After investing a great amount of money in a heating system, it is important for individuals to consider ways of protecting their important investments. While gas heaters mostly utilize natural gas, they also use some electricity. Unfortunately, this can make a heater just as vulnerable to surge damage as any other household component. Therefore, it is important for individuals to understand why a surge protector is needed for all of the equipment for gas heating Portland homeowners use. This will take a look at some considerations for getting a surge protector for your gas heater.
Protecting Equipment
Surge protectors are widely used to protect sensitive electronics from damage due to power surges. Although power surges are somewhat rare, they can happen at any time Power surges are most common during an electrical storm or when power companies are working on electrical lines. Throughout the entire life expectancy of an individual’s home, several power surges are usually experienced. So while power surges are rare, they are a true concern in the long-run for the gas heating Portland homeowners regularly use
If a home gets struck by lightning, the lightning bolt will search for the path of least resistance. In modern homes, this path of least resistance is almost always the copper wires used for electricity. Unfortunately, this can send a shock throughout the entire home that damages electronics. Every day, there are thousands of lightning strikes. If one of these were to hit your home, many of your electronics could be permanently destroyed. For this reason, it is important to protect your equipment from damage.
Ensuring Safety
The lack of a surge protector can also create safety issues. Power outages are more likely to occur on cold winter days. If a power surge were to occur, homeowners could find themselves without heat once the power comes back on. This can lead to potentially devastating damage when pipes burst and homeowners are left freezing cold. HVAC professionals might not be able to immediately assist the homeowner due to other homeowners facing similar issues, causing exasperated damage. By simply installing a surge protector, homeowners can affordably protect themselves from this catastrophic damage.
A power surge can also cause heaters to malfunction. A strong surge of electricity could cause a fire or break certain components. This could cause a heater to emit fumes or fail to start properly. It is also possible for an electrical fire to be started inside the heater itself. For this reason, safety is one of the primary reasons why individuals need to have a surge protector installed on their gas furnaces.
Limitations of Power Strips
Many individuals already use surge protectors for their entertainment centers and computers. However, the vast majority of people merely use these surge protectors for convenience. Televisions, computer monitors, and desktops generally require dozens of wires that have to be plugged in Asa result, most people use a power strip that has a surge protector built-in. This can provide some protection, but it will not protect all electronics. Additionally, weaker power strips can get overwhelmed due to excessive power consumption. This is especially true for a heater, which absolutely requires the use of a specialized search protector. Using an ordinary power strip could cause a fire or other electrical damage.
Unfortunately, few individuals understand the importance of protecting electronics from damage by using a surge protector. Asa result, other important electronics like washing machines and furnaces are usually left without protection. A well-trained HVAC professional might have installed a built-in surge protector, but unless this happened, most individuals probably do not have these important assets protected. Asa result, they are vulnerable to severe damage during any electrical surge. For this reason, well-informed homeowners should take steps to protect their key assets from electrical damage.
Picking the Right Surge Protector
It is very important for homeowners to understand that they will need to purchase a specialized surge protector for their furnace. The ten-dollar surge protector is not enough to protect a furnace. In fact, these inferior surge protectors can make the problem even worse. For this reason, homeowners in today’s world need to ensure that they use a surge protector that is specially designed for protecting their furnace.
Most good surge protectors are NATE certified. This organization ensures that surge protectors are sufficient to handle the power demands of an ordinary gas heater. Most of these surge protectors plug into an ordinary wall socket. However, some may require a special wall socket designed for high-power electronics. It is important for homeowners to not try to convert between different wall socket types. This can prevent a fire or other damage during peak consumption hours or during a power surge.
Many of the surge protectors that are offered today also measure power consumption. By simply inputting the cost per kilowatt, homeowners can measure exactly how much power their heaters use This information is conveniently displayed on an LCD display that is easily understood by homeowners. While protecting your home, this can also make it easier to save money.
How Much Protection to Buy
The most important consideration that homeowners need to be aware of is the amount of electricity that a furnace uses. Most furnaces use a peak power consumption of approximately 500 to 1000 watts. This is used for starting the heater and for controlling the internal computer system. At most times, heaters use far less power. However, they do have peak power consumption periods that require sufficient power in order to operate properly. Homeowners should aim to find a surge protector that provides at least 1000 watts of power. It is not uncommon to see surge protectors that provide as much as 2500 watts.
Unlike most consumer power strips, furnace surge protectors generally do not come with liability guarantees. Rather, they usually come with a warranty that is good for several years. Most furnace surge protectors have a warranty between 5 and 10 years.
Installing It Right
After purchasing a surge protector, it is important for it to be installed right. Although this could theoretically be done alone, it is strongly recommended for homeowners to work with a professional to ensure that there are no electrical bottlenecks that can create problems.
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A heater’s power cord cannot be simply plugged into any wall socket. For this reason, it is strongly recommended that homeowners work with a professional when installing a surge protector.
Information shared by Heating Portland
