Lisa E. Crosley, Lifestyle Comfort Solutions President, explains the importance of protecting your Dayton air-conditioner from the damage done by even minor power surges.
Your Dayton air-conditioner is likely the most expensive appliance in your home to repair or to replace. It’s a workhorse, cranking out comfort for years. However, a significant one-time high impact power surge or repeated smaller surges cause air-conditioners to fail. Most people don’t even know that small electrical surges are happening all the time.
You put surge protection on your computer. Now it’s time to put surge protection on your heating/cooling system, too.
Be warned! Damage from a power surge isn’t covered by most homeowners insurance or home warranty protection plans. More likely than not, repair costs, which may be significant, will come out of your pocket.
What is a Power Surge?
A power surge is a high amp, low duration fluctuation in electrical power. Power surges can be internal like faulty wiring, a faulty circuit breaker box, or faulty appliances. External power surges occur from lightening, blown transformers, downed power lines, and other electrical service issues. Power surges may occur year-round, but air-conditioners are especially vulnerable during Summer’s high demand for cooling power and frequent Summer thunderstorms.
As the US power gird ages, power surges occur more frequently from both power fall-offs and scheduled brown-outs.
How Power Surges Affect Your HVAC System
Power surges overload and damage capacitors. They can fry your circuit board, the brains of your cooling system. Small surges over time, or one high-impact surge, can short your compressor, the heart of your cooling system. An high-impact power surge which causes electricity to arc around an appliance can spark a fire.
Investing in professional grade surge protection guards your wallet, and protects your family.
How Does a Surge Protector Work?
Simply put, an HVAC surge protector does not prevent a power surge. Instead, it’s designed to direct excess energy away from the device and into ground wires within the HVAC unit.
How Do I Protect My Air-Conditioner?
- Turn off your Dayton air-conditioner at the thermostat during thunderstorms.
- Unplug all appliances when not in use.
- Install professional HVAC surge protection to prolong the life of your air-conditioner and increase your home’s safety. Talk to your Lifestyle Comfort Solutions’ technician or call us at 937.202.4520. A professional grade system costs around $300. Avoid over-the-counter, cheaper models which often don’t have the capability to protect your heating/cooling equipment. Whole home surge protection sounds convenient, but rarely protects against internal surges.
Lifestyle Comfort Solutions is an award-winning, family-owned, Dayton residential and commercial heating and cooling company known for its technical expertise and innovative problem-solving. Lifestyle Comfort Solutions serves the Greater Dayton area including Kettering, Centerville, Beavercreek, Springboro, Bellbrook, Englewood, Fairborn, Huber Heights and Miamisburg. Learn more about Lifestyle Comfort Solutions at www.lifestylecomfortsolutions.com.
