Monsoons and the Importance of Surge Protection
The monsoons flow into Arizona from June 15th to September 30th, with the average starting date in Phoenix being July 7th. And while Phoenix only sees roughly 2.77 inches or rainfall during this time, the city can also see upwards of 600,000 lightning strikes each year. These lightning strikes are responsible for power outages, fires, and the loss of large electronics and appliances such as central air conditioning. This is why it’s crucial for those living in the Phoenix area to make sure that their systems are protected with an AC unit surge protector.
Surges and Appliance Failure
One of the biggest complaints people have about their central air conditioning system is when it stops working. After all, it’s one of the most costly items to repair or replace, coming in third right behind your house itself and your car. And while you carry homeowner’s and car insurance to help offset the cost of repairs, most people don’t have separate insurance on their AC. That’s what a surge protector is; it’s insurance for your AC against surges and lightning strikes.
A surge is a major fluctuation in power that sends a high amplitude pulse through your electronics, often destroying the microprocessor that causes your appliance to function. And while there can be many different causes of surges from poor electrical quality to the motor in your appliances, one of the biggest causes of appliance failure is due to lightning strike.
Lightning Strikes and Power Surges
Lightning doesn’t have to hit your home to cause a power surge that can take out your AC or other appliances. In fact, it just has to hit within ½ a mile of your home to do so, and nothing can prevent the lightning from hitting. Each strike delivers up to 20,000 volts of electricity through your home, which is more than enough to take out your central air, your microwave, dishwasher, computers, and other electronics. And while you probably have individual strip surge protectors in every room of the home for you to plug things like your computer and tablets into, what protection does your AC have? An individual surge protector of the same type you use for your computers isn’t going to take care of your AC. To protect your central air conditioner from power surges, you need to have a surge protector installed directly on it.
Protection for Your HVAC System
Did you know that you can have a surge protector installed right on your HVAC system? It’s installed at the service disconnect for your AC condensing unit. They can handle up to 100,000 amps of power, so in the event of a major power surge, it’s the protector that gets shorted out – not your HVAC and central air.
Installation is fast and easy, and most HVAC technicians can handle this for you quickly and efficiently. Once it’s installed, your HVAC unit is protected from lightning strikes, and you won’t be left without air conditioning during the height of monsoon season.
Get It Checked Often
If you have a surge protector for your AC, keep in mind that just like other appliances and electronics – it doesn’t last forever. So while it should be protecting you in the event of a lightning strike, it may not. Get yours checked and serviced on a regular basis to ensure that it works properly, and get it replaced as needed to make sure that your air conditioning has the protection it needs.
Stay Safe in Monsoons
Monsoons are a fact of reality in Phoenix, but they don’t have to be as catastrophic as have been in the past. Make sure your central AC is protected from lightning strikes and power surges with a surge protector and stay safe and cool during the season. Get a surge protector included with our monsoon tuneup.
