is grounded? These signs might point to a potential problem:

• Flickering or dimming lights occur frequently, indicating inconsistent power flow.
• Electrical shocks are felt when touching appliances, a direct sign of grounding issues.
• Outlets and light switches are warm to the touch or emit a slight buzz
• Frequent tripping of circuit breakers or blowing of fuses.
• Corrosion is visible on electrical panels or outlets, a sign of excessive electrical leakage.
• Appliances and electronics malfunction or have a shorter lifespan, often due to poor grounding.
• The absence of a grounding wire in your electrical system, particularly in older homes.
• Three-pronged plugs do not fit into outlets.
• The presence of electrical arcs or sparks when you plug in or unplug devices.
• A professional electrician detects issues during an inspection.

Not sure if your home’s electrical system is properly grounded? Have Dadz, a licensed electrician in Seattle, check your home’s grounding system to ensure it meets current safety standards. This simple step can make a substantial difference in your home’s electrical safety!

Evaluating Your Electrical Panel: Is It Time for an Upgrade?

Your electrical panel, often known as the breaker box, is the heart of your home’s electrical system. It distributes electricity throughout your home and protects against overloads. However, an outdated or overloaded electrical panel can pose a significant risk during spring storms. 

Signs that You Need a Spring Electrical Panel Upgrade

• Frequent tripping of circuit breakers, suggesting the panel can no longer handle current demands.
• The presence of a fuse box instead of a circuit breaker, indicating an outdated system.
• Lights dim or flicker when using appliances, showing the panel is overburdened.
• Overreliance on extension cords and power strips due to a lack of outlets.
• The electrical panel feels warm to the touch, a sign of potential overloading and risk.
• Rust or corrosion on the panel, signaling degradation that could compromise safety.
• You’re adding major appliances or renovating, which increases electrical load requirements.
• The panel is more than 25 years old, making it likely outdated by modern standards.
• Appliances not operating at full power, suggesting they’re not receiving enough electricity.

Modern electrical panels offer enhanced safety features and can accommodate additional circuits, making them a wise investment for older homes or those with increased power demands. If your electrical system or electrical panel is outdated, please contact us at Dadz for an upgrade.

Generator Installation: Ensuring Uninterrupted Power

It’s never fun to deal with a power outage during a spring storm. But the good news is that installing a generator can provide your home with a reliable power source during outages caused by spring storms. 

Generators come in various sizes, from small portable units to larger standby models that automatically power on when the electricity goes out. While the initial investment may seem substantial, the convenience of having power during an extended outage can outweigh the costs. It ensures your refrigerated food remains fresh, your home stays comfortable, and your medical devices continue to operate.

Wanting to learn more about home generators? Be sure to check out our blog by clicking here.

Prepare Your Electrical Systems for Storms with Dadz Electrical

When you hear about an upcoming spring storm, give yourself peace of mind by contacting us at Dadz. We can help make sure that your electrical system is in working order from top to bottom, which will protect your home from a variety of electrical headaches. Serving the Seattle and Lynnwood communities for 30 years, we’re here to lend a helping hand.