Living in Australia means we get record hours of sunshine every year compared to the northern hemisphere. But we also get some spectacular storms, and storm season is almost upon us.
We’ll show you how to protect yourself against disaster, keeping your electrical equipment protected against power outages and surges. But what are power surges and what steps can you take to protect yourself?
What is a Power Surge?
“Power surges occur when the flow of electricity is interrupted, then started again, or when something sends electricity flowing back into the system.” – Ausgrid, NSW
Australia’s electricity network is owned by a mix of private and government-owned organisations.
Types of Power Surges
There are two types of power surges internal and external. For this article, we’re focusing on external, but internal power surges originate in your electrical system.
For example, an internal power surge is the sudden start of a power heavy appliance (washing machine, motor, fridge) which can sometimes cause a huge power surge.
External is what we have to look out for this storm season, lightning, in particular, is the most common cause of external power surges.
If lightning strikes a huge amount of electricity enters your electrical system. It can strike your house or a power line, either way, it causes a massive power surge.
Remember too most homeowners insurance policies do not cover damage to appliances from a power surge, as standard. So if that power surge does happen you’ll have the extra expense of replacing them.
Equipment to protect you
See what our Buzz-A-Geek Super Heros recommend to help protect your data and equipment:
- Surge protectors
- Smart plugs
- Backups to disk
- Backups to cloud
Buzz-A-Geek can help you back your files to disk or cloud if you’re worried about doing it properly.
Surge protectors are not the sexiest product but now you can get smart ones in 2020. Smart power strips let you control your devices that are plugged into it with an app from your couch.
You can also use smart plugs with your surge protectors if you need USB sockets, voice control for compatibility with Google Assist or Alexa and timers for devices that run for only a few hours a day e.g. pool pumps.
In Summary
We don’t know when the next power surge or storm could strike next but it’s important to protect yourself from power surges this storm season. That way if you wake in the middle of the night to thunder and lightening you won’t have to worry about your equipment.
